biological treatment for OCD

• what is drug therapy?

  • aims to increase or decrease neurotransmitter levels in the brain to increase or slow their activity
• what are SSRIs?

  • selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors
  • antidepressant
  • work on low serotonin system in the brain
• how do SSRIs work?

  1. it's released but the presynaptic neuron and travels across a synapse
  2. serotonin is released into a synapse from one neuron
  3. it targets receptor cells on the receiving neuron at receptor sites
  4. it's re-absorbed by neuron sending the message
  5. the re-absorbtion is blocked
• types of SSRIs

  • FLUXOETINE
  • can take up to 4 months to have impact
• other treatments from SSRIs

  • drugs used alongside CBT
  • if not effective, SSRI dose can be increased (from 20mg to 60mg)
  • other types of antidepressants which effect serotonin are SNRIs
• Tricyclics - SSRIs alternative

  • older anti depressant
  • same effects but SSRIs have more severe side effects so used on people who don't respond to SSRIs
• SNRIs - SSRIs alternative

  • newer class of antidepressant
  • increase noradrenaline levels as well as serotonin
• drug therapy strength

  • SOOMRO (2009)
  • reviewed SSRIs to placebo studies
  • found 17 studies showed significant improvement of OCD with SSRIs compared to placebo conditions
  • drugs are cost effective and non disruptive - cheaper for NHS than CBT which is time consuming
• drug therapy limitation 


  -drugs can have side effects

  some patients also suffer side effects (indigestion, blurred vision and loss of sex drive) which may deter people from using them