Psychopathology: The Biological Approach To Treating OCD

Question 1

What is drug therapy

Answer 1

• treatment involving drugs
• aims to increase/decrease the levels of neurotransmitters in the brain or to increase/decrease their activity
• low levels of serotonin are associated with OCD, so drugs work in various ways to increase serotonin in the brain

Question 2

What are SSRI’s

Answer 2

• selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors
• they work on the serotonin system in the brain, by preventing the re-absorption and breakdown of serotonin, SSRI’s effectively increase its levels in the synapse and continue to stimulate the post synaptic neuron
• the drug (20mg fluoxetine) is available as capsules or liquid, it takes 3-4 months of daily use for SSRI’s to have an impact

Question 3

Outline the effects of combining SSRI’s with other treatments

Answer 3

• drugs are often used alongside CBT to treat OCD
• the drug reduces a patients symptoms (feeling anxious/depressed)which means the patient can engage more in CBT
• occasionally other drugs are prescribed alongside SSRI’s

Question 4

Wheat happens if an SSRI is not effective after 3-4 months

Answer 4

• the dose can be increased - 60mg a day for fluoxetine
• or it can be combined with other drugs, patients often respond very differently to different drugs

Question 5

What other two types of drugs can be used for OCD aside from SSRI’s

Answer 5

• tricyclics - (older type of antidepressant) can be used, they have the same effect on the serotonin system as SSRI’s but some types have more severe side effects than SSRI’s (clomipramine)
• SNRI’s - a second line of defence for people who do not respond to SSRI’s. They also increase levels of serotonin as well as a different type of neurotransmitter

Question 6

What are the three evaluation points for the biological approach to treating OCD

Answer 6

• drug therapy is effective at tackling OCD symptoms
• drugs are cost effective and non disruptive
• drugs can have side effects

Question 7

Outline ‘drug therapy is effective at tackling OCD symptoms’ as an evaluation point for the biological approach to treating OCD

Answer 7

• clear evidence for effectiveness of SSRI’s in reducing severity of OCD symptoms + improving quality of life
• Soomro et al - reviewed studies comparing SSRI’s to placebos in the treatment of OCD
• in All 17 studies SSRI’s were more effective
• typically symptoms decline significantly for around 70% of patients taking SSRI’s

Question 8

Outline ‘drugs are cost effective and non disruptive’ as an evaluation point for the biological approach to treating OCD

Answer 8

• drugs are cheap in comparison to psychological treatments
• so good value for a public health system like the NHS
• SSRI’s are also non disruptive to patients lives, patients can simply take the drug until their symptoms decline

Question 9

Outline ‘drugs can have side effects’ as an evaluation point for the biological approach to treating OCD

Answer 9

• a significant minority of sufferers of OCD Will get no benefit
• some suffer side effects such as indigestion, blurred vision although these are usually temporary
• for clomipramine, side effects are more common and more serious, more than 1 in 100 become aggressive + suffer disruption to blood pressure and heart rhythms