OCD

• The OCD cycle:

  obsessive thought -> anxiety -> compulsion -> temporary relief
• Behavioural symptoms of OCD:

  • Compulsions
  • Avoidance
  • Inability to function
• Emotional symptoms of OCD:

  • Guilt
  • Distress
  • Disgust
  • Anxiety
• Cognitive symptoms of OCD:

  • Intrusive thoughts
  • Recognised as self—generated
  • Hypervigilence
  • Catastrophic thinking
• Genetic explanation for OCD:

  OCD is inherited through genetic transmission. It is unlikely that OCD is a single gene disorder, but that it is a combination of genes
• Ways to study the genetic explanation:

  • Twin and family studies
  • Gene mapping
• Research for genetic explanation:

  • Steward et al (2007) - performed gene mapping on OCD patients, finding the OLIG-2 gene commonly occurring
  • Lenane et al (1990) - studies among family members show OCD is a heritable condition
• Negatives of genetic explanation:

  • concordance rate of MZ twins is not 100%
  • people in the same family can have OCD but not the same symptoms
  • further research is needed
• Neural explanation of OCD:

  Some forms of OCD can be due to a breakdown in immune system functioning
• Where is high levels of activity found in OCD patients?

  • basal ganglia
  • orbitofrontal cortex
• Research into neural explanations:

  • Pichichero (2009) - children with throat infections suddenly showed OCD symptoms
• Negative of neural explanations:

  • Not all OCD sufferers respond to serotonin
  • Does low serotonin cause OCD or does OCD cause low serotonin?
• What does the evolutionary explanation of OCD suggest?

  OCD has an adaptive survival value. It involves repetitive behaviours such as grooming or hypervigilence, increasing survival rate
• Research to support evolutionary explanation:

  • Abed and Pauw - OCD is an exaggerated form of an evolved ability to foresee situations to avoid danger
• What does the cognitive explanation for OCD say?

  Sufferers have faulty persistent thought processes. Compulsions relieve this anxiety. You could say subtypes are more cognitive as they have different forms of anxiety
• Research to support the cognitive explanation:

  • Rachman and Hodges - some indiviuals are more susceptible to obsessive thoughts due to genetic factors, so cognitive factors can be combined with genetic factors.
• Which drugs can be used to treat OCD?

  Antidepressants, anxiolytic drugs, antipsychotics
• Research supporting drug therapy:

  • Koran, Ringold and Elliot (2000) - simultaneous treatments with multiple drugs are more effective than single drug treatments. (He used olanzapine and SSRIs)
• Cicerone et al (2000) - antipsychotic drugs can alleviate OCD symptoms due to their dopamine lowering effects
• Julien (2007) - symptoms don’t disappear with SSRIs but 50-80% see improvement and can live a fairly normal life
• Negatives of drug treatment for OCD:

  • don’t cure OCD, but reduce symptoms
  • side effects are common
  • mostly suitable for adults
  • do they reduce depressive symptoms or obsessive symptoms
• Positives for drug treatment of OCD:

  • cheaper than CBT
  • heightened serotonin may equal heightened suicide levels
  • can take with other medications