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Psychology- psychopathology > Obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) > Flashcards

Obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) Flashcards

1
Q

what are obsessions?

A

persistent, intrusive, recurring thoughts or images
- 10% of sufferers suffer with just obsessions

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2
Q

what are compulsions?

A

repetitive, ritualistic behaviour e.g. hoarding, excessive washing etc.
- 20% of sufferers suffer with just compulsions

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3
Q

percentage of sufferers who suffer with obsessions + compulsions?

A

70%
- 1 in 50 people have OCD (suggests its a biological cause)

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4
Q

what are the DSM-5 categories of OCD?

A
  • Trichotillomania- compulsive hair pulling
  • Hoarding disorder- compulsive gathering of possessions + the inability to part with anything regardless of its value
  • Excoriation disorder- compulsive skin picking
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5
Q

behavioural characteristics of OCD?

A
  • compulsions are repetitive- sufferers feel compelled to repeat behaviour e.g. hand washing
  • compulsions reduce anxiety
  • avoidance- avoid situations which may trigger their obsessive thoughts + compulsive behaviours
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6
Q

emotional characteristics of OCD?

A
  • Anxiety +distress- obsessive thoughts can be frightening + overwhelming, urge to repeat behaviour creates anxiety
  • accompanying depression- feel trapped by obsessions + compulsions etc
  • guilt + disgust- irrational guilt due to neglecting friends etc or disgust towards external object or self
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7
Q

cognitive characteristics of OCD?

A
  • obsessive thoughts
  • cognitive coping strategies- helps manage anxiety but makes them appear abnormal + distracts them from everyday tasks
  • insight into excessive anxiety- aware obsessions + compulsions aren’t rational. Catastrophising thoughts about worst case scenarios that could occur if anxieties were justified e.g. ‘I may die if I don’t wash my hands’. Hypervigilant + focus on potential hazards
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8
Q

what approach explains OCD?

A

biological

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9
Q

what does genetic explanation of OCD assume?

A
  • assumes OCD is inherited via genes across family generations
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10
Q

genetic explanation research support?

A
  • research support from family + twin studies
    –> often compare MZ twins + DZ twins for a particular trait –> if trait has a biological basis= expect higher concordance rate between MZ twins than DZ twins as they’re genetically identical –> BUT we never get 100% concordance rate
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11
Q

genetic explanation what do biopsychologists suggest?

A
  • suggest that the higher the concordance rate between 2 ppl= more likely the trait is inherited
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12
Q

genetic explanation- gene-mapping studies?

A

comparing genetic material of OCD sufferers with non-sufferers to indicate a link with particular genes that makes ppl more vulnerable to OCD (candidate genes) –> likely to be a combination of genes, not just one (polygenic)

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13
Q

genetic explanation- diathesis stress model?

A

suggests certain genes make some ppl more likely to suffer from OCD, the environmental stress (experience) is necessary to trigger the condition

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14
Q

genetic explanation- what are the specific genes implicated in OCD?

A

COMT gene
SERT gene

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15
Q

genetic explanation- COMT gene

A
  • helps to reduce the action of dopamine. Less COMT genes= dopamine isn’t controlled + there’s too much of it –> too much dopamine is associated with OCD
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16
Q

genetic explanation- SERT gene

A
  • affects transport of serotonin –> creates lower levels of neurotransmitter serotonin –> serotonin has a role in balancing mood= can regulate obsessive thoughts –> low levels of it link with OCD
17
Q

genetic explanation- strengths

A
  • strong research support- Nestadt et al found 68% of MZ twins both had OCD vs 31% in DZ twins
  • can use animal studies for research
18
Q

genetic explanation- limitations

A
  • biological reductionism- doesn’t account environmental factors which could lead to development of OCD –> Kiara Cromer et al found that over 1/2 OCD is more severe in ppl who’ve suffered with traumatic experiences
  • animal studies may be useless as they’re not as complex as humans
  • never found 100% concordance rate= other factors need to be looked into
  • polygenic condition= hard to make correlations between genes linked to OCD, may differ from person to person
19
Q

neural explanation- what does it assume

A
  • assumes neurotransmitters play a role in development of OCD + structures of the brain
20
Q

neural explanation- expand on it

A

serotonin regulates moods, low levels can lead to depression etc. It plays an active role in orbital frontal cortex + caudate nucleus –> low serotonin levels may lead to abnormal functioning in areas of brain involved in OCD

