evaluation

• Outline cause and effect as a limitation of the behavioural approach for OCD

  • Fails to explain where obsessions come from = limits research so cannot create effective treatments

  EXAMPLE: unknown if low serotonin = high anxiety or OCD causes low serotonin

  = decrease productivity/economy
• Outline the effect of SSRIs as a strength of the behavioural explanation for OCD

  • Effectiveness of drug therapy

  EXAMPLE: Soomro et al. - worse outcomes for placebos rather than SSRI's + Tricyclics = 50-80% effective

  = credibility+application+productivity

  HOWEVER: possible treatment fallacy
• Outline treatment fallacy as a weakness of the behavioural explanation for OCD

  • lack of treatment = cause of disorder due to positive results
  • assumption lack of serotonin is what causes OCD - doesn't take into account other factors

  = lowers credibility + treatment doesn't get rid of obsessions simply masks anxious symptoms
• Outline reductionism as a weakness of the behavioural explanation for OCD

  • Focused on only biology: SERT/COMT
  • Contradicted Cromer - 50% of sufferers are a result of traumatic events = evidence of environmental stressors

  = overlooks all causes so less effective treatments = lower productivity
• Outline determinism as a strength of the behavioural explanation for OCD

  • Governed by genetics/physiology of the brain so out of control

  = understand cause = better treatments

  HOWEVER: undermines humans having free will + MZ twins don't have same possibility of inheriting disorder
• Outline the evolutionary explanation as an alternate explanation for OCD

  • Compulsions are the result of adaptions to increase the rate of survival

  EXAMPLE: tendency to clean due to association of dirt and illness

  • avoidant behaviour is negatively reinforced by reducing anxiety

  HOWEVER: lacks predictive power for future developments of behaviours
• Outline the diathesis-stress model as an alternate explanation of OCD

  • Inherited vulnerability + environmental stressors

  50% of sufferers are caused by traumatic events

  • recognizes the reductionism of behavioural explanation

  = more effective treatments
• Outline the cognitive explanation as an alternate explanation for OCD

  • result of faulty thinking / obsessions = repeated misinterpretations of intrusive thoughts
  • engage in compulsions to neutralize anxiety

  = treatments
• Outline the behavioural explanation as an alternate explanation for OCD

  • compulsions maintained through negative reinforcement of reducing anxiety

  EXAMPLE: Nestadt et al. - 68% concordance in MZ twins = not all genetic

  = credibility