Bio approach to treating OCD

• Drug therapy:

  • the most commonly used biological therapy for anxiety disorders is drug therapy
  • This therapy assumes that there is a chemical imbalance in the brain
  • this can be corrected by drugs which either increased or decrease the levels of neurotransmitters in the brain
• Antidepressants (SSRIs):

  • serotonin is a neurotransmitter that regulates different behaviours and processes such as aggression, eating behaviour, sleep and depression
  • Low levels of serotonin associated with depression and OCD
  • therefore, drugs that increases serotonin are used to treat both depression and OCD
  • The increase in serotonin regulate anxiety and mood
  • The standard medical treatment used to tackle the symptoms of OCD are SSRIs
• Antidepressants :

  • SSRIs work on increasing certain neurotransmitter in the brain by preventing the re- absorption of serotonin
  • By preventing the re- absorption of serotonin SSRIs effectively increase its levels in the synapse and thus continue to stimulate the post synaptic neuron
• Antidepressant: Tricyclics

  • Tricyclics work in a similar way to SSRIs by blocking the transporter mechanism that re- absorbs serotonin. But they block the reabsorption of both SEROTONIN and NORADRENALINE.
  • As a result, more of these neurotransmitters are left in the synapse, prolonging their activity.
  • Tricyclics have the advantage of targeting more than one neurotransmitter.
  • However, they have greater side effects so are used as a second-line treatment for patients where SSRIs are not effective.
• Anti-anxiety drugs - Benzodiazepines (BZs)

  • brand names: Valium, Xanax , diazepam
  • BZs slow down the activity of the central nervous system by enhancing the activity of the neurotransmitter GABA (gamma-aminobutyric acid)
  • GABA has a general relaxing effect on many neurons in the brain
  • When GABA locks on to receptors on neurons in the brain, it opens a channel that increases the flow of chloride ions into the neuron
  • Chloride ions make it harder to be stimulated by other neurotransmitters
  • This slows down the activity of the neuron and therefore makes the person feel more relaxed
• AO3:

  • A strength of the biological approach to treating OCD is that research shows it is effective
  • For example, Soomro et al. (2008) found drugs were more effective than placebos in reducing symptoms
  • However, most of the studies in Soomro’ et al.’s meta-analysis only lasted for three months
  • This means that we know little about the long-term effectiveness of drugs
• AO3:

  • One strength of drug therapy is that it requires little input or effort from the user, compared to other treatments
  • For example, psychological therapies are time consuming
  • They also require the person to attend regular meetings and think about tackling their problem
  • This means that drug therapies are more economical for the patient and the health service
• AO3:

  • One weakness of drug therapies is that all drugs have unpleasant side effects
  • For example, SSRIs cause nausea, headaches, and insomnia, while tricyclics cause hallucinations and an irregular heartbeat
  • This can lead to the patient choosing to stop taking the drugs
  • This means that side effects, and the possibility of addiction, limit the usefulness of drugs as treatments for OCD
• AO3:

  • A limitation of drug therapy for OCD is that it is not a lasting cure
  • Even though drugs are effective in the short-term, Maina et al. (2001) found that patients relapsed within a week if treatments stopped
  • This suggests that psychological therapies should be tried before drugs are used to treat OCD
  • This is because, unlike drugs, psychological treatments (e.g. CBT) tackle the cause of OCD rather than just the symptoms, leading to longer lasting cures