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A 16 marker essay on the biological approach to OCD
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Here is my essay for 1st year A level psychology on biological approach towards OCD, this was graded 14/16. Contains extra not found in the psychology book.
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Ellie Mitchell RevisionReadyUKOutline and evaluate the biological approach to explaining OCD - 16
marks
There are 2 explanations of OCD within the biological approach, these are
genetic explanations and neural explanations.
The genetic explanation states that metal disorders, such as OCD, are
inherited. This means there are specific genes people inherit from their parents
that relate to OCD. The COMT gene is involved with the production of
catechol-O-methyltransferase and regulates the production of the
neurotransmitter dopamine. Dopamine would be famed or have low levels
within the worry circuit as it should allow the globes pallidus fibres to activate
meaning the impulse aren’t passed onto the thalamus. The SERT gene affects
the transport of serotonin, creating lower levels of this. These low levels are
contributed in OCD. Where serotonin is low it allows an individual to repeat an
action (such as zipping/unzipping a pencil case) over and over because the lack
of serotonin doesn’t allow the impulse action to be stopped. Diathesis stress is
an idea that only 1 gene isn’t reliable for causing OCD a complex disorder. Each
individual gene only creates a vulnerability to a complex disorder and having
multiple genes that can cause effect allows an individual to be susceptible to
OCD.
Main evidence for this genetic explanation of OCD accumulated from studies
of siblings and twin studies. Nestadt et al identified 80 participants with OCD,
they found people with first degree relatives with OCD had a 5x greater risk of
having OCD themselves sometime in their life compared to the general
population. A meta analysis of 14 twin studies on OCD found on average MZ
twins were more than twice as likely to develop OCD if their twin had it
compared to DZ twins. This shows a clear genetic scaffold for OCD however
Grootheest et al, never found the concordance rates between MZ twins to be
100 per cent, which indicates that environmental factors must play a role too.
They also found OCD originating in childhood had a greater genetic scaffold
than those originating in adulthood which suggests different types of OCD may
have different causes.
There is also evidence for the role of genes in OCD comes from studies about
people with other complex disorders. Pauls and Leckman studied parents who
has Tourette’s and their families, they concluded that OCD is 1 form of
expression for the same gene that determines Tourette’s. The obsessive
behaviour in OCD and Tourette’s patients are also seen to be found in children
who have autism because they display stereotypical behaviours and
compulsions. As a whole, it is also reported that 2/3 patients with OCD also
experience at least 1 episode of depression in their life time. This supports the
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