OCD

Question 1

What does OCD stand for?

Answer 1

Obsessive Compulsive Disorder

Question 2

Behavioural characteristics of OCD

Answer 2

Avoidance
Compulsions are repetitive
Compulsions reduce anxiety

Question 3

Emotional characteristics of OCD

Answer 3

Anxiety and distress
Disgust
Accompanying depression

Question 4

Cognitive characteristics of OCD

Answer 4

Obsessive thoughts
cognitive coping strategies
insight into excessive anxiety

Question 5

What genes are involved in the development of OCD

Answer 5

SERT gene (serotonin regulatory gene)
COMT gene (regulating the production of dopamine)

Question 5

Cognitive characteristics of OCD

Answer 5

Obsessive thoughts
Cognitive coping strategies
Insights into excessive anxiety

Question 6

As there are multiple genes involved in OCD what does this mean?

Answer 6

OCD is polygenic

Question 7

How does the SERT gene affect OCD

Answer 7

If the SERT gene is faulty it causes transportation issues and so lower levels of serotonin that impacts OCD like symptoms

Question 8

How does the COMT gene affect OCD

Answer 8

this gene is responsible for the enzyme that breaks down dopamine and when there is a mutation it stops this process = higher levels of dopamine

Question 9

What is the diathesis stress model?

Answer 9

That environmental stressors trigger certain genes to influence OCD.

Question 10

Strengths of the genetic explanation?

Answer 10

Nestadt found that 68% of MZ twins had OCD compared to 31% of DZ twins

Question 11

Weaknesses of genetic explanation of OCD

Answer 11

There are many environmental risks involved in OCD - Cromer found that half of his sample with OCD had gone through trauma in their past suggesting environmental factors affect OCD development rather than being truly genetic in nature.

Question 12

What areas of the brain are involved in the neural explanations for OCD

Answer 12

Caudate nucleus
Orbital frontal cortex (OFC)

Question 13

What is the neural explanation for OCD?

Answer 13

The OFC sends a worry signal and the caudate nucleus switches this off. When the SERT and COMT gene are compromised they cause the OFC to send too many worry signals (too much dopamine) and the caudate nucleus cannot send turn it off (because of low levels of serotonin).

Question 14

Strengths of neural explanation for OCD

Answer 14

Development of treatments such as SSRIs

Question 15

Weaknesses of neural explanation for OCD

Answer 15

All evidence for neural explanations are simply correlational which has no causation between neurochemicals and OCD

Question 16

What treatment is used for OCD

Answer 16

SSRIs (Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors)

Question 17

How do SSRIs work?

Answer 17

They block the reuptake of serotonin on the pre synaptic cell allowing the serotonin to bind to receptors on the post synaptic cell. This usually leads to the chemical message being passed on to help the caudate nucleus switch off the worry circuit.

Question 18

Strength of SSRIs

Answer 18

Soomro - symptoms reduce 70% when using SSRIs

Question 19

Weakness of SSRIs

Answer 19

Side effects

Question 20

What other treatments other than SSRIs can be used to treat OCD

Answer 20

Tricyclics (blocks the transport mechanism that reabsorbs serotonin) and benzodiazepines that slows down activity in the central nervous system by enhancing GABA activity (GABA produces a calming affect)