ocd

• Benzodiazepines (BZs)


  Anti-anxiety drugs used to treat the anxiety symptoms (i.e. obsessive thoughts) of OCD
• How BZs work


  1. Enhance (increase) the activity of the neurotransmitter GABA

  2. Slows down the activity of the central nervous system

  3. Reacts with GABA receptors

  4. Makes it more difficult for the neuron to be stimulated by other neurotransmitters

  5. Slows down its activity and makes the person feel more relaxed
• Effectiveness of SSRIs for OCD

  • Soomro et al. (2008) reviewed 17 studies of OCD and SSRIs including over 3,000 patients and found that SSRis were more effective than a placebo after 6 to 13 weeks of treatment
  • Foa et al (2005) found that while drug therapy was better than no therapy at all, it was less effective than cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) by itself or receiving a combination of CBT and drugs
• The relapse rate following discontinuation of medication is high. According to Simpson et al (2004) up to 45% of patients treated with SSRIs relapsed within 12 weeks of stopping medication. This is poor in comparison to only 12% relapse rate in the same period for those who had received a psychological therapy.
• Appeals of drug therapy

  • Requires little effort from the user
  • Requires little input in terms of time, considerably less than required for therapies such as CBT where the patient has to attend regular meetings and put considerable thought into tackling their problems
• Side effects of SSRIs

  • Nausea
  • Headaches
  • Insomnia
• The NHS concluded that SSRIs may not show beneficial effects for up to 12 weeks, or longer periods for severe OCD. This calls into question the appropriateness of a treatment that takes such a long duration to be effective.
• The standard medical treatment used to tackle the symptoms of OCD involves a particular type of antidepressant drug called selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs).

  SSRIs work on the serotonin system in the brain.

  SSRIs work by preventing the reuptake of the neurotransmitter serotonin by blocking the sites where they are reabsorbed.

  This means that there is a greater amount of serotonin in the synaptic gap.

  Common types of SSRI medications include Prozac.


  Antidepressant drugs: SSRIs
• A newer class of antidepressant drugs called SNRIs (Serotonin-noradrenaline reuptake inhibitors) has also been used to treat patients with OCD who do not respond to SSRIs.

  These work by increasing levels of serotonin as well as another neurotransmitter called noradrenaline.


  Antidepressant drugs: SNRIs