Biological Therapies

Question 1

What are the types of therapy?

Answer 1

Chemotherapy

Psychosurgery

Question 2

What two types of anti depressants are used to treat OCD?

Answer 2

Tricyclics
SSRIs
MAOIs

Question 3

What is an example of a tricyclic?

Answer 3

Vivactil

Question 4

How do tricyclics work?

Answer 4

They act on the two neurotransmitters, noradrenaline and serotonin which prevents reuptake to make more available in the post-synaptic neurone

Question 5

What are some of the side effects of tricyclics?

Answer 5

Dizziness, blurred vision, dryness of mouth

Question 6

What is good about tricyclics?

Answer 6

They are more effective than MAOIs, work quickly within two weeks and have fewer side effects than MAOIs

Question 7

What is an example of SSRIs?

Answer 7

Prozac

Question 8

How do SSRIs work?

Answer 8

They block the reuptake of serotonin, in turn increasing the amount of serotonin available in the synapse

Question 9

What are the side effects of SSRIs?

Answer 9

Restlessness, weight gain/loss, vomitting

Question 10

How do MAOIs work?

Answer 10

It prevents the enzyme monoamine oxidase from removing noradrenaline, serotonin and dopamine which improves cell communication and mood

Question 11

What should you talk about when talking about MAOIs?

Answer 11

How they are no longer used because of all the negative side effects. They’ve been replaced by tricyclics.

Question 12

What are some of the side effects of MAOIs?

Answer 12

Insomnia, muscle jerks, you were required to change your diet or you would become very ill

Question 13

How many people do not benefit from drug therapy?

Answer 13

30-50%

Question 14

What are the remains rate for drug therapy?

Answer 14

90%

Question 15

Explain how drug therapy has a limited effectiveness…

Answer 15

30-50% receive no benefit
90% relapse rates
Palliative treatment
Need to stay on drugs for a long time, not good in terms of side effects

Question 16

What is a palliative treatment?

Answer 16

A treatment which doesn’t examine the root cause, e.g drugs

Question 17

How could drug therapy be improved?

Answer 17

If combined with psychological therapy e.g ERP

Question 18

What is Simpson et al related to?

Answer 18

Combined therapy being more successful

Question 19

What study suggests combined therapy is more successful?

Answer 19

Simpson et al

Question 20

What were Simpson et als findings?

Answer 20

He found relapse rates are reduced when drug therapy is combined with exposure treatments

Question 21

Why is ERP better than drug therapy?

Answer 21

Because unlike drug therapy it means the client is more active and they take more responsibility. They are given tools and coping mechanisms to help them deal with the future

Question 22

Evaluation…

Passive patients

Answer 22

Drug therapy creates passive patients. People believe the drug alone will cure them and they don’t assist their own recovery

Question 23

Evaluation…

Ethical issues

Answer 23

It is questioned if it is ethical for people to experience so many side effects. Also those whose lives are seriously disturbed by OCD may not be in a position to give fully informed consent

Question 24

What is good about drug therapy?

Answer 24

It is good for people whose OCD restricts them so much they cannot leave the house or struggle to engage in talking therapies
It begins to work quickly within two weeks, for this reason perhaps it would be better for an initial step and then combined with ERP

Question 25

What is the aim of biological treatments?

Answer 25

The put right biochemical imbalances

Question 26

When is psychosurgery used?

Answer 26

It is a last resort for people with severe mood disorders such as OCD

Question 27

What is the process of a cingulotomy?

Answer 27

The procedure targets the area of the brain called the anterior cingulate gyrus. Two heated probes are passed via incisions on each side of the midline on the top of your head into the part of the brain called the internal capsule. The acg of then destroys with an electric current.

Question 28

Evaluation...(psychosurgery) | Success rate

Answer 28

25 cases of received a cingulotomy were recorded for 15 years. 60% showed improvements, 20% had no more problems. However there's no indication as to how long improvement lasts.

Question 29

Evaluation...(psychosurgery) | Side effects

Answer 29

Epilepsy, stroke, headaches, confusion, apathy

Question 30

Evaluation...(psychosurgery) | Ethics

Answer 30

The question of ethics is raised with such an invasive treatment. It is dangerous and irreversible. It has been said patients should persist with other treatments but psychosurgery is used when all other options have been exhausted. Also there's the question of informed consent if people are seriously disturbed by OCD are they in a position to consent.

Question 31

Evaluation... | Side effects

Answer 31

Side effects vary from drug to drug such as weight loss, weight gain, restlessness, vomitting

Question 32

What is an alternative to psychosurgery?

Answer 32

ERP