Biological approach to treating OCD

Question 1

What does SSRIs stand for?

Answer 1

Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor

Question 2

In OCD how are serotonin levels?

Answer 2

LOW

Question 3

In brief outline what do SSRIs try to do?

Answer 3

Increase levels of serotonin to improve mood / thoughts

Question 4

How do SSRIs work?

Answer 4

• SSRIs block reuptake
• This increases the level of serotonin available
  of serotonin from synaptic gap
• As they increase serotonin levels in the synapse and thus continue to stimulate the postsynaptic neuron serotonin ^ effectiveness
• This restores normal function of neurotransmission

This improved the symptoms of OCD (obsession / mood/thought )

Question 5

Side effects of SSRIs

Answer 5

nausea / headache / insomnia

Question 6

How long does it take of a daily use of SSRIs to have an impact on symptoms

Answer 6

3-4 months

Question 7

How do BZs work briefly?

Answer 7

Benzodiazepines ( BZs) - work by increasing the action of GABA neurotransmitter

Question 8

Explain how BZ calms down stress related to OCD?

Answer 8

• BZs slow down the rate of the CNS by enhancing the activity of the neurotransmitter GABA which consequently reduces anxiety
• GABA - when released has a general quieting effect on many neurons within the brain.

Question 9

What are the side effects of Benzodiazepines ?

Answer 9

agressivenes and long term impairment of memory

Question 10

ssris

strengths

Answer 10

• Is effective at tackling OCD
  Clear evidence in effectiveness in reducing OCD symptoms
  Soomro - reviewed 17 studies of the use of SSRIs + OCD
  And found them to be more effective than placebos in 70% of people up to 3 mths after treatment
  Therefore, while drug treatments have been shown to be effective in the short term the lack of long - term data is limitation
• Cost effective
  In general are cheaper than psychological treatments
  Values for NHS → cheap / non disruptive to people’s lives
  Don’t have to engage in hard therapies / no training for therapists
  Practical for doctors for these reasons
• Drug therapies are preferred
  It requires little time and effort from patient

Whereas CBT requires individuals to attend regular meetings and put considerable thought
More economical / practical

Question 11

Limitations

Answer 11

30% alternative drug treatments or combinations of drugs and psychological treatments → may shouldn’t be the soul part → used with CBT to develop the

One issue is that most follow ups are only 3-4 months → so little is known about the long term effectiveness

On balance → can old conclude they are valid for a short amount of time

• Side effects
  Often enough to stop individuals from physically taking the drug.
  BZs - aggressiveness and long term impairment of memory + also vulnerability for addiction so recommendation is max 4 wks

These side effects limit the usefulness of drugs as treatments for OCD - ethical ? side effects

• Unreliable evidence / Biassed
  They have some controversy attached, some psychologists believe the evidence favouring drug treatments is biassed because research is sponsored
  They show a financial interest
  May not be as effective as companies biassed
• May only treat symptoms not the cause
  Its argued serotonin imbalance is as a result of OCD and not the cause → the origin of OCD may not be biological

May be due to traumatic experience → Cromer 54% those with OCD experienced a traumatic life event
Suggests Drug therapy may only a temporary solution - psychological therapy might be a more effective long term treatment