OCD

• What is OCD?

  OCD might be genetic. Relatives of OCD sufferers have a higher chance of getting the disorder than the UK rate of 2 in every 100
• What is neuroanatomy?

  Another neural explanation concerns dysfunction in brain structures. The basal ganglia and orbitofrontal cortex have been implicated in some OCD studies
• What is neurochemistry?

  One explanation is that OCD is caused by depleted serotonin activity, which is involved in mood and motivation

  Some studies suggest that it may be removed too quickly from the synapse before it has transmitted its signal- this has been linked to the obsessive thought aspect of OCD
• What is SRI?

  Serotonin Receptor Inhabitation
• Behaviour in OCD

  The compulsion element of the disorder, performed in order to reduce anxiety.

  eg repeating an action like turning plug sockets on/off six times

  eg. compulsive hand washing as a response to an obsessive fear of germs
• What are obsessions?

  Internal components because they’re thoughts
• What is compulsions?

  External components because they’re behaviours
• How is OCD treated with SSRI?

  Selective serotonin receptor inhibitors. One example is fluoxetine. The drug acts to inhibit the re-take of serotonin in the brain
• What is a neuron?

  A nerve cell
• What is a neural explanation?

  Suggestion that the nervous system determines psychological characteristics including disorders
• What is serotonin?

  A neurotransmitter implicated in OCD
• What is a neurotransmitter?

  Messenger chemicals
• What is polygenic?

  When more than one gene contributes to a disorder
• Cognitive in OCD

  The obsessive element of the disorder: Catastrophic thinking eg. the house will set on fire if they don’t turn the light off 3 times. Obsessive thoughts eg. worried about germs
• What is genetic explanation?

  Suggestion that it is chromosomes and DNA which determine a behaviour
• What is diathesis-stress

  Genetically vulnerable to a mental illness environment will have an impact
• What is co-morbidity

  Where two or more disorders are likely to be present together. eg OCD, depression
• Emotion in OCD

  Primarily a feeling of anxiety or fear: eg anxiety or the reduction of anxiety such as feeling calm after washing
• What is Ellis’ ABC model

  • was developed to explain response to negative events- how people react differently to stress and adversity
  • The sequence of the process:
  • A: The adversity or event to which there is a reaction
  • B: The belief or explanation about why the situation occurd
  • C: The consequence: The feelings and behaviour the belief now causes
  • In essence the external event is ‘blamed’ for the unhappiness being experienced
• Strengths in drug therapy

  • Drugs have numerous practical advantages
  • They’re cheap compared to psychological treatments such as CBT- so good value for public health systems like the NHS
  • SSRI are not disruptive to patients lives
  • Drug therapies for OCD represent a pragmatic and cost effective option for sufferers
  • Their effectiveness is supported by research (credibility)
• Weak for drug therapy

  • Can cause numerous side effects
  • lose of sexual appetite, insomnia, loss of appetite. SSRI treatment may be more suitable for adults as they are able to tolerate and understand side effects
  • When stopping taking SSRI it can lead to ‘discontinuation syndrome’; Fava et al (2015) found that more than 30% of people with drug withdrawal symptoms feels almost as bad as their original illness