OCD-biological approach
Cards (8)
- Give limitations of the biological explanation of OCDevidence is correlational and cause not established-could therefore be a psychological cause such as irrational thinking that is causing these biological symptoms.-reductionist-doesnt't account for env role.drugs may be addictive-suppress symptoms
- Give strengths of the biological explanation of OCDethical-people aren't blamed for their disordescientific, objective, systematic methodology which allows us to clearly see correlations between biology and OCDbiological treatments used antidepressants
- How are brain structures and OCD linked?The caudate nucleus suppresses signals from the orbitofrontal circuit and stops us worrying.Patients with OCD show increased activity in the orbitofrontal circuit which suggests there may be damage to their caudate nucleus(serotonin and dopamine linked here)
- Provide research which supports genetics(evaluation)Nestadt et al. (2000)- 80 patients with OCD and 343 of their first degree relatives and compared them with 73 control patients without mental illness and 300 of their relatives.found people with a first-degree relative with OCD had a 5x greater risk of having the illness themselves at some time in their lives, compared to the general pop.
- What is the diathesis stress model?suggest that people with OCD inherit genes which increase the vulnerability of that individual and they become more likely to develop the disorder. Some people may have SERT and COMT genes but not develop OCD.
- What is the SERT gene involved with?affects the level of serotonin, creating lower levels of this neurotransmitter.one study found a mutation in this gene in two unrelated families- where 6/7 family members had OCD(ozaki et al 2003
- What is the COMT gene involved with?providing instructions for making enzymes-regulates production of the neurotransmitter,dopamine.variation of this gene which cuases high dopamine levels has been linked with OCD
- who 2 genes relate to OCD?COMT gene and SERT gene