psychopathology- biological ways of treating OCD

Question 1

What is the main way to treat OCD

Answer 1

drug therapy -> anti depressants

Question 2

what is the aim of drug therapy

Answer 2

. Drug therapy for any mental disorder aims to increase or decrease the
levels of neurotransmitters in the brain or to increase/ decrease their activity. As low levels of serotonin are liked to OCD antidepressants were developed to increase levels in the brain

Question 3

what do SSRIS such as fluoxetine do ?

Answer 3

They prevent the reabsorption and breakdown of serotonin in the brain. This increases its levels
in the synapse and thus serotonin continues to stimulate the postsynaptic neuron

Question 4

what is the typical dosage of fluoxitine ?

Answer 4

20mg

Question 5

what are drugs along side ?

Answer 5

CBT

Question 6

explain combination of drug therapy + CBT

Answer 6

The drugs reduce the patient’s emotional symptoms such as anxiety and
depression so they can then engage more effectively with CBT to challenge their irrational thinking.

Question 7

what tricyclics ?

Answer 7

s an alternative to SSRIs. They are an older type of anti-depressant which have the
same effect on the serotonin system but with more severe-side effects.

Question 8

what are Selective Noradrenaline Reuptake Inhibitors (SNRIs

Answer 8

used to treat OCD as they increase both serotonin and noradrenaline levels.

Question 9

strength of drug therapy ( research to support)

Answer 9

P) Using drugs to treat OCD is supported by research that shows they are effective.
E.g.) Soomro et al. (2009) reviewed 17 studies comparing SSRIs to placebos in the treatment of OCD and all 16 studied showed
significantly better results for SSRIs than for the placebo conditions. The effectiveness was greatest when SSRIs were combined
with CBT. Typically, symptoms reduce for around 70% of patients taking SSRIs and the rest are often helped be alternative drugs.
Exp) This shows SSRIs are an effective way for treating OCD.

Question 10

strength of drug therapy ( little effort)

Answer 10

P) One strength of drug therapy is that it requires little input or effort from the user and is cost-effective.
Exp) Psychological therapies are time consuming. They also require the person to attend regular meetings and think about tackling
their problem. SSRIs are non-disruptive to patients’ lives in comparison. They also require no therapist and are therefore cheaper.
Exp) This means that drug therapies are more efficient for the health service and for patients

Question 11

what is one limitation of drug therapy (side effects)

Answer 11

P) One weakness of drug therapy is that all drugs have unpleasant side effects.
E.g.) SSRIs cause nausea, hallucinations and insomnia, whilst tricyclics cause hallucinations and an irregular heartbeat.
Exp) This means that side effects limit the usefulness of drugs as treatments for OCD if the patient stops taking them

Question 12

what is a limitation of drug therapy (publication bias)

Answer 12

The effectiveness of drugs may be exaggerated by a publication bias towards studies showing drugs have a positive effect.

E.g.) Turner et al. found that studies showing positive results were more likely to be published in journals. Drug companies have a
strong interest in the continuing success of drugs, and fund much of the research into their effectiveness.

Exp) Selective publicationof research may lead doctors to make inappropriate treatment decisions about treating OCD