OCD (A Level - Psychopathology) QUESTIONS WELL SOLVED!

OCD (A Level - Psychopathology) QUESTIONS WELL SOLVED!The main cognitive characteristic obsessive, intrusive thoughts The main emotional characteristic anxiety The main behavioural characteristic compulsive actions serotonin Too little ________________ activity has been linked to OCD Drugs which block the reuptake of serotonin are effective in treating OCD... ...providing evidence for the involvement of this neurotransmitter Candidate genes linked to OCD include Mutated SERT gene One allele of COMT gene Inherited genetic risk factor The more closely related you are to someone with OCD, the higher your risk of developing the illness Concordance rates for OCD MZ = 86% DZ = 46% (Carey & Gottesman) The diathesis-stress model suggests that people inherit a genetic vulnerability ('diathesis') for OCD... ...but an environmental trigger ('stressor') is also required. diathesis genetic predisposition / vulnerability stress the (environmental) trigger Orbito-frontal cortex (OFC) part of the brain involved in decision making and worry caudate nucleus the "worry filter" in the brain, between the OFC and the thalamus One neural explanation suggests... ...the "worry circuit" is malfunctioning thalamus receives worry signals from the OFC and sends out motor instructions like "wash your hands" The aim of drug therapy... ...is to restore the chemical imbalance in the brain by interfering with neurotransmission SSRIs block the reuptake of serotonin so it stays in the synapse for longer Benzodiazapines Increase the action of GABA (the brain's natural anxiety relief) Side effects of benzodiazepines aggression, memory impairment Side effects of SSRIs headaches, insomnia