The behavioural approach to treating OCD

Question 1

Which psychological approach can be applied to treatments of OCD?

Answer 1

The biological approach can be applied to treatments of OCD.

Question 2

According to the biological approach, what type of therapy can be used as a successful treatment of OCD?

Answer 2

Drug therapy can be used as a successful treatment of OCD.

Question 3

What is drug therapy?

Answer 3

Drug therapy refers to treatment involving drugs. In the case of psychological disorders such drugs usually affect neurotransmitter levels.

Question 4

Drug therapy can be used as a treatment of OCD. What is the central aim of drug therapy?

Answer 4

Drug therapy for mental disorders aims to increase or decrease levels of neurotransmitters in the brain or to increase/decrease their activity.

Question 5

What is the standard medical treatment used to tackle the symptoms of OCD?

Answer 5

The standard medical treatment used to tackle the symptoms of OCD involves a particular type of antidepressant drug called SSRI.

Question 6

SSRI is an antidepressant drug used to treat OCD. What does SSRI stand for?

Answer 6

Selective serotonin re-uptake inhibitor

Question 7

Which hormone is affected by the action of SSRIs?

Answer 7

SSRIs work on the serotonin system in the brain.

Question 8

Serotonin in the brain is directly affected by the action of SSRIs. How would serotonin operate without the influence of a drug?

Answer 8

Serotonin is first released by the presynaptic neurone. It then travels across the synapse and chemically conveys a signal from the presynaptic neurone to the postsynaptic neurone. Finally, serotonin is reabsorbed by the presynaptic neurone where it is broken down and re-used.

Question 9

How do SSRI’s specifically affect the quantity of serotonin in the brain?

Answer 9

SSRIs block the reabsorption process, resulting in there being an increased amount of serotonin being transferred across the synapse. This enables serotonin to continue stimulating the postsynaptic neurone

Question 10

Which type of therapy might a psychiatrist recommend a patient attends alongside their medication?

Answer 10

CBT:
Drugs are often used alongside CBT to treat OCD. The drugs reduce a patient’s emotional symptoms, such as feeling anxious or depressed. This means that patients can engage more effectively with the CBT.

Question 11

How are SSRIs branded?

Answer 11

SSRIs can be branded as the following:

• Prozac
• Zoloft
• Paxil

Question 12

Why do patients suffering with OCD take different dosages of their medication?

Answer 12

This is because dosage and any other advice vary according to which SSRI is prescribed.

Question 13

How many months does it take for SSRI’s to have an impact on a patient’s symptoms?

Answer 13

It takes three to four months of daily use for SSRIs to have much impact on symptoms.

Question 14

It takes three to four months of daily use for SSRIs to have much impact on symptoms. What are patients offered if SSRI drugs continue to be ineffective for over four months?

Answer 14

If SSRI drugs are ineffective then alternative drugs will be offered to be the patient.

Question 15

Why are alternative drug treatments only offered to.a patient after four months of being on SSRIs?

Answer 15

Alternative drugs are not offered before four months because the side effects tend to be more severe than SSRIs?

Question 16

Which two alternative drugs might a patient be offered is SSRIs prove to be ineffective?

Answer 16

• Triglycerides

- SNRIs

Question 17

Triglycerides can be offered to patients when SSRIs have been ineffective. What are triglycerides?

Answer 17

Triglycerides (an older type of antidepressant) are sometimes used to treat patients with OCD. These have the same effect the serotonin system as SSRIs. They have more severe side-effects than SSRIs so they are generally kept in reserve for patients who fail to respond to SSRIs.

Question 18

Name one example of a triglyceride.

Answer 18

Clomipramine

Question 19

Triglycerides are associated with more severe side effects than SSRIs. What are some possible side effects of triglycerides?

Answer 19

• Erection problems

- Weight gain

Question 20

SNRIs can be offered to patients when SSRIs have been ineffective. What does SNRI stand for?

Answer 20

Serotonin-noradrenaline re-uptake inhibitor

Question 21

How do SNRIs operate?

Answer 21

SNRIs increase the levels of both serotonin and noradrenaline. They are frequently used when patients fail to respond to SSRIs.

Question 22

What are anti-anxiety drugs and how can be be used to treat OCD?

Answer 22

Anti-anxiety drugs are another example of drugs used to treat OCD. These slow down your CNS by allowing re-absorption back into the pre-synaptic neurone. As a result, fewer neurotransmitters will be fired.

Question 23

Name one example of an anti-anxiety drug.

Answer 23

Benzodiazapines (BZs)

Question 24

How do BZs, a type of anti-anxiety drug, specifically operate?

Answer 24

BZs slow down the CNS by enhancing the activity of GABA. GABA can have an inhibitory effect on the brain because when GABA locks onto receptors, it makes it harder to the neurone to be stimulated by other neurotransmitters. This therefore slows down the activity of neurones.