21
Q

neural explanation- strengths

A
  • antidepressants regulate serotonin levels = reduces OCD symptoms
  • research often uses objective clinical methods e.g. fMRI scanning = increase reliability
22
Q

neural explanation- limitations

A
  • not all OCD sufferers respond positively to antidepressants= reduces external validity
  • correlations don’t necessarily suggest cause + effect relationships (may be a third factor)
23
Q

brain structure/neuroanatomy- OCD vs normal brain

A
  • orbitofrontal cortex
    OCD- detects error when isn’t one + sends ‘worry’ signals
    N- integrates sensory info makes decisions, anticipates reward or punishment
  • cingulate gyrus
    OCD- adds emotion like anxiety etc
    N- adds emotional responses to thoughts
  • caudate nucleus
    OCD- can’t filter anxious thoughts
    N- process info + removes unwanted things
  • basal ganglia
    OCD- causes repetitive behaviours
    N- controls movements, thinking
24
Q

brain structure/neuroanatomy- the worry circuit

A
  • if caudate nucleus is damaged, it can’t suppress minor ‘worry signals’ + thalamus is alerted = sends signals to OFC + confirms worry= triggers compulsions + anxiety –> low levels of serotonin in brain areas could be linked to problem of signal regulation
25
Q

brain structure/neuroanatomy- neurosurgery

A
  • can treat parts of brain linked to OCD to improve symptoms (neurosurgery)
    –> support for biological explanations as treating biological part= symptoms reduced
26
Q

the OCD cycle

A

OBSESSIVE THOUGHTS –> ANXIETY
–> COMPULSIONS –> TEMPORARY RELIEF (then back to obsessive thoughts

27
Q

the ocd cycle expansion

A

OBSESSIVE THOUGHTS (recurrent, intrusive unwanted distressing thoughts, images etc
ANXIETY (extreme fear, shame, guilt)
COMPULSIONS (reduced anxiety by performing behaviours/compulsions
TEMPORARY RELIEF (relief is only short term)

28
Q

biological approach in treating OCD

A

drug therapy, antidepressants SSRI’s e.g. fluoxetine, CBT

29
Q

drug therapy

A
  • aims to increase or decrease levels of neurotransmitters in the brain –> drugs for OCD aim to increase serotonin in the brain
  • drug treatment used if CBT doesn’t work
30
Q

antidepressants (SSRI’s)

A
  • most commonly used drug treatment for OCD
  • they prevent the reuptake of serotonin in the synaptic cleft back into the presynaptic neuron
    –> prevention of uptake= serotonin more accessible in the brain + available to improve transmissions of messages between neurons
31
Q

other treatments of OCD (drug)

A
  • BZs- anti-anxiety drug, reduces action of neurotransmitter GABA (which controls neuron hyperactivity= fear anxiety etc)= slows down brain= reduce obsessive thoughts etc
  • SNRI’s- increase serotonin levels BUT have more side effects than SSRI’s
32
Q

CBT

A
  • first choice of treatment
  • aims to change thought processes + behaviours
    cognitive component:
  • aims to change beliefs that OCD person triggers. prevent cognitive distortion of catastrophising- help deal with obsessions

behavioural component:
- exposure and response prevention therapy focuses on compulsions
- exposes clients to situations that cause anxiety to help person resist performing behaviour –> uses exposure hierarchy (building up from situation that causes mild anxiety to full) –> repeated exposure till anxiety reduces + client resists + refrains from compulsive behaviour

33
Q

biological approach in treating OCD- strengths

A
  • drug therapy= less effective + widely available + non-disruptive (compared to CBT) –> good for economy as ppl return to work quicker + more for health service budget to spend on other things
  • SSRI’s = shown to be effective Soomro et al found 17 studies showed better results from SSRI’s than placebos BUT shapinakis et al found that CBT= more effective than SSRIs
  • little effort to take drugs
  • can use CBT + drugs= more effective
34
Q

biological approach in treating OCD- limitations

A
  • serious side effects of drugs
    –> SSRIs= blurred vision, nausea, insomnia BUT only temporary
    –> BZ’s= long term memory impairment
  • biased evidence –> as research funded by research companies, publication= bias towards studies that have a positive outcome –> unethical? lower validity, are the drugs truly effective?

Psychology- psychopathology (4 decks)

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