OCD

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Outline the use of one or more drugs in the treatment of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD).

(4 marks)
Drugs treating OCD attempt to increase or decrease activities of neurotransmitters in the brain. Antidepressants - SSRIs - prevent the reuptake of serotonin and prolong its activity in the synapse in order to reduce anxiety.
1 of 5
Read the item and then answer the questions that follow.

Researchers analysed the behaviour of over 4000 pairs of twins. The results showed that the degree to which obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is inherited is between 45% and 65%.

Distinguish bet
Obsessions are intrusive thoughts, and they are internal components because they are thoughts. Compulsions are repetitive behaviours that reduce anxiety, and are external components because they are behaviours.
2 of 5
With reference to the study described above, what do the results seem to show about possible influences on the development of OCD?
The results indicate that the development of OCD is at least partly genetic. The findings suggest that heritability is high - between 45% and 65%. This means that there must also be other explanations, as inheritance is not 100%. Therefore, other factors
3 of 5
Gavin describes his daily life.
"I sometimes get gripped with the thought that my family is in danger. In particular, I worry about them being trapped in a house fire. I now find that I can only calm myself if I check that every plug socket is switched of
A cognitive characteristic would be an irrational belief or persistent recurring thoughts - this includes catastrophic thinking such as: "my family is in danger and might get trapped in a house fire". An emotional characteristic would be feeling anxiety o
4 of 5
Two different drug therapies were tested on a group of patients. All the patients suffered with the same anxiety disorder. Half the patients were given Therapy A and the other half were given Therapy B. Improvement was assessed on a scale from 0-25, wher
The two averages are very similar, suggesting that both therapies are as good as each other. However, the range of each group is very different. This suggests that, for some people, Therapy A was very beneficial, but for others, it had very little benefit
5 of 5

Other cards in this set

Card 2

Front

Read the item and then answer the questions that follow.

Researchers analysed the behaviour of over 4000 pairs of twins. The results showed that the degree to which obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is inherited is between 45% and 65%.

Distinguish bet

Back

Obsessions are intrusive thoughts, and they are internal components because they are thoughts. Compulsions are repetitive behaviours that reduce anxiety, and are external components because they are behaviours.

Card 3

Front

With reference to the study described above, what do the results seem to show about possible influences on the development of OCD?

Back

Preview of the front of card 3

Card 4

Front

Gavin describes his daily life.
"I sometimes get gripped with the thought that my family is in danger. In particular, I worry about them being trapped in a house fire. I now find that I can only calm myself if I check that every plug socket is switched of

Back

Preview of the front of card 4

Card 5

Front

Two different drug therapies were tested on a group of patients. All the patients suffered with the same anxiety disorder. Half the patients were given Therapy A and the other half were given Therapy B. Improvement was assessed on a scale from 0-25, wher

Back

Preview of the front of card 5

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