THEORY & STUDY
Drug Therapy:
- Able to alter the activity of neurotransmitters.
- Therefore able to help correct any underlying chemical imbalance which may be causing symptoms of OCD.
- Antideressant drugs increase levels of serotonin, which is thought to be underactive in OCD, so these drugs have also been investigated as treatments for OCD.
- There are different types of antidepressants used:
1. Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors (SSRIs):
- Blocks the reabsorption of serotonin in the pre-synaptic cell.
- This therefore increases levels of available serotonin in the synapse.
- This enables continued stimulation of the post-synaptic neuron.
- One example of an SSRI is fluoxetine (Prozac).
2. Tricyclic Antidepressants:
- Older generation of antidepressants.
- Works in the same way as SSRIs.
- Blocks the reuptake of both serotonin and noradrenaline.
- A common example of a tricyclic antidepressant is clomipramine.
3. Other types of Drugs:
- Drugs which act on other neurotransmitters are also sometimes used, particularly for patients who haven't responded to the antidepressant medication above.
- Antipsychotic drugs reduce the activity of dopamine in the brain by blocking post-synaptic receptors.
- Anti-anxiety drugs, such as benzodiazepines, increase the activity of GABA, which has a calming effect on the central nervous system.