Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (Psychopathology) Flashcards
(17 cards)
Obsession
A persistent thought, idea, impulse or image that is experienced repeatedly, feels intrusive and causes anxiety.
Compulsion
A repetitive and rigid behaviour or mental act that a person feels driven to perform in order to prevent or reduce anxiety.
4 Categories of OCD
-Regular OCD: obsessions and compulsions
-Trichotillomania: compulsive hair pulling
Hoarding Disorder: compulsive gathering of possessions regardless of its value
-Excoriation Disorder: compulsive skin picking
Emotional Characteristics of OCD
AG
Anxiety: need to perform compulsions
Guilt and disgust
Behavioural characteristics of OCD
CA
Compulsions: behaviours performed repeatedly
Avoidance: avoid objects that trigger obsessions
Cognitive characteristics of OCD
OH
Obsessions: unpleasant recurring thoughts
Hypervigilance: permanent state of alertness
Biological Explanation for OCD
Genes can predispose individuals to the illness through inheritance
Evaluations of biological explanation for OCD
Nestadt found DZ twins have a 32% concordance rates + MZ have 68% suggesting the additional shared DNA is responsible for the increased concordance
Family studies could be used to explain environmental influences
Polygenetic
OCD is thought to be polygenic- meaning that development is not determined by a single gene, but rather 230 genes. This means that there is little predictive power from this explanation.
Candidate genes
Candidate genes are found frequently in people with OCD
- SERT gene affects serotonin levels
- COMT gene regulates dopamine
The diathesis stress model
Genetics create a vulnerability to OCD and environmental stressors trigger its development
Neural explanations
Lower levels of serotonin causes heightened anxiety and intrusive thoughts
High levels of dopamine increase compulsive behaviours
SSRI
Aim to increase serotonin levels
SSRIs block the reuptake process allowing for serotonin to stay in the synapse for longer
This regulates mood and anxiety
SNRIs
serotonin-noradrenaline reuptake inhibitors. Second line of defence for patients who do not respond well to SSRIs.
Positive Evaluation of biological treatments
Soormo 2009
Reviewed 3000 participants and found SSRIs were effective in treating OCD compared to placebos
Drugs are cost-effective and non-disruptive
cheap in comparison to psychological treatments
Negative Evaluations of biological treatments
Address symptoms rather than the underlying cause
A significant minority receive no benefit or suffer from side-effects (weight gain, dry mouth, sexual dysfunction and loses of memory)
Acronym for emotional, behavioural and cognitive characteristics of OCD
E- AG
B- CA
C- OH
