Drug Therapy

• One strength of biological treatments for OCD comes from research support which uses randomised drug trials.
• Soomro et al (2008) conducted a review of the research examining the effectiveness of SSRIs and found that SSRIs were more effective than placebos in the treatment of OCD.
• Biological treatments, including anti-depressants and anti-anxiety drugs, are relatively cost effective in comparison to psychological treatments.
• CBT requires a patient to be motivated, drugs however are non-disruptive and can simply be taken until the symptoms subside.
• Drugs have many side effects.
• BZs are renowned for being highly addictive and can also cause increased aggression and long-term memory impairments.
• Drug treatments are criticised for treating the symptoms of the disorder and not the underlying cause.
• Drug treatments often just manage the symptoms without dealing with the cause.
• Once a patient stops taking medication for OCD, they are prone to relapse.
• NICE guidelines evidence (2014) found non-biological treatments like CBT more effective, with better remission rates.
• Drug therapy is quick and easy to administer.
• The success of drug therapy can vary between individuals.
• Sansone & Sansone (2011) found SSRIs significantly reduced symptoms in around 70% of patients.
• Bogetto et al (2000) trialled a drug called olanzapine with 23 people with OCD who had not previously responded to SSRIs.
• Bogetto et al (2000) found only 10 out of 23 OCD patients responded to olanzapine.
• Skapinakis et al (2016) concluded that both cognitive and behavioural therapies were more successful than SSRIs for OCD patients.
• Goldacre (2013) suggest that many supporting drug studies are biased as they are sponsored by pharmaceutical companies.