Biological approach to explaining OCD

Question 1

What is the fundamental belief of the genetic explanation for OCD?

Answer 1

That people inherit specific genes that influence the development of OCD

Question 2

What are the two genes linked to OCD?

Answer 2

The COMT gene and the SERT gene

Question 3

How is the COMT gene related to OCD?

Answer 3

• regulates production of dopamine
• variation found in OCD sufferers
• Tuke et al (2013) lower activity of COMT gene causes higher levels of dopamine

Question 4

How is the SERT gene related to OCD?

Answer 4

• involved in transport of serotonin

- mutation found in some OCD sufferers that causes lower levels of serotonin

Question 5

Who did research into the SERT gene and what did they find?

Answer 5

Ozaki (2003) found that in two unrelated families that had the mutation of the SERT gene, 6/7 suffered from OCD.

Question 6

What did Lenane et al (1992) find in their family study?

Answer 6

In a sample of 46 children and adolescents with OCD, 17% of their parents also suffered from OCD
-statistically significant

Question 7

A03-Overly simplistic

Answer 7

• these genes are also implicated in other disorders eg. depression
• concordance rates are never 100% which suggests that genes cannot fully explain OCD
• more likely to be diathesis-stress

Question 8

What are the three areas covered in the neural explanation?

Answer 8

• Serotonin
• Dopamine
• Abnormal brain circuits