Explaining OCD

Question 1

What is it?

Answer 1

Type of anxiety disorder
People with OCD experience persistent and intrusive thoughts often leading to odd behaviours

Question 2

Obsession and Compulsion

Answer 2

Obsession- The thoughts that sufferers experience that aren’t real, but lead to feelings of extreme anxiety
Compulsion- The uncontrollable behaviours that are repetitively performed, in an attempt too reduce anxiety

Question 3

Characteristics

Answer 3

BEHAVIOUR
-Repetitive behaviour
-Hinder everyday functioning
EMOTIONAL
-Extreme anxiety
-Distress
COGNITIVE
-Realisation of inappropriate
-Fear of contamination

Question 4

Biological approach to explaining behaviour

Answer 4

-Assumes behaviour is determined by our biology
-Believe OCD has a biological cause

Question 5

Genetic Explanations

Answer 5

Suggest OCD is inherited and individual inherit specific genes which causes OCD
Two genes linked to OCD- COMT and SERT

Question 6

COMT and SERT genes

Answer 6

COMT - regulates neurotransmitter dopamine. This gene is mutated in people with OCD. Causes decrease in the COMT activity therefore higher dopamine level
SERT- linked to neurotransmitter serotonin. Affects the transport of serotonin. Causes lower levels of serotonin

Question 7

Neural explanations

Answer 7

Argues OCD occurs due to the influence of the brain structure and functions
Believed both cortico-basal ganglia circuit and serotonin metabolism are involved in the development of OCD

Question 8

Cortico-Basal Ganglia Circuit

Answer 8

Sensory input is processed by the OFC which generates a thought.
Thought is then evaluated by the basal ganglia which decides if action is required or not by the OFC
Basal Ganglia therefore contributes to voluntary motor planning and habit information
In OCD, its thought the basal ganglia may not be filtering properly
Letting thoughts which shouldn’t generate actions are being allowed to do so, resulting in a loop of obsessive thoughts

Question 9

The Serotonin Hypothesis

Answer 9

OCD may also be related to a deficiency in serotonin activity from a result of low levels of neurotransmitter.
Explanation come from findings that drug therapies which increase serotonin activity alleviate at least some of the symptoms of OCD
Researcher argues serotonin play a key role in cortico basal ganglia circuit. Therefore may be abnormal serotonin activity that cause these area to malfunction

Question 10

Evaluation of Neuroanatomical explanation

Answer 10

+ Research support e.g. Billet et al found out on average MZ twins were more than twice as likely to develop OCD if their co-twin had the disorder
+fMri and PET scans show increased activity in the cortico basal ganglia circuits in suffers of OCD
- Treatment is difficult
- Ignore the role of the environment

Question 11

Evaluation of Neurochemical explanation

Answer 11

+ Research has shown that some sufferers have increased serotonin metabolite
+ Use of antidepressant which act on serotonin are often effective
- Ignore the role of the environment
- SSRI only work for about 50% of OCD sufferers