OCD

• What are the emotional characteristics of OCD?


  Anxiety and distress

  Depression

  Guilt and disgust
• What are the behavioral characteristics of OCD?


  Compulsions

  Avoidance
• What are the cognaitve characteristics of OCD?


  Obsessive thoughts, hyper-vigilance and awearness of irrational thoughts.
• What is the Gentic explantion of OCD (SERT)


  The SERT gene has been identified as a candidate gene for OCD, this determines how effective the transport of serotonin is around the brain (across synapses). Carrying the SERT gene causes a disruption to serotonin disruption and therefore OCD.
• What is the genetic explation of OCD (COMT)


  Genes involved in dopamie transportation have also been identified as possible causes of OCD.
• What is the neural explaintion of OCD? (serotonin)


  Serotonin is the neurotransmitter that effects mood. If serotonin levels are disrupted, messages involving mood are not reaching the right parts of the brain. Disturbing cognition, emotion and behavioral.
• What is the neural explaition of OCD? (Brain abnormality)


  Some types of OCD involve impared decision making, this takes place in the frontal lobe. The sides of the frontal lobe are abnormal in patients of OCD.

  There is evidence to show the parahippocampal gyrus is associated with unpleasant emotions - functioning abnormally in patients with OCD.
• What did Taylor do in 2013 (alternative genes)


  He carried out a huge meta-analysis and uncovered 230 different genes involved in the development of OCD.
• What does aetiologically heterogeneous mean?


  Different genes are responsible for different types of OCD.
• What is the science behind twin studies?


  By comparing concordance rates accross sets of twins can sperate the effects of nature/nurture.

  Nestadt (2010) found 68% of MZ (identical twins) share OCD, compared to 31% of DZ (non-identical) twins.
• Why are twin studies inconclusive?


  You cant seperate nature and nurture because they grow up in the same home. Concordance rates are never conclusive so diathesis stress model could be the most valid explanation.
• What is the alternative explanation for the biological approach?


  OCD sufferers have experienced a traumatic event. Nurture is better than nature.
• What are used to treat OCD?

  SSRI increase amount of seretonin travelling accross a synapse.
• What does SSRI stand for


  Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors (SSRI)
• What is the real life explanation for the biological approach?


  antidepressants can reduce symptoms giving validity to the neural explanation.
• What are 2 alternatives to SSRIs?


  Tricyclics and SNRIs
• What was Soomro (2009) study


  Revieved 17 studies and found SSRI were more effective than placebo at curing OCD, showing they work.
• Are SSRI cost effective?


  Yes
• What are the issues with drugs?

  side effects, tollerance and addiction