Biological approach to OCD

Question 1

what does the biological approach assume?

Answer 1

that psychological disorders are psychological illnesses with physical causes

Question 2

what are the 3 biological explanations for OCD?

Answer 2

genetic factors
biochemical factors
neurological factors

Question 3

how are genetic factors related to OCD?

Answer 3

some researchers believe that genetics play a role in OCD
studies have looked at OCD rates among people who are related to see if having a relitive with OCD significantly increases your chances of getting OCD

Question 4

how are biochemical factors related to OCD?

Answer 4

PET scans have shown that levels of seretonin are lower in OCD sufferers

Question 5

how are neurological factors related to OCD?

Answer 5

some research using PET scans has found that abnormality in the basal ganglia within the brain may be linked to OCD

Question 6

what is evidence for genetic factors?

Answer 6

billet et al

pauls et al

Question 7

what did billet et al do?

Answer 7

did a meta analysis of twin studies that had been carried out over a long period of time.
they found for identical twins if one twin had OCD then 68% of the time both twins had it compared to 31% for non identical

Question 8

what did pauls et al do?

Answer 8

found that 10% of people with an immediate relative who had ocd also suffered from the disorder. this is compared to around 2% of people in general population

Question 9

what is the evidence against genetic factors?

Answer 9

1. no study has found a 100% concordance rate so genetics can’t be the full story in OCD
2. concordance rates dont prove OCD is caused by genetics. it may be that general anxiety is genetic and that going on to develop OCD itself has other contributing factors

Question 10

what is the evidence for biochemical factors?

Answer 10

insel 1991

zohar et al 1996

Question 11

what did insel 1991 do?

Answer 11

found that a class of drugs called SSRIs which increase levels of serotonin can reduce symptoms of OCD in 50 to 60% of cases

Question 12

what did zohar et al find?

Answer 12

also found that SSRIs alleviated symptoms in 60% of patients with OCD.

Question 13

what is the evidence against biochemical factors?

Answer 13

SSRIs appear to offer some relief to sufferers of OCD however this is not true in 100% of cases
the link with serotonin is correlational so it doesn’t show cause and effect it may be that decreased serotonin is a symptom of OCD rather than a cause

Question 14

what is the evidence for neurological factors?

Answer 14

max et al (1995) found increased rates of OCD in people after head injuries that caused brain damage to the basal ganglia
other researchers have also found increased activity in this area during OCD related thoughts

Question 15

what is the evidence against neurological factors?

Answer 15

alyward et al didn’t find a significant difference in basal ganglia impairment between OCD patients and controls
basal ganglia damage hasn’t been found in 100% of people with ocd so it can’t be the full story

Question 16

what are the strengths of the biological explanation of OCD?

Answer 16

it has a scientific basis in biology
twin studies have shown that genetics have at least some effect on the likelihood of developing OCD
it can be seen as ethical as people aren’t blamed for their disorders

Question 17

what are the weaknesses of the biological approach to OCD?

Answer 17

the explanation doesnt take into account the effect of the environment, family, childhood experiences or social influences
biological therapies raise ethical concerns