psychopathology: biological treatment of OCD Flashcards
How do drugs typically affect psychological disorders?
They usually affect neurotransmitter levels.
What neurotransmitter level is associated with OCD?
Low levels of serotonin.
What is the main goal of drugs used in the treatment of OCD?
To increase the amount of serotonin that the brain processes.
what does SSRI stand for
selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor
What class of drugs do SSRIs belong to?
Antidepressant drugs.
What system do SSRIs work on in the brain?
The serotonin system.
What is the first step in the process of a neurotransmitter?
Serotonin is released from the presynaptic neuron and travels across the synapse.
(second step) What happens after neurotransmitters convey the signal from the presynaptic neuron to the postsynaptic neuron?
(third step) They are reabsorbed by the presynaptic neuron where they are broken down and re-used.
What is reuptake in neurotransmitter processing?
The process where neurotransmitters are reabsorbed by the presynaptic neuron.
How do SSRIs affect serotonin levels in the synapse?
They prevent reuptake, increasing serotonin levels in the synapse.
What should be done if SSRIs fail to alleviate symptoms after 3-4 months?
They may be combined with other drugs or stopped in favor of alternative drugs.
what are the 2 alternative drugs to SSRIs
- tricyclics
- SNRIs
What is the function of tricyclics?
They block the transporter mechanism that re-absorbs both serotonin and noradrenaline. > this prolongs their activity
What is an example of a tricyclic drug?
Clomipramine.
What are SNRIs?
More recent drugs that increase levels of serotonin and nor-adrenaline.
True or False: SSRIs are effective for everyone.
False.
Fill in the blank: SSRIs prevent _______ of serotonin.
reuptake
AO3: effective
research to support the effectiveness of drug therapy
Soomro et al (2009) reviewed studies comparing the effectiveness of SSRIs to placebos. They found that SSRI’s were more effective than placebos in all studies reviewed. They found however, the best results when SSRI’s were combined with psychological treatments such as CBT. Additionally, it has been found symptoms typically reduce for around 70% of people taking SSRI’s
STRENGTH as this suggests that SSRI’s are an effective treatment for people with OCD as it reduces relapse rates.
COUNTER: There is unreliable evidence for drug treatments.
This is because the evidence favoring drug treatments is biased because the research is sponsored by drug companies who do not report all the evidence. As drug companies have an incentive to sell their drugs, they do this by making them look like they are the most effective on the market through publication bias and sample bias.
AO3: cheap and quick
Drugs are quick and cheaper
SSRIs are significantly cheaper compared to CBT. A prescription for SSRI’s is around 9 pounds while CBT is around 60 pounds a week. They are also non disruptive to the patients day to day life, while CBT involves time spent attending to therapy session
STRENGTH as this is good value for the NHS as it does not take up as much resources.
COUNTER: Once the individual has stopped taking these drugs, the individual is likely to relapse. This suggests drug therapy is not a long term solution to OCD and is simply palliative
AO3: side effects
Drug treatment can have serious side effects
eg: nausea, headaches, worse anxiety, worse depression
WEAKNESS of drug therapy as patients who experience side effects will be reluctant to carry on taking the drug. As a result, they will relapse so drug therapy is not an effective long term solution.
AO3: doesn’t target root cause
Drugs may not target the root cause
SSRIs are based on the idea that OCD is due to low levels of serotonin. However, there are other explanations which suggest that OCD is due to past trauma.
WEAKNESS as it suggest that drug therapy does not target the root cause. Once the patient stops taking the drug, symptoms will reappear. As drug therapy cannot target past trauma, which instead needs to be tackled by CBT
