4. PSYCHOPATHOLOGY (THE BIOLOGICAL APPROACH TO EXPLAINING AND TREATING OCD: GENETIC AND NEURAL EXPLANATIONS) Flashcards
What is the Biological Approach to understanding OCD?
he Biological Approach focuses on how physical elements of the body, such as genes and neurotransmitters, contribute to the development of OCD.
How does genetics explain the development of OCD?
OCD can be inherited, with specific genes passed from parents to children, influencing the likelihood of developing the disorder. Studies show that genetic factors contribute between 45-65% of the risk for OCD.
What did Grootheest et al. (2005) find in their review of twin studies on OCD?
Grootheest et al. (2005) found that OCD can be inherited, with genetic influence ranging from 45 to 65%, suggesting a genetic component to OCD development.
What is the role of the COMT gene in OCD?
The COMT gene regulates dopamine production. A variant of this gene, which leads to lower activity of COMT and higher levels of dopamine, is more common in OCD patients.
What supporting evidence exists for the genetic explanation of OCD?
Studies show that people with a first-degree relative who has OCD have a five times greater risk of developing the disorder, supporting the genetic explanation of OCD.
What is a limitation of the genetic explanation for OCD?
The genetic explanation does not account for all cases of OCD, especially in adults. Evidence for a genetic link is stronger for childhood-onset OCD than for adult-onset OCD.
What is the issue of reductionism in the genetic explanation of OCD?
The genetic explanation is reductionist because it focuses solely on genetic factors, ignoring the role of environmental factors, such as trauma, in the development of OCD.
What is the neural explanation of OCD?
The neural explanation suggests that OCD is linked to abnormal neurotransmitter levels (dopamine and serotonin) and abnormal brain functioning, particularly in areas like the frontal lobes and parahippocampal gyrus.
How are dopamine and serotonin involved in OCD?
High levels of dopamine and low levels of serotonin are associated with OCD. These neurotransmitter imbalances contribute to compulsive behaviours.
What is the role of the worry circuit in OCD?
The worry circuit involves the orbitofrontal cortex (OFC), caudate nucleus, and thalamus. Dysfunction in these brain areas causes excessive worry and repetitive behaviours in OCD.
What is the role of the caudate nucleus in the brain’s worry circuit?
The caudate nucleus helps suppress worry signals. In OCD, if the caudate nucleus is not functioning properly, excessive worry signals are not suppressed, leading to compulsive behaviour.
How does infection and neural damage relate to OCD?
Infections, like streptococcal throat infections, may cause neural damage that contributes to OCD symptoms, suggesting that some cases of OCD could be triggered by infections.
What is the practical application of the neural explanation for OCD?
The neural explanation has led to the development of treatments such as SSRIs (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors), which increase serotonin levels and reduce OCD symptoms.
What is a limitation of using drugs to treat OCD based on the neural explanation?
While drugs may reduce symptoms, this does not prove that serotonin imbalance is the cause of OCD. The effectiveness of treatments does not necessarily validate the neural explanation.
What is the over-simplification criticism of the neural explanation of OCD?
The neural explanation is seen as over-simplistic because it focuses only on biological factors, neglecting psychological influences like learning or environmental factors, which may also play a role in OCD.
