The biological approach to treating OCD

Question 1

What is the most commonly used drug for OCD patients?

Answer 1

Antidepressants: SSRIs and tricyclics.

Question 2

How do SSRIs treat OCD?

Answer 2

Increase levels of serotonin. Aim to normalise/correct worry circuit. Reduce anxiety.

Question 3

Explain how SSRIs impact serotonin levels.

Answer 3

Block re-uptake of serotonin at pre-synaptic membrane. Increases serotonin concentration at receptor sites on post-synaptic membrane.

Question 4

How do tricyclics treat OCD?

Answer 4

Stop re-absorption of noradrenaline and serotonin at pre-synaptic membrane. Increase their concentrations at post-synaptic membrane (prolonging activity).

Question 5

What is the name of another drug used to treat the symptoms of OCD?

Answer 5

Benzodiazepines.

Question 6

How do benzodiazepines such as xanax and valium reduce symptoms of OCD?

Answer 6

Enhance activity of neurotransmitter GABA. Increases flow of chloride ions that slows neutron activity. This slows down activity of central nervous system. Reduces anxiety by relaxing the individual.

Question 7

(AO3) What evidence is there for the effectiveness of SSRIs?

Answer 7

Meta-analysis of drug trials with SSRIs (with placebo control). Found drugs to be more effective than placebos. However results were only recorded up to 4 months after treatments, so chance of relapse may be high.

Question 8

(AO3) What are the advantages of using drug treatments?

Answer 8

Requires little input from patient in terms of time and effort. CBT requires commitment and considerable thought into the process. Also cheaper for health service and individual - can help more groups of people.

Question 9

(AO3) What are the side effects of drug treatments for OCD?

Answer 9

SSRIs: nausea, headaches, insomnia.
Tricyclics: hallucinations, irregular heartbeat. Tricyclics have more side effects, used when SSRIs don’t work. BZs: aggressiveness and long term memory impairment. Problems of addiction with BZs.

Question 10

(AO3) What are the disadvantages of using drug therapies, that applies here?

Answer 10

Not a lasting cure. Research has shown high relapse rates after medication stops. Suggests mitigation of symptoms rather than a cure. CBT may have to be used in conjunction with drugs.