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Psychology - IN FOCUS Psychopathology > The biological approach to: treating OCD > Flashcards

The biological approach to: treating OCD Flashcards

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1
Q

What does drug therapy for mental disorders aim to do?

A

Increase or decrease the levels of neurotransmitters in the brain or increase/decrease their activity

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2
Q

High/low levels of serotonin are associated with OCD

A

Low

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3
Q

Drugs to treat OCD work in various ways to…

A

increase the level of serotonin within the brain

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4
Q

The standard medical treatment used to tackle the symptoms of OCD involves…

A

a particular type of antidepressant drug called selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors

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5
Q

What do SSRIs stand for?

A

Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors

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6
Q

Which system in the brain do SSRIs work on?

A

The serotonin system

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7
Q

Serotonin is released by ___________ neurons in the brain

A

presynaptic

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8
Q

Serotonin is released by presynaptic neurons in the brain before it travels…

A

across the synapse

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9
Q

How does serotonin travel across the synapse?

A

Diffuses from the presynaptic neuron to the postsynaptic neuron

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10
Q

What happens when serotonin reaches the postsynaptic neuron?

A

It is reabsorbed by the presynaptic neuron where it is broken down and reused

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11
Q

What do SSRIs do?

A

Increase levels of serotonin in the synapse

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12
Q

How do SSRIs increase levels of serotonin in the synapse?

A

By preventing the reabsorption and breakdown of it, thus continuing to stimulate the postsynaptic neuron

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13
Q

What does preventing the reabsorption and breakdown of serotonin cause?

A

Continued stimulation of the postsynaptic neuron

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14
Q

What does continued stimulation of the postsynaptic neuron as a result of an SSRI compensate for?

A

Whatever is wrong with the serotonin system in OCD

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15
Q

Dosage and any other advice regarding SSRIs vary according to…

A

which SSRI is prescribed

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16
Q

What’s a typical daily dose of sertraline (zoloft)?

A

50mg

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17
Q

Why may the dose of an SSRI be increased?

A

If it is not benefitting the person

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18
Q

How much daily use of an SSRI does it take for there to be much impact?

A

Three to four months

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19
Q

What can happen when an SSRI is not effective after three to four months?

A

The dose can be increased or it can be combined with other drugs

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20
Q

True/False: People respond very differently to different drugs

A

True

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21
Q

Tricyclics are an older/newer type of antidepressant

A

older

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22
Q

Which system does clomipramine act on?

A

Various systems including the serotonin system

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23
Q

Clomipramine has the same/different positive effects as SSRIs

A

the same

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24
Q

True/False: Clomipramine has less severe side-effects than SSRIs

A

False, more

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25
Q

Clomipramine is generally kept…

A

in reserve for people who don’t respond to SSRIs

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26
Q

What have SNRIs recently been used to treat?

A

OCD

27
Q

SNRIs are a/the same/different class of antidepressant drugs than/as SSRIs

A

a different than

28
Q

True/False: Like clomipramine, SNRIs are second in line of defence for people who don’t respond to SSRIs

A

True

29
Q

What do SNRIs do?

A

Increase levels of serotonin as well as another different neurotransmitter - noradrenaline

30
Q

What is drug therapy for OCD often used alongside?

A

CBT

31
Q

Drug therapy for OCD tend to reduce a person’s _________ symptoms

A

emotional

32
Q

Give an example of a symptom of OCD that drug therapy is likely to reduce

A

Any emotional symptom such as feeling anxious or depressed

33
Q

How is drug therapy beneficial when it comes to CBT?

A

People can engage more effectively as a result of their emotional symptoms being reduced

34
Q

True/False: In practice some people respond best to CBT alone instead of combining it with drug therapy

A

True

35
Q

True/False: Occasionally other drugs are prescribed for OCD alongside SSRIs

A

True

36
Q

There is clear evidence to show that SSRIs reduce what and improve what for people with OCD?

A

Reduce symptom severity and improve quality of life

37
Q

What did Soomro et al. find in their review of 17 studies that compared SSRIs to placebos in the treatment of OCD?

A

All 17 studies showed significantly better outcomes for SSRIs than for the placebo conditions

38
Q

Soomro et al. reviewed __ studies that compared SSRIs to placebos in the treatment of OCD

A

17

39
Q

Soomro et al. found that typically OCD symptoms reduce for around __% of people taking SSRIs

A

70

40
Q

What did Soomro et al. find for the remaining 30% of people taking SSRIs who didn’t find a reduction in their OCD symptoms?

A

Most could be helped by either alternative drugs or combinations of drugs and psychological therapies

41
Q

Soomro et al.’s findings show that drugs do/don’t appear to be helpful for most people with OCD

A

do

42
Q

True/False: There is some evidence to suggest that even if drug treatments are helpful for most people with OCD they may not be the most effective treatments available

A

True, Skapinakis et al. (2016)

43
Q

What did Skapinakis et al. (2016) conclude from their systematic review of outcome studies for OCD?

A

Both cognitive and behavioural therapies were more effective than SSRIs in the treatment of OCD - drugs may not be the optimum treatment for OCD

44
Q

True/False: A large majority will not benefit from SSRIs

A

False, only a small minority will not

45
Q

Give 2 examples of side-effects some may experience as a result of SSRIs

A

Any from indigestion, blurred vision, loss of sex drive, etc.

46
Q

True/False: Side-effects for SSRIs are usually long-lasting

A

False, they are usually temporary

47
Q

True/False: Side-effects for SSRIs can be long-lasting

A

True

48
Q

Drugs can have potentially serious…

A

side-effects

49
Q

With clomipramine, side-effects are more…

A

common and can be more serious

50
Q

1 in __ people taking clomipramine experience erection problems and weight gain

A

10

51
Q

1 in ___ people taking clomipramine become aggressive and experience heart-related problems

A

100

52
Q

As a result of side-effects, some people have a reduced what as a result of taking drugs?

A

Quality of life

53
Q

Some people may stop taking drugs as a result of their side-effects. What does this mean for the effectiveness of the drugs?

A

They cease to be effective for the person

54
Q

Drugs are cheap/expensive compared to psychological treatments

A

cheap

55
Q

How are drugs cheap compared to psychological treatments?

A

Many thousands of tablets or liquid can be manufactured in the time it takes to conduct one session of a psychological therapy

56
Q

Why is using drugs to treat OCD good for public systems like the NHS in particular?

A

It is good value for money and represents a good use of limited funds

57
Q

Compared to psychological therapies, SSRIs are disruptive/non-disruptive to people’s lives

A

non-disruptive

58
Q

True/False: If you wish you can simply take drugs until your symptoms decline

A

True

59
Q

If you wish you can simply take drugs until your symptoms decline. How is this different from psychological therapy?

A

Psychological therapy involves time spent attending therapy sessions.

60
Q

The fact that drugs are ___-__________ to people’s lives means they are popular with many people with OCD and their doctors

A

non-disruptive

61
Q

Why do some psychologists believe that the evidence for drug effectiveness is biased?

A

Researchers are sponsored by drug companies and may selectively publish positive outcomes for the drugs their sponsors are selling

62
Q

True/False: There is a lack of independent studies of drug effectiveness

A

True

63
Q

There is a lack of independent studies of drug effectiveness. What’s the problem with this?

A

Research on psychological therapies may be biased

64
Q

The best evidence available is supportive of/against the usefulness of drugs for OCD

A

supportive

Psychology - IN FOCUS Psychopathology (6 decks)

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