Describe and evaluate the biological approach to treating OCD Flashcards
outline 1
Antidepressants (SSRIs) e.g., Prozac increase low levels of serotonin (which regulates mood) associated with OCD.
Serotonin is released into the synapse by the pre-synaptic neurone.
Serotonin then travels across the synapse to the post-synaptic receptor sites.
After reaching the receptor sites, serotonin then travels back to the pre-synaptic neurone and would normally be reabsorbed so that it can be broken down and re-used.
However, to increase serotonin levels, the re-absorption is prevented.
By blocking reabsorption more serotonin is left in the synapse and thus more reaches the post-synaptic neuron.
outline 2
Anti-anxiety drugs e.g., Valium help adjust neurotransmitter levels so that the person feels less anxious.
These slow down activity of the central nervous system by increasing levels of neurotransmitter GABA which has a general relaxing effect on neurones responsible for making a person feel less anxious.
Anti-anxiety drugs reduce brain activity and in turn reduce the impact of dopamine.
strength
A strength of drug therapy is that it is effective at tackling OCD symptoms.
For example, Soomro et al. (2009) reviewed 17 studies comparing SSRIs to placebos in the treatment of OCD.
All 17 studies showed significantly better results for SSRIs than for the placebo conditions.
Effectiveness is greatest when SSRIs are combined with a psychological treatment, usually CBT.
Typically, symptoms reduce for around 70% of patients taking SSRIs, the rest are helped by alternative drugs or CBT + drugs. So, drugs can help most patients with OCD.
strength 2
A further strength is that drug therapies are preferred to other treatments.
This is because they are cost effective and non-disruptive.
Drug therapy involves little input from the user in terms of effort and time and require little monitoring by doctors.
In contrast, therapies such as CBT require the patient to attend regular meetings and put considerable thought into tackling their problems, as well as requiring therapist’s time.
These benefits mean that drug therapies are more economical for the health service than psychological therapies.
limit
A limitation of drug therapy for OCD is that the effectiveness may be exaggerated by publication bias.
Turner et al. (2008) claimed there is a publication bias towards studies that show a positive outcome of antidepressant drugs in the treatment of OCD.
A consequence of this publication bias is that research may exaggerate the beneficial effects of these drugs.
Drug companies also have a strong interest in the success of their products and much of the research funded by these companies.
Selective publication can lead doctors to make inappropriate treatment decisions that may not be in the best interest of the patients.
limit 2
A further limitation is that drugs have side effects.
Some patients will suffer from side effects such as indigestion, blurred vision and loss of sex drive (although theses side effects are usually temporary).
For patients taking Clomipramine side effects can be more common and more serious and patients can suffer from weight gain, become aggressive and suffer disruption to heart rhythm.
Such factors reduce effectiveness because people stop taking the medication.
