Psychopathology - OCD

Question 1

What is the cycle of OCD?

Answer 1

obsessive thoughts lead to anxiety, anxiety leads to compulsive behaviour, complusive behaviour leads to temporary relief, which then leads to another obsessive thought

Question 2

What is OCD?

Answer 2

obsessive compulsive disorder.
many different types

Question 3

What is an obsession?

Answer 3

recurring unwanted or intrusive thoughts that cause distress

Question 4

What is a compulsion?

Answer 4

repetitive mental or physical act that provides temporary relief to the sufferer

Question 5

What are the behavioural characteristics of OCD?

Answer 5

compulsions, avoidance

Question 6

What are the cognitive characteristics of OCD?

Answer 6

obsessive thoughts, cognitive coping strategies, awareness of irrational thought process

Question 7

What are emotional characteristics of OCD?

Answer 7

guilt, disgust, anxiety, depression, distress

Question 8

What is a gene?

Answer 8

section of DNA that codes for characteristics

Question 9

Lewis (1936)

Answer 9

37% of OCD patients had a parent with OCD
21% had a sibling with OCD

Question 10

Diathesis-stress model

Answer 10

genes make an individual more likely to suffer from a disorder but environmental stress is necessary to trigger it

Question 11

Candidate genes

Answer 11

create vulnerability for OCD (5HT1-D)
some of these genes are involved in regulating development of serotonin system

Question 12

Synapse

Answer 12

where neurons connect and communicate (tiny gaps)

Question 13

Taylor (2013)

Answer 13

230 genes are involved in OCD
neurotransmitters that regulate mood and involved with action of dopamine and serotonin

Question 14

polygenic

Answer 14

there is not only one definite OCD genes, many working together increase vulnerability

Question 15

aetiologically heterogeneous

Answer 15

one group of genes might cause OCD in one person but different group could cause it in another

Question 16

strengths of genetic explanations of OCD

Answer 16

+ supporting evidence from twin studies
Nastadt et al (2010)
68% identical twins shared OCD
31% non-identical twins shared OCD

Question 17

limitations of genetic explanations of OCD

Answer 17

• twin studies used
  identical and non-identical twins have different experiences
• candidate genes
  too many, unclear. need more research and depth to know if someone will have a vulnerability
• environmental risk factors
  Cromer et al (2007)
  50% of OCD patients experienced traumatic event and OCD was found to be more severe after a traumatic event which shows OCD isn’t entirely genetic

Question 18

what does low serotonin mean?

Answer 18

no normal mood regulation

Question 19

what parts of the brain perform abnormally in OCD patients?

Answer 19

lateral frontal lobe = decision making and logical thinking
parahippocampal gyrus = processing unpleasant emotions
worry circuit - basal ganglia

Question 20

evaluation of neural explanations of OCD

Answer 20

+ supporting evidence -> antidepressants work to treat OCD
- unclear which neural mechanisms are involved, no brain systems are definitely linked to OCD.
- co-morbidity with depression, unclear if low serotonin levels are due to OCD or depression
- cause and effect
do brain abnormalities cause OCD or does OCD cause brain abnormalities

Question 21

what is the main treatment for OCD?

Answer 21

drug therapies which increase or decrease levels of neurotransmitters

Question 22

which is the main drug used to treat OCD?

Answer 22

SSRIs.
increases levels of serotonin in brain and stops serotonin being reabsorbed by the neuron.
3-4 months before effects kick in
different dosage for different patients
ideally used alongside CBT

Question 23

what are alternatives to SSRIs

Answer 23

• tricylics
  more severe side effects (leading to more attrition)
  increases serotonin
• SNRIs
  increases serotonin and noradrenaline
  only been used for last 5 years

Question 24

attrition

Answer 24

giving up on a therapy

Question 25

what are the strengths of biological treatments of OCD?

Answer 25

+ cheaper, quicker and easier than other treatments
+ effective
Soomro et al (2009)
compared placebo to antidepressants
better results for SSRI patients
better when combined with CBT
symptoms decline for 70% of patients on SSRIs

Question 26

limitations of biological treatments of OCD

Answer 26

• unreliable evidence
  drug companies publish results so they could be hiding negative results (publication bias)
• side effects
  usually temporary and for a minority but more side effects means more attrition
• not most effective treatment
  Skapinakis et al said cognitive and behavioural therapies are more effective than biological in treating OCD