OCD

• What are the behavioural characteristics of ocd?

  • repetitive compulsions
  • Compulsions reduce anxiety
  • avoidance
• what are the emotional characteristics of OCD?

  • anxiety and distress
  • Accompanying depression
  • Guilt and disgust
• What are the cognitive characteristics of ocd?

  • Obsessive thoughts
  • Cognitive coping strategies
  • Insight into excessive anxiety
• OCD is defined as a disorder characterised by obsessions and compulsions. obsessions being being cognitive and compulsions being behavioural
• one explanation of OCD is the genetic explanation, stating that OCD is polygenetic (caused by multiple genes) is a psychological feature, passed through genes from your parents
• one explanation of OCD is the neural explanation, which suggests that OCD is caused by a faulty brain structure and neurones
• outline the use of one drug for treating ocd?

  antidepressants – SSRIs – prevent the reuptake of serotonin and prolong its activity in the synapse in order to reduce anxiety and normalise the ‘worry circuit’
• diathesis-stress model= genetic vulnerability + environmental factors causes ocd
• candidate genes suggest ocd is genetically inherited from parents- COMT (dopamine) and SERT (serotonin)
• brain structure to ocd- basal ganglia involved in compulsions- if someone has an overactive basal ganglia they're more susceptible to ocd
• worry circuit- orbital frontal cortex (inputs sensory info), thalamus (receives info from orbital frontal cortex and triggers worry signals), candate nucleus (calms worry signals) so people with OCD have a dysfunctional candate nucleus
• neurochemicals in explaining ocd= low serotonin explains the co-morbidity with depression, high dopamine is involved in the compulsive elements
• supportive evidence of the bio (genetic) approach to OCD- lewis et al- 37% of ocd patients had a parent with ocd, and 21% had a sibling with ocd - suggests their is a genetic predisposition
• ssri treat ODC through preventing reuptake of serotonin in the synapse, tricyclics also prevent reuptake of serotonin and noradrenaline, benzodiazepines prevent reuptake of GABA, increasing likelihood of inhibition
• limitation of genetic explanation of OCD - environmental risk factors - environmental factors may trigger genes linked to OCD - Cromer et al - over half of OCD patients had experienced a traumatic event - suggests the genetic explanation is only a partial explanation
• candidate genes - give a person a genetic vulnerability to OCD - COMT and SERT gene
• treating OCD - drug therapy may be combined with CBT - drugs reduce emotional symptoms such as anxiety which allow patients to engage with CBT better
• strength of drug therapy to treating OCD - cost effective and non-disruptive - drugs such as SSRIs are cheap to manufacture. Clients also do not have to worry about attending therapy sessions, they only need to take a pill for their symptoms to improve.
• limitation of drug therapy - serious side effects - side effects can inflict further distress on clients - they may experience blurred vision, indigestion etc - 1 in 100 people will experience a serious side effect such as aggression or heart issues - reducing their quality of life rather than improving it
• Outline the use of drugs in the treatment of ODC

  generally, attempt to increase or decrease levels of neurotransmitters or the activity of neurotransmitters in the brain.

  SSRIs – prevent the reuptake of serotonin and prolong its activity

  in the synapse in order to reduce anxiety.

  tricyclics – block the transporter mechanism that re-absorbs both serotonin and noradrenaline.