treating OCD

Question 1

what is the biological approach to treating OCD?

Answer 1

drug therapy

Question 2

what does drug therapy for mental disorder aim to do?

Answer 2

increase or decrease the levels of neurotransmitters in the brain

Question 3

what is the main drug therapy for OCD?

Answer 3

SSRI’s

Question 4

what does SSRI stand for?

Answer 4

selective serotonin re-uptake inhibitor

Question 5

how do SSRI’s work?

Answer 5

• act on the serotonin system by preventing the re-uptake and breaking down of serotonin by the presynaptic neuron
• therefore, the concentration of serotonin in the synapse increases, causing the post-synaptic neuron to be continuously stimulated

Question 6

what are SSRI’s also known as?

Answer 6

anti-depressants

Question 7

how long do SSRI’s typically take to work?

Answer 7

It takes 3/4 months of daily use for SSRIs to have much impact on symptoms

Question 8

what are the alternatives to SSRI’s?

Answer 8

tricyclics
SNRI’s

Question 9

how do tricyclics work?

Answer 9

have a similar effect as SSRI’s older type of anti-depressant, but have greater side effects
- reserved for those who don’t respond well to SSRI’s

Question 10

what does SNRI stand for?

Answer 10

serotonin and norepinephrine re-uptake inhibitors

Question 11

how do SNRI’s work?

Answer 11

SNRIs increase the levels of serotonin and noradrenaline
- reducing OCD symptoms

Question 12

what are SSRI’s often combined with?

Answer 12

drugs are often used alongside CBT to treat OCD.
- the drugs reduce a patient’s emotional symptoms such as feeling anxious so that they engage effectively with the CBT.

Question 13

S: research support (Soomro)

Answer 13

ID: research to support biological treatment for OCD
Q: Soomro et al. carried out research into the effectiveness of SSRI’s in OCD patients
EX: for example, the findings showed that after reviewing 17 studies of the use of SSRI’s, they were more effective than placebos, in reducing OCD symptoms up to 3 months
AN: this provides research support for the use of biological treatments, especially SSRI’s in OCD. These findings also support the neural explanation of OCD that low serotonin causes OCD and is not simply correlated with it, increasing external validity

Question 14

S: cost

Answer 14

ID: a strength of such drug use is that it’s cost-effective and non-disruptive
Q: biological treatments, including anti-depressants and anti-anxiety drugs are relatively cost-effective, compared to psychological treatments like CBT
EX: for example, many doctors prefer the use of drugs over psychological treatments in treating OCD as they’re relatively cost-effective and non-disruptive
AN: therefore, this is a strength as they prove to be good value for public health organisations like the NHS as the patient doesn’t have to engage in hard work of therapy, they can take drugs until symptoms stop

Question 15

W: possible side effects

Answer 15

ID: however, there are possible side effects to drug treatments
Q: although evidence suggests that drug treatments are an effective way of treating OCD, many patients suffer with side effects
EX: for example, SSRI side effects include; indigestion, hallucinations and raised blood pressure. BZ’s are anti-anxiety drugs used to treat OCD, and are also highly addictive and can cause increased aggression and long-term memory impairments. As a result, Bz’s are usually only prescribed as a short-term treatment
AN: therefore, these side effects diminish the effectiveness of drug treatments, as patients will often stop taking medication due to side effects.