Neural explanation for OCD

• evidence for antidepressant effectiveness

  One strength of the neural model of OCD is the existence of some supporting evidence.

  Antidepressants that work purely on serotonin are effective in reducing OCD symptoms (see next spread for evidence) and this suggests that serotonin may be involved in OCD. Also, OCD symptoms form part of conditions that are known to be biological in origin, such as the degenerative brain disorder Parkinson's disease, which causes muscle tremors and paralysis (Nestadt et al. 2010). If a biological disorder produces OCD symptoms, then we may assume the biological processes underlie OCD.

  This suggests that biological factors (e.g. serotonin and the processes underlying certain disorders) may also be responsible for OCD.
• neural model not unique to ocd

  One limitation of the neural model is that the serotonin-OCD link may not be unique to OCD.

  Many people with OCD also experience clinical depression. Having two disorders together is called co-morbidity. This depression probably involves (though is not necessarily caused by) disruption to the action of serotonin. This leaves us with a logical problem when it comes to serotonin as a possible basis for OCD. It could simply be that serotonin activity is disrupted in many people with OCD because they are depressed as well.

  This means that serotonin may not be relevant to OCD symptoms.