The Biological Approach to Treating OCD Flashcards
What is serotonin?
A neurotransmitter that relays information in the form of an electrical signal from the axon of the presynaptic cell to the dendrite of the post synaptic cell
What are the effects of low serotonin?
Low mood, lack of energy etc
How do SSRIs work?
They inhibit the enzyme that causes the destruction or reuptake of serotonin by blocking the transporter mechanism that reabsorbs serotonin into the presynaptic cell. As a result, more serotonin remains in the gap between the synapse, prolonging its activity.
Why can SSRIs be used alongside CBT?
How does this improve the effectiveness of CBT?
They both increase the mood of the patient. This makes the patients engagement with the therapy higher.
Explain how anti anxiety drugs such as diazepam can be used to reduce symptoms of OCD.
This drug slows down the activity of which nervous system by enhancing the activity of which hormone?
They reduce the need for the patient to carry out compulsions. They do this by slowing down the activity of the central nervous system, by enhancing the activity of GABA, which quietens the effect of neurons in the brain.
What are SNRIs?
Selective noradrenaline reuptake inhibitors.
What do SNRIs do?
They decrease reuptake of noradrenaline and serotonin between synapses in the brain.
Why are SNRIs used after SSRIs are trialed?
They have more side effects, since they treat the reuptake of more than one neurotransmitter.
Explain the strength of SSRIs being proven to be effective at treating OCD.
What percentage of patients in Soomro’s meta analysis found SSRIs effective?
What non biological treatment may be more effective for the percentage of those who it didn’t work for?
What are the benefits of there being a wide range of treatment options for those with OCD?
For example, Soomro reviewed 17 studies that compared SSRIs to placebos. He found that SSRIs were effective for 70% of people, whereas the other 30% could be treated differently. However, not all drugs work for everyone. Other researchers have concluded that therapies such as CBT may be just as effective. This means that drugs might not be the optimum treatment, however, it gives patients a wider range of treatment options.
Explain the strength of drugs being cost effective and non disruptive to people’s lives.
How does the price of drugs compare to CBT?
What are the benefits of drugs being mass produced compared to CBT needing trained personnel?
How does the use of drugs benefit the NHS?
How do drugs add to the convenience of peoples lives?
Drugs tend to be much cheaper than therapies such as CBT as several drugs can be produced at the same time whereas therapies require a trained person to carry out the treatment. Using drugs to treat OCD is therefore of good value to the NHS and other public health services, as they make use of limited funds. They are also much less disruptive to someones life, as the person with OCD may not feel motivated to engage with therapy. This means that drugs are more popular with people suffering with OCD.
Explain the limitation of drugs having side effects.
Some side effects might be worse than…
What side effects do SSRIs cause?
How might this reduce quality of life further?
While SSRIs are usually quite effective, a small percentage of people may not experience any relief of their symptoms, and side effects may be worse than the OCD itself. Some people experience minor side effects from SSRIs such as indigestion, however, others could experience long term, distressing side effects such as blurred vision. This means that after taking the drugs, quality of life may be reduced further.
Explain the limitation of there being controversy over the effectiveness of drugs.
Use the example of publication bias when researchers publish the effectiveness of drugs.
Some psychologists have said that the true effectiveness of drugs is biased. This is because researchers team with drug companies, and only publish results that show drugs as effective which leads to them making more money. This is called publication bias, causing patients to believe that a drug is more effective than it actually is.
