OCD

OCD - (BIOLOGICAL APPROACH)

• Obsessions: Cognitive internal intrusive thoughts.
• Compulsions: Behavioural external repetitive behaviours.
• The DSM-5 recognises OCD, and a range of disorders related to it, which also have obsessive thinking and repetitive behaviours as characteristics:
• OCD: Characterised by either obessesions or compulsions.
• Excoriation: Compulsive skin-picking.
• Trichotillomania: Compulsive hair-pulling.

BEHAVIOURAL CHARACTERISTICS:

• Compulsions
• Avoidance

COGNITIVE CHARACTERISTICS:

• Obsessions.
• Excessive anxiety.

EMOTIONAL CHARACTERISTICS:

• Extreme anxiety.
• Guilt.
• Depression.

GENETIC EXPLANATIONS:

• Candidate genes.
• Polygenic- TAYLOR 2013-230 genes.
• Aetiologically heterogenous.
• Genes involved in OCD relate to dopamine and seretonin.
• TUKEL 2013- COMT gene related to OCD, this variation produces high levels of dopamine and lower levels of activity of the COMT gene.
• 5-HTT gene also related to OCD as it affects serotinin levels by decreasing them.

A03

• Nestadt(2010) reviewed evidence that 68% of identical twins will both have OCD compared to 31% of non-identical twins.
• Marini (2012) found a person with a family member diagnosed with OCD is around 4 times as likely to develop it as someone without
• Ignores environmental factors, twins share environment.
• PATO 2001- there is not enough understanding about the actual genetic mechanisms causing OCD.

NEURAL EXPLANATIONS:

• if a…