Psychopathology- OCD

Question 1

What is the genetic similarity with MZ twins? and how many eggs are there?

Answer 1

share 100% of their genes and are identical twins, one egg that is split into two

Question 2

what is the gentic similarity for DZ twins? how many eggs are there?

Answer 2

share 50% of their genes and are fraternal (non-identical) twins. 2 eggs

Question 3

what are concordance rates?

Answer 3

indicates the percentage of twins pairs or other pairs of relatives who exhibit the same disorder

Question 4

Migel et al (2005)- what were the concordance rates for MZ and DZ twins in terms of OCD? and what does this suggest?

Answer 4

MZ- if one identical twin has OCD there is a 53-87% chance that the other twin will also develop it
DZ- if one non-identical twin has OCD there is a 22-47% the other twin will also develop it

It suggests that OCD is more of a genetics factor rather than an environmental factor

Question 5

Lewis 1936- what were his findings and conclusions about OCD?

Answer 5

genes are involved in vulnerability for OCD

of his OCD patients, 37% had parents with OCD and 21% had siblings with OCD. suggests it runs in families

Question 6

Pauls et al (1995)- findings and conclusions?

Answer 6

the risk of OCD was significantly greater in first-degree relatives of OCD subjects as compared to relatives of psychiatrically normal controls

Question 7

Diathesis stress model- what does this suggest causes OCD?

Answer 7

certain genes leave people more likely to suffer from a mental health disorder but not certain- some environmental stress is necessary to trigger the condition

Question 8

candidate genes- what do these genes create? what system fo some of them regulate/control?

Answer 8

genes create vulnerability for OCD, some are involved in regulating the serotonin sytem

Question 9

SERT gene- what is this responsible for?

Answer 9

the transport of serotonin across synapses, causing lower levels of serotonin which is also associated with OCD

Question 10

COMT gene- what is this responsible for? what is one variation of this gene associated with?

Answer 10

regulating the neurotransmitter dopamine. one variation of the COMT gene results in higher levels of dompamine and this variation is more common in patients with OCD

Question 11

GE- Nestadt et al (2010) found what?

Answer 11

review of twin studies examining OCD found 68% concordance rates for OCD in MZ twins and 31% concordance rate for DZ twins experience OCD

Question 12

GE- Counter argue Nestadt et al by saying concordance rates are not 100%

Answer 12

environment in which people are bought up in play an important role in the development of OCD

Question 13

GE- genes are implicated in OCD- using evidence support this statement

Answer 13

samuels et al (2007) used gene mapping and found OCD sufferers who exhibited compulsive hoarding behaviour linked to chromosome 14 behaviour- shows OCD sufferers have a genetic component to their OCD

Question 14

GE- what does aetiologically heterogenous mean?

Answer 14

different combinations of genes are implicated in the disorder- what causes it in person A may not cause it in person B

Question 15

GE- a genetic explanation is unlikely to provide predictive value- what does this mean?

Answer 15

cannot identify a definitive causing factor of the disorder- cant change peoples genetic makeup

Question 16

GE- limitations of twin studies as a research method?

Answer 16

may overemphasise the role of genes when comparing concordance rates of MZ and Da twins, assume higher concordance rates in mz twins indicates a genetic component for a disorder but mz are more likely to be treated similarly than dz twins- bc identical and share same gender

Question 17

GE- reductionism -environment risk factors

Answer 17

OCD is associated with trauma, so it is clearly not entirely genetic in origin. Cromer (2007)- over half ocd patient had experienced a traumatic event in their past, was most severe in those who had suffered more than one trauma

Question 18

GE- what is the diathesis stress model?

Answer 18

the theory that mental and physical disorders develop from a genetic or biological predisposition for that illness (diathesis) combined with stressful conditions that play a precipitating or facilitating

Question 19

GE- determinism- it is biologically deterministic: predetermined what genes you inherit, therefore may inherit genes for OCD, what does this remove?

Answer 19

removes accountability- ignores environmental factors and free-will

Question 20

NE- what is serotonin?

Answer 20

a neurotransmitter- a chemical messenger in the brain

Question 21

NE- what are the 6 AO1 points for neural explanations?

Answer 21

• low levels of serotonin link to OCD
• SERT gene is responsible for transport of serotonin across synapse
• high levels of activity in orbital frontal cortex (“worry circuit”), cannot switch off areas
• ignorning impulses in turn end up as obsessions
• COMT gene, high levels of dopamine which is also linked to OCD
• candidate genes make people more vulnerable

Question 22

NE- research evidence for the neural explanation of OCD

Answer 22

Zohar et al (1987)- a drug reduces serotonin was given to OCD patients which enhanced their symptoms- suggests low levels of serotonin directly impacts ocd, perhaps disorder does have a biological cause

Question 23

NE-but not all sufferers respond positively to serotonin enhancing drugs, relapse is high- explain Simpson et al (2004)

Answer 23

up to 45% of patients treated with Clomipramine relapsed within 12 weeks of completing medication, which lessens the support for this neurotransmitter being the sole cause of the disorder- maybe masking symptoms rather than the cause, must be other causes

Question 24

NE- causation? relate to serotonin levels

Answer 24

unable to establish if OCD is caused by low serotonin, or if having OCD influences your serotonin levels

Question 25

NE- determinism?

Answer 25

same as genetic explanation- removes accountability, ignores environmental factors and free-will

Question 26

what are SSRI’s?

Answer 26

selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor- antidepressants that increase levels of serotonin at the synapse

Question 27

what can you to to SSRI’s to achieve optimum results

Answer 27

combine SSRI’s with CBT or other drugs

Question 28

what does tricyclic mean?

Answer 28

any class of antidepressant drugs having molecules with three fused rings

Question 29

what is GABA and what does it do?

Answer 29

GABA is a neurotransmitter that tells neurons in the brain to ‘slow down’ and ‘stop firing’ around 40% of the neurons in the brain respond to GABA

Question 30

what does SNRI stand for?

Answer 30

serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor

Question 31

how long does drug treatments usually last?

Answer 31

12-15 weeks- dosage can be changed depending on person if not working

Question 32

The use of drug treatments for OCD in 6 AO1 points:

Answer 32

-general aim to increase or decrease level of neurotransmitter activity at synapse to reduce arousal/anxiety
- SSRIs prevent the reuptake of serotonin In pre-synaptic neuron so activity in synapse is increased
– increased stimulation of the post-synaptic neuron so normalises the worry circuit in the brain
- BZs enhance activity of GABA- quietening influence on brain
– SNRIs work on serotonin and norepinephrine given if SSRIs don’t work
– 12-15 weeks, return to doctor, may increase dosage etc

Question 33

What is a placebo drug?

Answer 33

a placebo is made to look exactly like a real drug but is made of an inactive substance

Question 34

DT- describe Soomro et al (2008) experiment

Answer 34

conducted a review of the research examining effectiveness of SSRI’s and found SSRI’s were more effective than placebos in the treatment of ocd, in 17 different trails suggesting that they are a successful treatment for OCD

Question 35

DT- cost effective?

Answer 35

compared to psychological treatments drugs are cheap and non-disruptive

Question 36

DT- side effects?

Answer 36

can have side effects; indigestion, blurred vision and loss of sex drive- worse for clomipramine

Question 37

DT- motivation?

Answer 37

Less motivation than psychological therapies- easy to administer. No commitment to attending sessions. More likely to complete the course!

Question 38

DT- root of the problem and relapse rates?

Answer 38

drugs fail to address the root cause of the OCD especially if it was a traumatic life experience - a relapse may occur when drugs are not taken as the drugs are not masking the symptoms any more