7) Biological Approach explaining OCD

Question 1

What are the two biological explanations for OCD

Answer 1

• Genetic and Neural explanation

Question 2

What does the genetic explanation believe leads to a vulnerability for OCD

Answer 2

Candidate genes
- Seretonin e.g SHT1-D
- Dopamine
(both neurotransmitters)

Question 3

what causes it

What is OCD when it comes to what causes it

Answer 3

• Polygenic
  several genes cause it, Taylor found evidence of numbers going up 230

Question 4

What does the neural explanation define OCD being caused by

Answer 4

• lower levels of seretonin, normal transmission of mood relevant emotion does not happen, lowers mood

Question 5

What is often impaired in some OCD patients

Answer 5

• Impaired decision making, impaired frontal lobes

Question 6

What is often dysfunctional in OCD patients

Answer 6

Dysfunctional Parahippocampal gyrus, which is responsible for processing unpleasant emotions

Question 7

EV - Evidence for genetic explanations of OCD

Answer 7

• Nestadt et al reviewed twin studies found 68% of idenical twins shared OCD as oposed to 31% of non identical twins
• Someone with a memeber in their family wih OCD is 4x more likely to experience OCD
• There is a genetic vunerability for developing OCD

Question 8

EV - Genetic explanation removes existence of environmental risk factors

Answer 8

• Genetic variation affects vunerability to OCD but there are also many environmental factors which can trigger the development of OCD
• Cromer et al found that over half of people with OCD experienced a traumatic event (OCD is heavily correlated with num of traumas)
• genetic explanation is only a partial explanation to OCD

Question 9

EV - Neural model is supporting evidence

Answer 9

• Antidepressants that work on serotonin reduce OCD symptoms, suggesting symptom may be involved in OCD
• As well as conditions are known to be biological in origin
• Biological factors are involved in OCD

Question 10

EV - Neural model has no unique neural system

Answer 10

• Many people with OCD also experience depression, which will most likely lead to a disruption to the levels of serotonin
• So OCD could just be because people are depressed
• Serotonin may not be relevant to OCD