OCD*

Question 1

What are compultions?

Answer 1

Repetitive rituals of physical activity or thought processes that perpetuate over time.

Question 2

Give examples of compultions.

Answer 2

• Checking
• Contamination
• Hoarding
• Ruminations

Question 3

Give a cognitive, behavioural and emotional characteristic of OCD.

Answer 3

Cognitive - Uncontrollable thoughts, images, impulses, fears, doubts.
Behavioural - compulsive behaviours.
Emotional - Concern and upset caused by the realisation that the behaviours are irrational.

Question 4

Low levels of COMT activity lead to what levels of dopamine?

Answer 4

Low levels of COMT activity lead to high levels of dopamine.

Question 5

Who proposed the relationship between dopamine and the COMT gene?

Answer 5

Tukel et al.

Question 6

What do high dopamine levels create?

Answer 6

High levels of dopamine manifest into compultions.

Question 7

Mutations of the SERT gene lead to what levels of seratonin?

Answer 7

Low levels of seratonin.

Question 8

What did Ozaki et al find out about OCD and family relations.

Answer 8

Two unrelated families with mutations of the SERT gene of which, 6 out of 7 family members had OCD.

Question 9

What is the Neural explaination for OCD?

Answer 9

If the caudate nucleus is damaged, the worry is not suppressed and the thalamus is alerted. Creating a ‘worry circuit’.

Question 10

What did Sukel find about the caudate nucleus and neurotransmitters?

Answer 10

Dopamine was implicated in the malfunction of the caudate nucleus. Leading to high dopamine levels.

Question 11

What is the diathesis stress model?

Answer 11

States that certain genes leaves some people more likely to develop a mental disorder.

Question 12

What does SSRI stand for?

Answer 12

Selective Seratonin Reuptake Inhibitors.

Question 13

What do SSRIs do?

Answer 13

The block the seratonin receptor sites which increases the amount of seratonin in the synapse.

Question 14

Tricyclics have the same function as SSRIs. True or False?

Answer 14

True. They also effect dopamine.

Question 15

Give some advantages of the biological explanation for OCD.

Answer 15

Advantages:
- Supporting evidence - Nestadt et al - 68% of identical twins shared OCD compared to 31% of non-twins.

• Supporting evidence - Marini and Stebnicki - someone with a family member with OCD is 4 time more likely to develop it.

Question 16

Give some disadvantages of the biological explanation for OCD.

Answer 16

Disadvantages:
- Marini and Stebnicki’s study is correlational. Thus, doesn’t show cause.

• Deterministic - suggests that genetic, neurochemical and neuroanatomical influences are biologically predisposed - leading to a passive attitude to those who suffer - inhibit recovery.
• Limited explanation - ignores possible explanations such as, environment, childhood and everyday stressors.

Question 17

Give advantages of the biological explanation for treatments for OCD.

Answer 17

Advantages:
- Meta analysis from Soomro et al - 17 studies - 3097 patients - SSRIs are ‘moderately effective’ in the short term.

• Drug therapy is mush cheaper - good for NHS and good for taxpayer.
• Drugs require less commitment.

Question 18

Give disadvantages of the biological explaination for treatments for OCD.

Answer 18

Disadvantages:

• Drugs are not effective in the long term - NIMH (1987)
• Drugs have side effects - more than 1 in 10 people will experience weight gain and erection problems (Ha ha).
• Reduce a person’s quality of life - often stop taking the drugs.