OCD- biological explanation
Genetic explanation
OCD is inherited Strength- supporting research from family
studies
Polygenic- up to 230 genes
37% of patients with OCD had parents with
the disorder and 21% siblings — in comparison
to 1% in whole population
COMT gene- high levels of dopamine
Twins studies— 68% of identical twins and 31%
of non identical twins experience OCD
SERT gene- low levels of serotonin
A very strong genetic component
Family and twin studies support genetic
influence
Criticism - family studies also demonstrate
that genetics cannot fully explain the cause of
OCD
Nature position- ignore imitation-
deterministic
No twin study has found a concordance rate of
100% in identical twins which means that
biological factors are not the only factor
contributing to OCD
Difficult to establish the contribution of
environmental factors eg family members learn
compulsive behaviours from each other
Do not necessarily indicate a genetic cause of
OCD
Neural explanations
Other explanation - neural Abnormal levels of neurotransmitters
Serotonin - regulate mood and associated with
anxiety - low level
Dopamine- compulsive behaviour- high level
Strength- evidence
Antidepressants - work purely on serotonin
systems by increasing the level of serotonin in
the synapse are effective in reducing OCD
symptoms
Eg SSRI’s block the reuptake of serotonin after
it has fired, increase the availability of
serotonin to excite neighbouring brain cells.
Neurological processes responsible for OCD
Criticism- relationship is correlational
Although antidepressants are effective at
reducing symptoms of OCD by increasing levels
of serotonin, does not mean the symptoms
were caused by a lack of serotonin
Ppl who suffered head injuries in this region-
OCD symptoms when recovery
Eg an aspirin is effective in treating a
headache, but the cause of headache was not
lack of aspirin.
Hypersensitivity - linked to repetitive actions
This is known as at the treatment aetiology
fallacy.
Therefore
Neural explanations
Brain structures
Basal ganglia - coordination of movement
Other explanations
Strength - research support
Orbitofrontal cortex- convert sensory info into When Basal ganglia is disconnected from the
thoughts and actions frontal cortex during surgery, symptoms are
reduced.
PET scans - higher activity in orb c
Brain imaging research - elevated activity in the
orbital region has been found consistently in
OCD patients.
Increase the conversion of sensory information
to actions leads to compulsions
Therefore
Application
Criticism - not completely reliable
There were studies in which No differences in
brain anatomy were found between OCD
patients and controls
Correlational - only association
Don’t know cause and effect
May not be the direct cause
Issue and debate
two-process model proposed by behaviourists Drug therapies Deterministic
— suggesting that learning could play a crucial
role in the disorder
Brain imaging research- establish the link Eg biological explanation
between brain and OCD- informed neurosurgery
Initial learning of the feared stimulus could as a treatment
occur through classical conditioning’s
associative process where, for example, dirt is
paired with anxiety. This behaviour will
Individual responsibility and free will are not
maintained through operant conditioning and
accounted for
negative reinforcement whereby the stimulus is
avoided so the anxiety is reduced Successful treatment - practical benefit
Not realistic - treatment eg CBT which require
active involvement is also effective
This could result in an obsession forming which
linked to the development of a compulsion, eg
washing hands to reduce anxiety.
Biological determinism - person has no
influence
Behavioural treatment supports this- 60-90%
improved