OCD

Question 1

What does OCD stand for

Answer 1

Obsessive - complusive disorder

Question 2

Defination of OCD

Answer 2

Where people experinces persistant and instrusive thought and complusions

Question 3

What ype of disorder is OCD

Answer 3

Anxiety disorder

Question 4

What percentage if the population does OCD affect

Answer 4

2%

Question 5

What is an obession

Answer 5

Pesistant and intrusive thought - what a person think

Question 6

What do obessions lead to

Answer 6

Feeling of extreme anxiety

Question 7

What to obessions include

Answer 7

• contamintion
• fear of loosing control
• perfections
• religion

Question 8

What are complusions

Answer 8

Uncontrollable urges to repetitley perform tasks and behaviours

Question 9

What does sufferer do this

Answer 9

As a result of the obessions at a atempt to reduce distress

Question 10

Wht do complusions incude

Answer 10

• excess washing
• excess checking
• repition
• mental compulsions
• hoarding

Question 11

External component of OCD

Answer 11

Compulsions

Question 12

Internal cmponent of OCD

Answer 12

Obessions

Question 13

Behavioural Characteristics of OCD

Answer 13

• hinder everyday functioning
• social impairment
• repetitive behaviours

Question 14

Emotional characteristics of OCD

Answer 14

• repetitive behaviours

- extreme anxiety

Question 15

Cognitive characteristics of OCD

Answer 15

• recurrent and persistent thoughts
• recogisned as self - generated
• realistaion of inappropriateness
• attention bias
• uncontroble urges

Question 16

What is the explanation of OCD

Answer 16

The biological approach

Question 17

What is the gentic explanation

Answer 17

OCD assumed to be due to gentic inhertiance

Question 18

What studies are used as evidence

Answer 18

Twin and family studies but more recently gene mapping studies

Question 19

Describe Twin studies

Answer 19

Genetic link for OCD more present in MZ than DZ twins

• MZ share 100% genes DZ share 50% genes
• Concordance rate higher in MZ than DZ

Question 20

Supporting evidence for Twin studies

Answer 20

Groothest et al
Reviewed 28 twin studies
Both children and adults OCD is inheritable
gentic influence ranging from45%-65%in children
and in adults 27%-47%
Genetic component of OCD genes appear to play a greater role in children than in development of the condition in adult hood

Question 21

Describe gene mapping

Answer 21

• Comparing Genetic material of OCD sufferers with non OCD sufferers to see if there is a difference
• specific genes variants are found to be more common in OCD sufferers than non OCD sufferers

Question 22

Supporting evidence for gene mapping studies

Answer 22

Stewart et al
Gene mapping studies on OCD patients and family members
OLIG- gene commonly occurred suggest genetic link

Question 23

Evaluation of genetic explanations - criticisms

Answer 23

Unclear different types of OCD have different degrees of inheritance
Environmental influence - concordance rate not 100% suggest that there is an environmental influence
although ocd has been linked to genetic its unclear whether different types of OCD have different degree of inheritance

Question 24

2 neural explanations of OCD

Answer 24

• PET scans suggest an over active orbital frontal cortex

- Low serotonin levels in the brain

Question 25

How does an over active frontal cortex link compulsions

Answer 25

Involved in initiating activity upon receiving impulses to act and stopping activity when the impulse lessens With a overactive frontal cortex unable to stop acting on impulses

Question 26

Research support for neural explanations

Answer 26

saxena and rauch - neuroimaging techniques such as PET and fMRI consistent evidence of an association between the orbital frontal cortex and OCD symptoms

Question 27

Evaluation of biological explanations- criticisms

Answer 27

Highly deterministic - implies that whether one will have OCD or not is determined by their genes and this has implications for pre-implantation genetic screening of IVF however not all people with this gene will develop OCD Reductionist - focuses on biological factors and it fails to fully consider the environment or cognitions

Question 28

Main assumption of biological treatment

Answer 28

OCD due to faulty neural mechanism

Question 29

3 drug treatments

Answer 29

- SSRI - Anxiolytics - Antipsychotic

Question 30

How do SSRI work

Answer 30

Block the re-absorption of serotonin which men there is a increased level of serotonin available meaning the orbital frontal cortex can function normally this reduces compulsions

Question 31

How do anxiolytics work

Answer 31

Anti-anxiety drug These lower anxiety levels from obsessive thoughts by increasing the activity of neurotransmitter GABA Eg benzodiazepine

Question 32

How do antipsychotics work

Answer 32

Used when SSRI aren’t affective They lower dopamine levels Eg risperidone

Question 33

Supporting research for effectiveness of drug treatments

Answer 33

Julien - SSRI the symptoms don’t fully disappear - 50 -80% OCD patient improved and where bale to live a normal life - SSRI are effective

Question 34

Evaluation of drug treatments- criticisms

Answer 34

Side effects - antipsychotic drugs produce heightened levels of suicidal thoughts other side effect include irritable and loss of appetite Not a cure - reduce obsessive thoughts ad compulsive behaviour once a persons stops the drugs OCD symptoms return

Question 35

Evaluation of drug treatments - support

Answer 35

Cheap - cheaper than CBT therapy’s

Question 36

limitation of neural explanations

Answer 36

not all ocd responded positively to serotonin enhancing drugs lessen support for abnormal level of orbital frontal cortex being sole cause for ocd