AO3

• Research support: Soomro et al. (2008) reviewed 17 studies of the sue of SSRIs with OCD patients and found them to be more effective than placebos in reducing the symptoms of OCD up to 3 months after treatment. HOWEVER Even though drugs are effective in the short term, Maina et al (2011) found that patients relapsed within a week if treatment stopped = suggests psychological therapies should be tried before drugs are used to treat OCD, CBT as been an effective therapy.
• Strength - Drug therapy requires little effort from the user and little input in terms of time— especially compared to CBT. Cheaper for health services compared to psychological treatments because they require little monitoring = more economical
• Weakness - some people may consider the side effects severe enough to stop taking the drug. SSRIs - nausea, headaches and insomnia. Tricyclic antidepressants tend to have more serious side effects - hallucinations, irregular heartbeat. BZs - increased aggression, long-term memory impairment, and problems with addiction = Overall limits the usefulness of drugs
• Publication bias - Turner et al. (2008) positive results were more likely to be published, and studies that were not positive were published in such a way that conveyed a positive result. Drug companies have a strong interest in the success of these drugs and much if the research is funded by them = selective publication can lead doctors to make inappropriate treatment decisions that may not be in the best interest of their patients.