Treating OCD Flashcards
What does the biological approach entail?
Drug therapy
What is used to treat OCD
SSRI’s
What does SSRI’s stand for
Selective Serotinine Reuptake Inhibitors
What is SSRI’s
An anidepressant drug
How does a SSRI work?
By inhibiting the reuptake of the neurotransmitter by the presynaptic neurone.
When this happens it increases the levels of serotonin in the synapse that would stimulate the postsyntic neurone = more serotonin diffused
What happens in a faulty neurone
When the neurotransmitter is released by the presynaptic neurone the delayed absorption form the post synaptic neurone causes serotinie to be left in the synaptic gap.
The neurotransmitter could then be broken down by enzymes or re absorbed by the pre synaptic neurone
What is the usual dosage for SSRI
20 mg of Prozac
How long does it take for it to take effect?
3-4 months of constant use
Drugs are often used alongside ____
Why?
- Drugs are often used alongside CBT to treat OCD
- reduces a persons emotional symptoms making therapy more accessible and effective
However this results on the person
Other drug alternatives to SSRI’s
TRICYCLICS: ( a older type of antidepressant)
- works on multiple systems
- has very severe side effects
SSNI’s (serotonine - noadrelanine reuptake inhibitors)
- another type of antidepressant
- increase levels of serotonin and noadrelanine
Both are sued a reserve when someone does not respond to SSRI’s
What happens first whe SSRI’s are not effective
The dosage is increased (60mg)
What is a strength of the treatment?
RE
P: Evidence of its effectiveness
E: Soomoo (2009) revised 17 studies and found that better outcomes/ results fro SSRI’s than placebos
E: TMT drugs appear to be helpful for most people w. OCD
Another strength
CE
P: Cost effective and non disruptive
E: The drugs are chap and easy to manufacture compared to CBT. Meaning that NHS is getting good value. It’s also not disruptive to parsons daily life
E: TMT the drugs are a popular choice for people with OCD and their doctors
Weakness for the treatment
SE
P: Serious side effects
E: A small minority have reported to get no benefit or experimenter side effects from the treatment. E.g
- indigestion
- blurred vision
- loss of sex drive
E: TMT the drug reduces people quality of life when it is supposed to increase it. This reduces the effectiveness of the drug if they stop taking it.
Weakness for the treatment
BE
P: Biased evidence
E: The little research there is it has been sponsored by companies that produce the drugs.
E: This creates an incentive to forge positive results. Making the evidence not reflective of the effectiveness of the drug
