Biological approach to explaining OCD Flashcards
1
Q
strength of the genetic explanation
A
- research support
- evidence from sources which suggest that some people are vulnerable to OCD as a result of their genetic makeup
- Nestadt et al (2010) reviewed twin studies and found that 68% of identical twins shared OCD as opposed to 31% of non identical twins
- research has found a person with a family member diagnosed with OCD is 4 times as likely to develop it as someone without
- these research suggest there must be some genetic influence in the development of OCD
2
Q
limitation of the genetic model
A
- environmental risk factor
- strong evidence for the idea that genetic variation can make a person more or less vulnerable to OCD
- OCD does not appear to be entirely genetic in origin and environmental risk factors can trigger the risk of developing OCD
- in a study by Cromer et al (2007) found that over half the OCD clients in the sample had experienced a traumatic event in their past
- genetic vulnerability only provides a partial explanation for OCD
3
Q
strength of the neural model of OCD
A
- research support
- antidepressants that work purley on serotonin are effective in reducing OCD symptoms
- suggest that sertonin amy be involved in OCD
- OCD symptoms form parts of conditions that are known to be biological in origin such as parkinson’s disease which causes muscle tremors and paralysis
- if a biological disorder produces OCD symptoms then we may assume the biological processes underline OCD
- suggests that biological factors may also be responsible for OCD
4
Q
limitation of neural model
A
- no unique neural system
- serotonin OCD link may not be unique to OCD
- may people with OCD also experience CLinical depression (co morbidity)
- depression involves disruption to the action of serotonin
- could simply be that serotonin activity is disrupted in many people with OCD because they are depressed as well
- serotonin may not be relevant to OCD symptoms
5
Q
the role of serotonin in neural explanation
A
- neurotransmitter serotonin helps to regulate mood
- neurotransmitters are responsible for relaying information from one neuron to another
- if a person has low levels of serotonin then normal transmission of mood relevant information does not take place and a person may experience low moods
6
Q
Decision making systems in neural explanations
A
- some cases of OCD seem to be associated with impaired decision making
- this is associated with abnormal functioning the the lateral of the frontal lobes of the brain
- frontal lobes are responsible for logical thinking and decision making
- evident to suggest that the left parahippocampal gyrus is associated with processing unpleasant emotions which functions abnormally in OCD
7
Q
Different types of OCD
A
- aetiologically heterogeneous = the origins of OCD vary from person to person
- evidence to suggest that different types of OCD may be the result of particular genetic variations
8
Q
OCD is polygenic
A
- OCD is not caused by one single gene by a combination of genetic variations that together significantly increase vulnerability
- Taylor (2013) found that there are up to 230 different genes involved in OSC
- genes are associated with the actions of dopamine and serotonin
9
Q
candidate genes
A
- create vulnerability for OCD
- some of these are involved in regulating the development of the serotonin system
- 5HT1-D beta gene is implicated in the transport of serotonin across synapses
10
Q
genetic explainations
A
- lewis (1936) observed that of his OCD patients 37% had parents with OCD and 21% had siblings with OCD
- suggest that OCD runs in the family
- genetic vulnerability is passed on from one generation to the next
- according to the diathesis stress model certain genes leave some people more likely to develop a mental disorder
- some environmental stress is necessary to trigger the condition
