OCD Flashcards
What does OCD stand for
Obsessive - complusive disorder
Defination of OCD
Where people experinces persistant and instrusive thought and complusions
What ype of disorder is OCD
Anxiety disorder
What percentage if the population does OCD affect
2%
What is an obession
Pesistant and intrusive thought - what a person think
What do obessions lead to
Feeling of extreme anxiety
What to obessions include
- contamintion
- fear of loosing control
- perfections
- religion
What are complusions
Uncontrollable urges to repetitley perform tasks and behaviours
What does sufferer do this
As a result of the obessions at a atempt to reduce distress
Wht do complusions incude
- excess washing
- excess checking
- repition
- mental compulsions
- hoarding
External component of OCD
Compulsions
Internal cmponent of OCD
Obessions
Behavioural Characteristics of OCD
- hinder everyday functioning
- social impairment
- repetitive behaviours
Emotional characteristics of OCD
- repetitive behaviours
- extreme anxiety
Cognitive characteristics of OCD
- recurrent and persistent thoughts
- recogisned as self - generated
- realistaion of inappropriateness
- attention bias
- uncontroble urges
What is the explanation of OCD
The biological approach
What is the gentic explanation
OCD assumed to be due to gentic inhertiance
What studies are used as evidence
Twin and family studies but more recently gene mapping studies
Describe Twin studies
Genetic link for OCD more present in MZ than DZ twins
- MZ share 100% genes DZ share 50% genes
- Concordance rate higher in MZ than DZ
Supporting evidence for Twin studies
Groothest et al
Reviewed 28 twin studies
Both children and adults OCD is inheritable
gentic influence ranging from45%-65%in children
and in adults 27%-47%
Genetic component of OCD genes appear to play a greater role in children than in development of the condition in adult hood
Describe gene mapping
- Comparing Genetic material of OCD sufferers with non OCD sufferers to see if there is a difference
- specific genes variants are found to be more common in OCD sufferers than non OCD sufferers
Supporting evidence for gene mapping studies
Stewart et al
Gene mapping studies on OCD patients and family members
OLIG- gene commonly occurred suggest genetic link
Evaluation of genetic explanations - criticisms
Unclear different types of OCD have different degrees of inheritance
Environmental influence - concordance rate not 100% suggest that there is an environmental influence
although ocd has been linked to genetic its unclear whether different types of OCD have different degree of inheritance
2 neural explanations of OCD
- PET scans suggest an over active orbital frontal cortex
- Low serotonin levels in the brain
How does an over active frontal cortex link compulsions
Involved in initiating activity upon receiving impulses to act and stopping activity when the impulse lessens
With a overactive frontal cortex unable to stop acting on impulses
Research support for neural explanations
saxena and rauch
- neuroimaging techniques such as PET and fMRI consistent evidence of an association between the orbital frontal cortex and OCD symptoms
Evaluation of biological explanations- criticisms
Highly deterministic - implies that whether one will have OCD or not is determined by their genes and this has implications for pre-implantation genetic screening of IVF however not all people with this gene will develop OCD
Reductionist - focuses on biological factors and it fails to fully consider the environment or cognitions
Main assumption of biological treatment
OCD due to faulty neural mechanism
3 drug treatments
- SSRI
- Anxiolytics
- Antipsychotic
How do SSRI work
Block the re-absorption of serotonin which men there is a increased level of serotonin available meaning the orbital frontal cortex can function normally this reduces compulsions
How do anxiolytics work
Anti-anxiety drug
These lower anxiety levels from obsessive thoughts by increasing the activity of neurotransmitter GABA
Eg benzodiazepine
How do antipsychotics work
Used when SSRI aren’t affective
They lower dopamine levels
Eg risperidone
Supporting research for effectiveness of drug treatments
Julien
- SSRI the symptoms don’t fully disappear
- 50 -80% OCD patient improved and where bale to live a normal life
- SSRI are effective
Evaluation of drug treatments- criticisms
Side effects - antipsychotic drugs produce heightened levels of suicidal thoughts other side effect include irritable and loss of appetite
Not a cure - reduce obsessive thoughts ad compulsive behaviour once a persons stops the drugs OCD symptoms return
Evaluation of drug treatments - support
Cheap - cheaper than CBT therapy’s
limitation of neural explanations
not all ocd responded positively to serotonin enhancing drugs lessen support for abnormal level of orbital frontal cortex being sole cause for ocd
