OCD causes and treatments

Question 1

what are obsessions?

Answer 1

REPEATED thoughts, URGES, or mental images that are INTRUSIVE

Question 2

what are compulsions?

Answer 2

REPETITIVE purposeful physical or mental actions an individual feels COMPELLED to engage in.

Question 3

What are the 3 characteristics of OCD?

Answer 3

Behavioural: actions

Emotional: feelings

Cognitive: the way we think ad process

Question 4

Give an example of an action of each characteristic.

E.g. what is a behavioural action someone with OCD might do?

Answer 4

Behavioural:
-compulsive behaviours
-avoidance

Emotional:
-anxiety or distress
-depression

Cognitive:
-obsessive thoughts
-excessive thoughts
-hyper vigilant

Question 5

What is one of the biological explanation of OCD?

Answer 5

GENETIC explanation

*Family history explains OCD to Lewis, whose experiment showed that 37% had parents with OCD and 21% had siblings with OCD.

*Diathesis stress. People do gain vulnerability to OCD through genes but an ENVIRONMENTAL STRESSOR is also required e.g. a bereavement.

• POLYGENIC. Not determined by a SINGLE gene but a few.
• Candidate genes. The COMT gene causes low levels of enzymes which means a HIGHER level of DOPAMINE which leads to OCD.

Question 6

What is the biological explanation for OCD?

NEURAL

Answer 6

• Low SEROTONIN. Serotonin regulates moods so low levels mean ABNORMAL transmission of mood–relevant info, so mood and other mental processes are AFFECTED.
• Basal Ganglia: Hypersensitivity gives a RISE to the repetitive motor behaviours seen in ocd.

*Left parahippocampal Gyrus is associated with processing UNPLEASANT emotions. This functions abnormally in ocd.

Question 7

What are the biological approaches to treating OCD?

Answer 7

DRUG THERAPY

• SSRI’s work on INCREASING serotonin levels in the brain by preventing the RE-ABSORPTION of serotonin to the presynaptic neuron.

By preventing the re-absoption of serotonin, SSRI’s increase it’s levels in the SYNAPSE which then continues to STIMULATE the post-synaptic neuron.

Question 8

What can SSRI’s be combined with when treating OCD?

Answer 8

*CBT

The drug REDUCES the sufferers emotional symptoms which means they can ENGAGE more effectively in therapy.

Question 9

What are alternatives to SSRI’s?

Answer 9

When SSRI’s aren’t being effective after 3-4 months, they can be INCREASED or COMBINED with other drugs.

Some patients respond differently to diff drugs and some work well for others.

Tricyclics have the same effect as SSRI’s but more side effects.

SNRI’s increase serotonin AND noradrenaline