Psychopathology = Biological Approach To Treating Ocd Flashcards
Antidepressant : SSRI drugs stands for and examples
Selective serotonin re-uptake inhibitors
E,g, Prozac and fluoxetine
What are low levels of serotonin associate with
OCD and depression
What do SRI drugs aim to do?
- prevent reuptake of serotonin and prolong its activity in the synapse
- person = feel less anxious + higher level of serotonin available
Worry circuit
- low levels of serotonin implicated in circuit
- damage to caudate nucleus = can’t suppress minor worry signals = message sent to orbital frontal cortex = worrying + anxiety get worse
Why are drugs given to ocd patients?
To increase serotonin levels and help to regulate mood + reduce anxiety levels
What does increasing serotonin via SSRI drugs also do?
- helps normalise and reduce the worry circuit
- serotonin = readily available in receptor cells = high levels =increase in mood
How does high levels of serotonin provided by SSRI drugs help?
- helps orbital frontal cortex function at normal levels
- OFC has extensive connections with sensory areas + li box system (involved in emotion and memory)
- SSRI drugs help stabilise mood + emotion + improve memory (reduces compulsive behaviour and checking)
How many weeks are SSRI drugs prescribed for?
12-16 weeks
SNRI stands for
Selective norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors
What is SNRI?
- new type of drugs = increases serotonin + noradrenaline
- suitable for ocd patients that can’t tolerate SSRI drugs
What is noradrenaline?
- neurotransmitter released from sympathetic nervous system in response to stress
- aims to mobilise the brain + body for action
- SNRI’s act on the reuptake of noradrenaline
SRRI’s positive = placebo
- Soomro = reviewed 17 studies that compared SSRI’s to placebo drugs for treating ocd
- all 17 studies showed SSRI = more effective than placebos, esp when combined with CBT
- SSRI = effective treatment for ocd
SRRI positive = cost
- relatively cheap and cost effective compared to psychological therapies e.g. CBT
- SSRI = good value for money for the nhs + economical compared to other treatments
SSRI negative = effectiveness
- don’t work for all OCD patients
- some patients = doesn’t alleviate ocd symptoms + they have to take alt drug instead which is more effective for them
SRRI negative = criticiser
- Koran criticised use of drugs to help relieve ocd symptoms
- stated drug therapy = common + popular treatment but psychotherapies e.g. CBT = should be tried first to help reduce ocd Symptoms
- drugs don’t provide a lasting cure + patients may relapse within a few weeks if medication is stopped
Benzodiazepines (BZ) drugs do what?
Reduces anxiety and aim to control action of neurotransmitters
Examples of BZ drugs
Valium and Xanax
What do BZ drugs do to the body?
- reduces activity in CNS and reduce brain arousal
- aim to reduce blood pressure + heart rate
- aim to increase GABA
What is GABA and what does it do?
- neurotransmitter in the brain
- slows down the firing of neurons = less anxious and calmer = reduces physiological activity in the body
What do BZ drugs do to GABA?
- BZ drugs bind to GABA receptor site of post synaptic neuron
- increases flow of chloride ions into PSN
- chloride ions = more difficult for neuron to be stimulated by other neurotransmitters = slows down its activity making the person feel more relaxed
- neurons in brain become less active and person feels calmer
What does BZ reduce?
- anxiety that OCD patients might experience when having obsessive thoughts
- serotonin levels = lower arousal and reduces anxiety = less happy + more likely to get depressed
BZ positive = effective
- works very quickly + effectively to cure symptoms compared to other treatments
- begin to reduce anxiety levels + ocd symptoms in short period of time = immediate benefits of relief
BZ positive = side effects
- produces hardly any serious side effects unlike other types of drugs
- side effects kept to a minimum = good for OCD patients
BZ negative = dependency
- Ashton = found long term users = very dependent on drug + sudden withdrawal leads to a return of high anxiety levels and symptoms
- drug escalation = patients need to take very large doses of the drug in order to reduce their OCD symptoms if they take the drug for a long period of time
