Treatments for Depression/OCD Flashcards
The biological approach to treating OCD: explanation
SSRI anti-depressants are most commonly used to reduce the anxiety associated with OCD.
They elevate levels of serotonin and cause the orbital frontal cortex to function at more normal levels, an example is Prozac.
Anti anxiety drugs can also be used due to their anxiety lowering properties by enhancing activity of GABA which slows down central nervous system (CNS) e.g Xanax.
The biological approach to treating OCD evaluation: Strength 1
Drugs are widely used as relatively cheap, and don’t require a costly therapist that most people might not be able to afford, so are more accessible for everyone.
The biological approach to treating OCD evaluation: Strength 2
Advocates would state that even though drugs may not ‘cure’ OCD, they do reduce obsessive thoughts and compulsive behaviour to such a level that a more normal lifestyle is achieved. This is strengthened by Pigott and Seay 1999, that reviews studies testing the effectiveness of drug therapies, finding SSRIs to be consistently effective in reducing OCD symptoms.
The biological approach to treating OCD evaluation: Limitation 1
However, some patients would disagree with this prognosis, due to the effect of the side effects as the major downside of drug therapy. Loss of sexual appetite is common, as is irratibility,sleep pattern disturbance, headaches and loss of appetite. As such, for some patients they may just be replacing the symptoms of one disorder with others and additionally it means drugs may be less suitable for use in children.
The biological approach to treating OCD evaluation: Limitation 2
Critics accuse drug companies of suppressing evidence that drugs often aren’t effective and indeed are dangerous. They play clinicians to promote their products. New generation drugs cost on average £75 compared to £17 for older versions, yet evidence suggests they are no more effective.
Treating depression: cognitive behavioural therapy: explanation + process
CBT is the main psychological treatment used to help treat depression, based on the cognitive model seeing abnormal behaviour as caused by disordered thought processes. The aim is to change the way a patient thinks, by having them learn to discriminate between their own irrational thoughts and reality, to in turn lead to a change in behaviour as a response to new thinking patterns.
Firstly, the therapist helps the client to identify negative thoughts and keep a diary, which the therapist then challenges by drawing to positive incidents which challenges these dysfunctional cognitions. Next is reality testing which acts as the homeworrk between sessions where the therapist has the patient challenge their own maladaptive thinking by looking out for incidents in their life that challenge these negative beliefs, e.g thiking people hate them, challenged by counting how many times people smile at them. This shows the negative thoughts to be irrational and unrealistic. Behavioural techniques are also used to encourage positive behaviours, including small goals being set to encourage a sense of personal effectiveness and achievement .
Treating depression: cognitive behavioural therapy: Evaluation: Strength 1
CBT is a strong treatment as there is research that supports its usefulness in treating depression. David et al in 2008 used 170 patients suffering from major depressive disorder. They found that patients treated with 14 weeks of REBT had better treatment outcomes than those treated with drugs 6 months after treatment. This suggests REBt is a better long term treatment than drug therapy, which is combined with CBT.
Treating depression: cognitive behavioural therapy: Evaluation: Strength 2
This therapy also reduces ethical issues, as the way this therapy works is that the client is actively involved and in control, with the therapy having very few side effects in comparison to drug therapy. They feel empowered as they are helping themselves by taking an idiographic approach(focuses on the individual).
Treating depression: cognitive behavioural therapy: Evaluation: Limitation 1
CBT requires a patient being able to talk about their inner feelings, and must be willing to actively be involved in their treatment, so some patients experiencing extreme symptoms of their depression may find it difficult to find this motivation to help themselves. Some patients may not have the verbal skills to do this as well.
Treating depression: cognitive behavioural therapy: Evaluation: Limitation 2
This therapy requires not only a willing participant but also a well trained therapist, and the better trained the therapist the better the outcomes so training is essential for this to be effective. A well trained therapist will also be more expensive, suggesting that this treatment may be unavailable for the majority of people suffering from depresiion, who may opt for drug therapy instead as it takes less time to work and is less expensive in the long term.
