psychopathology: biological approach to treating OCD Flashcards
What is the most commonly used biological treatment for OCD?
Drug therapy
What is drug therapy?
Drug therapy for mental disorders aims to increase or decrease levels of neurotransmitters and assumes that there is a chemical imbalance in the brain
What are the antidepressants used to tackle symptoms of OCD?
SSRIs (selective serotonin re-uptake inhibitor)
How do SSRIs work?
- When serotonin is released from the pre-synaptic cell into the synapse, it travels to the receptor sites on the post-synaptic neuron. - Serotonin which is not absorbed into the post-synaptic neuron is reabsorbed into the pre-synaptic neuron
- SSRIs increase the level of serotonin available in the synapse by preventing it from being reabsorbed into the pre-synaptic neuron.
- This increases level of serotonin in the synapse and results in more serotonin being received by the receiving cell (post-synaptic neuron)
What impact do SSRIs have in the brain?
Decreases anxiety by normalising the activity of the worry circuit
How long do SSRIs take to improve symptoms?
three to four months
What are SSRIs often combined with?
Alongside cognitive behavioural therapies
Why are SSRIs combined with this other treatment?
- the drug reduces the sufferer’s emotional symptoms such as anxiety or depression
- this may allow the patient to engage more effectively with the psychotherapy
What other drug can be prescribed instead of SSRIs?
Fluoxtine (brand name e.g. Drozac)
What is a benefit and limitation of using Fluoxtine?
- Fewer side effects than other antidepressants such as tricyclics
- Can take weeks/months to improve symptoms
What are Tricyclic antidepressants?
- An alternative to SSRIs
- e.g. Clomipramine
- Acts on various systems including the serotonin system where it has the same effects as SSRIs
What are the disadvantages of Tricyclic antidepressants?
- Significant side effects e.g. dry mouth, blurred vision, nausea, weight gain etc
- More severe than SSRIs so reserved for people who do not respond to them
- Can take weeks/months to improve symptoms
What other alternatives are there to SSRIs?
- Tricyclics
- SNRIs
What are SNRIs?
Increase levels of serotonin and another neurotransmitter - noradrenaline
Why do Tricyclics and SNRIs have more severe side effects?
Because they work on multiple neurotransmitters (non-selective)
Evaluation: Some cases of OCD follow trauma
- OCD is widely believed to be biological in its origin and can have different causes
- Drug therapies may only cover up the symptoms of OCD, not treat the cause
- It’s argued serotonin imbalance is a result of OCD, not the cause
- This means the origin of OCD may not be biological but due to a traumatic experience instead
- Cromer (2007) showed 54% of 265 participants with OCD reported at least one traumatic life event which increased their symptoms of OCD
- suggests therapy
Evaluation: Drug therapy is effective at tackling OCD symptoms -> strength
- There is clear research to suggest that SSRIs are effective in reducing the severity of OCD symptoms
- Soomro et. al (2008) conducted a meta-analysis combining data from 17 studies that compared SSRIs to placebos
- In total, there were 3097 participants
- Found that SSRIs significantly reduced the symptoms of OCD compared to placebos
- These results suggest drug therapy is effective in the short term and supports the use of biological treatments for OCD
Evaluation: Drug treatments are cost-effective and non-disruptive -> strength
- Relatively inexpensive and potentially a more convenient treatment for the patient compared to psychological treatments like CBT which require the patient to find time for multiple sessions with a trained therapist
- As CBT is much more expensive than drug therapy, from an economic perspective, health services like the NHS are more likely to provide drug treatment
