| What is drug therapy? | -Used for biological therapy for anxiety disorders, like OCD
-Therapy assumes that there is a chemical imbalance in the brain which can be corrected by drugs, which either increase or decrease the levels of neurotransmitters in the brain |
| What is the general purpose of drug therapy ? | To decrease anxiety, lower arousal, lower blood pressure or heart rate |
| What are the 3 main drug therapies used to treat OCD symptoms? | Target different neurotransmitters
Anitdepressants - SSRIs - serotonin
Antidepressants - SNRIs - Noradrenaline
Anti-anxiety drugs - Benzodiazepines (BZs) - GABA |
| What can drug therapy be used alongside ? | Psyhological therapies such as CBT to treat OCD and reduce a person's emotionla symptoms, like being anxious - can engage more effectively with CBT |
| What are the first 2 processes of synaptic transmission? | 1. An electrical impluse (called action potential) travels along the axon of the transmitting neuron
2. This triggers the nerve-ending of the pre-synaptic neuron to release chemical messengers called neurotransmitters |
| What are the last 3 processes of synaptic transmission? | 3. Chemicals diffuse across the synapse (the gap) and bind with receptor molecules on the membrane of the next neuron
4. Binding simulates the second neuron to transmit the electrical impluse
5. Reuptake: the neurotransmitter is reabsorbed in the vesicles of the pre-synaptic neuron |
| What are SSRI's? | Group of anti-depressant medication, widely prescribed drugs for anxiety disorders and are used to treat the symptoms of OCD |
| What is serotonin implicated in? | Serotonin is implicated in the regulation of mood and anxiety and low levels are implicated in the 'worry circuit' of the brain |
| What do SSRI's do? | Increases serotonin in the synapses of the CNS
SSRi goes into the bloodstream, then the brain and then the synapse - lodges itself in the 'reuptake pump' and blocks the reabsorption into the presynaptic neuron |
| What does the SSRI blocking the reuptake do? | Allows for the concentration of serotonin in the synapse, which increases the amount of serotonin binding with the receptors in the postsynaptic sight wihc increases the signal postysynaptically - allows for serotonin to increase with helps to treat depression and anxiety |
| Why is SSRI sometimes not effective? | after 3 to 4 months the dose can be increase or combined with other drugs if its not effective
Patients respond differently to different durgs and sometimes alternatives work well for some people and not all for others |
| What is SNRI? | Serotonin-noradrenaline reuptake inhibitors, more recently used to treat OCD |
| What types of drug is SNRI? | Different class of antidepressant drugs and, like clomipramine, 2nd in line of defence for pepople who don't respond to SSRI
SNRI increases levels of serotonin as well as a different neurotransmitter - noradrenaline |
| What is tricyclics? | Older type of antidepressant, clomipramine (eg)
Acts on various sytems, like the serotonin system - same effect as SSRI
More severe side-effects than SSRI, reserved for people who don't respond to SSRI |
| What is said about CBT and SSRI? | Some people respond to CBT alone, better than others, but some have to use drugs like fluoxetine
Sometimes other drugs are prescribed alongside SSRI |
| A strength of dtug therapy? | -Supporting research from Soomro (2008) conducted a review of randomised drug trails, compares the effectiveness of SSRIs against a placebo
-SSRIs were significantly more effective in the treatment, 17 different trails with a typical reduction of up 70% in severity of symptoms.
-Supports the treatment as it shows that drugs can be used to reduce symptoms, but it doesn't specify the long-term effects
-COUNTER: could be a publication bias, reserarch sponsered by the companies selling the SSRI, unlikely to post any negative responses, use data with caution |
| A strength of drug therapy of OCD? | -Cost-effective and non-disruptive
-SSRI and BZs, cost effective in comparison to CBT. More economically viable solution for treating OCD, beneficial to the patients as well as the economy
-CBT requires a patient to be motivated to engage, drugs are non-disruptive, allowing ppts to take the drug and continue their life as normal
-Drugs are more successful for ppts with OCD, cheaper option and will not require motivation to upkeep, unlike CBT |
| A weakness of drug therapy? | -There are possible side-effects of drugs like SSRI and BZ
-Ashton: BZs are recommeneded for short term treatment only, up to 4 weaks, becuase they are renowned for being highly addictive and can cause increased aggression and long-term memory impairmnet
-SSRI are the most effective for treating OCD, but ppts might experiences side effects like feeling anxious, or more serious ones like vomiting blood
-This means drugs do not help with the long term problems of OCD, but rather short term. Ppts might refuse to take the pills as well due to the side effects, making OCD worse |
| A weakness of drug therapy? | -Treating the symptoms of OCD rather than the cause.
-SSRI works by increasing the levels of serotonin in the brain, which reduces reuptake and anxiety and alleviates the symptoms of OCD, but it doesn't treat the underlying cause f the mental health disorder.
-This can be seen as once the ppts stops taking the drug, they are prone to relapsing. It can be said that the ppt will need to go to CBT alongside drugs as it will allow them to treate the cause of OCD, lead to more long-term solutions
-Only using drug therapy is said to be reductionst, only looking at serotonin in the maintenance of OCD, but not looking at the possible effects of cognition. |
