Treatment of OCD

• What are 2 types of drugs used to treat OCD?

  1, Anti-depressants 2, Anti-anxiety drugs
• What are three types of antidepressant drugs used to treat OCD?

  1, Selective serotonin re-uptake inhibitors (SSRIs) 2, Tricyclics 3, Serotonin-noradrenaline reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs)
• How do SSRIs increase the levels of serotonin?

  They inhibit the re-absorption (re-uptake) of serotonin in the pre-synaptic neuron which then increases the concentration of serotonin at the synapse.
• How do SNRIs treat OCD?

  They block the transporter mechanism that re-absorbs both serotonin and noradrenaline in the pre-synaptic cleft after it has fired.
• How do anti-anxiety drugs work?

  They reduce anxiety by slowing down the activity of the CNS by enhancing the activity of the neurotransmitter GABA
• What effect does GABA have on the CNS?


  A quietening effect which reduces anxiety
• What is the difference between SSRIs and SNRIs?

  SSRIs stop the reuptake of serotonin whereas SNRIs stop the reuptake of both serotonin and noradrenaline
• What evidence has shown the effectiveness of drug treatment for OCD?

  Soomro et al. (2009) - reviewed 17 studies comparing SSRIs to placebos. Found that SSRIs are more effective than placebos in reducing symptoms of OCD
• What is are 2 disadvantages of using drug therapy?

  Side effects - nausea, headaches, hallucinations, aggressiveness 2. Not a lasting cure - symptoms return when stop taking medication
• What is a disadvantage of using Tricyclics?

  They have more severe side effects than SSRIs such as slight blurring of vision, problems passing urine, dizziness and weight gain