Brainscape's Knowledge GenomeTM

Browse over 1 million classes created by top students, professors, publishers, and experts.


See full index

Psychology > Psychopathology - OCD > Flashcards

Psychopathology - OCD Flashcards

You may prefer our related Brainscape-certified flashcards:
AP® Psychology flashcards Psychology 101 flashcards GRE® Psychology flashcards
1
Q

What are the behavioural characteristics of OCD?

A
  • Compulsions: checking or cleaning behaviours

- Avoidance of behaviour that leads to obsessive thoughts and reductions of social interactions due to anxiety

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
2
Q

What are the emotional characteristics of OCD?

A
  • Extreme anxiety caused by persistent obsessive thoughts

- Depression due to the impact of the disorder on enjoyable activities

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
3
Q

What are the cognitive characteristics of OCD?

A
  • Obsessions which are reoccurring thoughts focusing on the worst-case scenario
  • An understanding that the catastrophic thinking is irrational is also another cognitive characteristic of OCD
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
4
Q

What is the biological approach to explaining OCD? (The genetic explanation)

A
  • A genetic explanation states that the disorder is inherited
  • Individual gene markers are often present in sufferers of OCD such as gene 9, COMT and SERT, however the disorder is polygenic with as many as 230 individual genes identified in people with OCD
  • Family studies support the genetic origin of OCD as there is a 10% concordance rate in first degree relatives and twin studies show as high as an 87% concordance rate
  • This contrasts the initial percentage of people with OCD which is only 2% of the general population
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
5
Q

What is the biological approach to explaining OCD? (The neural explanation)

A
  • The neural explanation for OCD suggests that gene changes can influence the functions of neural systems
  • Low levels of the inhibitory neurotransmitter serotonin can be seen in people with OCD
  • Serotonin is responsible for preventing repetition of tasks, repetition of tasks is a symptom seen in people with OCD (Due to their low levels of serotonin)
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
6
Q

How does OCD influence the functions of neural systems such as the communication between the basal ganglia and other structures such as the orbito-frontal cortex?

A
  • In people with OCD, the communication between their basal ganglia and other structures such as the orbito-frontal cortex is abnormal
  • The basal ganglia is responsible for involuntary movements in Parkinson’s, suggesting there is a link between the functionality of a persons basal ganglia and their tendency for compulsions and repetitive motor functions
  • An over activity in the orbito-frontal cortex is seen in people with OCD, the orbito-frontal cortex is responsible for predicting future events, suggesting its link to obsession/obsessive behaviour
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
7
Q

How does the study carried about by Hu support the genetic explanation for OCD?

A

-In a study with 169 people with OCD and 253 controls Hu found significant genetic differences linked to the functioning of their serotonin transporters

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
8
Q

What is a disadvantage of using twin studies to support the genetic explanation for OCD?

A

-Family studies are flawed due to the factors of living in a shared environment such as social learning processes

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
9
Q

How do SSRI’s support the neural explanation for OCD?

A
  • SSRI’s are effective in treating OCD, this suggests that low levels of serotonin can cause symptoms for OCD such as repetition of tasks
  • However the SSRI’s may just be covering up the symptoms rather than actually treating them for the long-term
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
10
Q

What is a disadvantage of the biological approach to explaining OCD?

A
  • The biological approach could be seen to be biologically reductionist as it disregards environmental factors
  • Biological explanations ignore the role of the family members or cognitive explanations that also provide effective treatments based on a more complex system of irrational thought processing
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
11
Q

What is the biological approach to treating OCD?

A
  • Drug therapy is used as chemical treatment that influences biological functioning
  • Drugs that are often used to treat depression for the reduction of anxiety are used to treat OCD as well
  • This is because low levels of serotonin is associated with obsessions and compulsions, therefore SSRI’s are prescribed
  • This makes the neurotransmitter more effective in its inhibitory role by keeping it in the synaptic cleft
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
12
Q

What drugs are used if SSRI’s are ineffective?

A
  • Non-selective re-uptake drugs are used such as tricyclics or SNRI’s
  • These influence other neurotransmitters such as norepinephrine
  • However they have more intense side effects
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
13
Q

How can psychosurgery be used to treat OCD?

A
  • Psychosurgery is also used to disrupt/cut the communication between the orbito-frontal cortex and the other areas of the brain
  • More experimental psychosurgery includes deep brain stimulation which is the placement of electrodes in the brain to disrupt signalling
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
14
Q

How does Greist’s meta analysis support the biological approach to treating OCD?

A
  • Greist conducted a meta-analysis of placebo-controlled drug trials, including 1520 participants
  • The study showed that all four drugs were more effective than the placebo, with clomipramine as the most effective
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
15
Q

How does publication bias limit the validity of using drug therapy as a way of treating OCD?

A
  • Publication bias is possible as drug companies don’t want to release negative results due to the financial incentive from showing that their drug is effective
  • It has been seen that positive results are more likely to be published than negative results due to this financial incentive to only publish the positive results
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
16
Q

What is a disadvantage of using drug therapy as a way of treating OCD?

A

-The side effects of drug therapies include insomnia and nausea, this can lead to patients ending the treatments due to the intense side-effects

17
Q

What is an advantage of using drug therapy as a way of treating OCD?

A
  • The cost of drug therapy is cheap compared to CBT
  • However, according to Simpson’s study, the relapse rate for people using drug therapy as a treatment for OCD is 45% within 12 weeks compared to just 12% for CBT
  • This suggests that the drugs don’t treat the cause of OCD, rather they just mask the symptoms while the person is on them
18
Q

How does a lack of serotonin cause obsessive thoughts for a person with OCD?

A
  • If serotonin is removed too quickly from synaptic systems it prevents it from being able to do its job
  • The serotonin in the synapse works to inhibit the repetition of tasks, if there is a lack of serotonin in the synapse it can cause the person with OCD to develop obsessive thoughts
19
Q

What is a disadvantage to the biological approach to explaining OCD?

A

-The biological explanation could be seen as biologically determinist as it suggests that OCD is due to uncontrollable genes and neuronal factors
-Cognitive explanations state that OCD is due to faulty information processing and by the use of conscious thought and challenging irrational beliefs the symptoms of OCD can be reduced
(This is a soft determinist view)

20
Q

What are SSRI’s?

A
  • SSRI’s are serotonin reuptake inhibitors which prevent the reabsorption of serotonin which is too fast in people with OCD
  • This causes serotonin to stay in the synaptic cleft for longer so they stay active in influencing the post-synaptic neuron
21
Q

What is an advantage of the biological approach to treating OCD?

A
  • The advancements in cognitive neuroscience has led to the development of biological treatments involving direct deep brain stimulation using electrodes to affected areas in the brain to reduce obsessions
  • These treatments may take place of drug treatment in severe cases of people with OCD or people who are resistant to the drugs used
  • One disadvantage of these procedures is that they can be seen as invasive due to the deep brain surgery
22
Q

What is an advantage of using drug therapy as an approach to treating OCD?

A
  • The cost of biological therapy is relatively cheap in comparison to cognitive treatments like CBT and it also requires less effort to administer
  • For health services (Such as the NHS) with budget constraints this may lead to drug therapies being the preferred treatment

Psychology (53 decks)

Brainscape helps you reach your goals faster, through stronger study habits.
© 2024 Bold Learning Solutions. Terms and Conditions