the biological approach to treating OCD

• drug therapy

  drugs can increase and decrease levels of serotonin, when neurotransmitters are released into the synaptic gap, not all of it attaches to the receptor sites on the receiving neuron

  the remaining transmitter must be removed to allow the synapse to return to its normal state by being pumped back into the pre-synaptic neuron by a re-uptake pump in the synapse or broken down into a difference substance by an enzyme
• SSRI (selective serotonin re-uptake inhibitors)

  they are prescribed for OCD because low levels of serotonin are thought to cause this disorder, SSRI's block the re-uptake pump in the synapse, this reduces the rate of re-absorption therefore increasing serotonin levels by allowing more serotonin to attach to receptors
• alternative drugs to SSRI's

  tricyclics - an older antidepressant, same effects as SSRI but have more severe side effects so generally kept for people who don't respond to SSRI's

  SNRI's (serotonin-noradrenaline re-uptake inhibitors) - a newer class of antidepressant, they increase levels of noradrenaline as well as serotonin
• drug therapy evaluation strengths

  research support - Soomro (2009) reviewed SSRI's to placebo studies, 17 studies showed significant improvement of OCD in comparison to placebo conditions, effectiveness is greatest when combined with psychological treatment e.g. CBT

  
  

  drug therapy is cost effective and non-disruptive as it is cheaper with the NHS than CBT and less time consuming
• drug therapy evaluation limitations

  although drugs are cost effective and non-disruptive, it is cheaper with the NHS than CBT as it is time consuming but drugs can have side effects which may cause serious health problems

  
  

  not all drug therapies are effective: Maina (2007) - noted that although drug therapies are effective, symptoms return after patients stop taking the drugs, suggesting that drug therapy is not an effective long term cure