Biological approach to explaining OCD

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  • Created by: Georgia
  • Created on: 06-05-19 23:26
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  • Biological approach to explaining OCD
    • An anxiety disorder characterised by recurring and persistent thoughts and repetitive behaviours done to reduce anxiety
    • Obsessive thoughts -> Anxiety -> Compulsive behaviour -> Temporary belief
    • Behavioural responses; repetitive compulsions; avoidance behaviour
    • Emotional responses; anxiety and distress; constant worry; guilt and disgust
    • Cognitive responses; obsessive thoughts; irrational thoughts; hyper-vigilance
    • Genetic explanations
      • There are genetic components that can increase likelihood
      • Louis (1936) 37% of patients had parents with OCD; 21% had siblings with OCD
        • Weak concordance rates suggest other influence
      • Too reductionist as ignores environment and cognition
    • Neural explanations
      • Increased serotonin levels can reduce symptoms
      • Julien (2005) 50%-80% improvement in symptoms with the use of SSRIs
      • Takes 4-12 weeks for improvements in symptoms after SSRIs
        • Suggests other cause
      • SSRIs only reduce symptoms

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