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The Biological Approach to OCD (The Biological Mode Assumes Psychological…
The Biological Approach to OCD
The Biological Mode Assumes Psychological Disorders are
Physical Illnesses
The
biological approach
assumes that psychological disorders are
physical illnesses
with physical causes. In principle, they're no different from physical illnesses like flu, except they have major psychological symptoms. There are several
biological explanations
for
OCD
:
Genetic Factors
Some researchers think that
genetics
plays a part in OCD. Studies have looked at OCD rates among people with a relative who has OCD, to see if having a relative with OCD
significantly
increases your chances of developing it.
Evidence For
Billet et al (1998)
did a
meta-analysis
of twin studies that had been carried out over a long period of time. They found that for
identical twins
, if one twin had OCD then
68%
of the time both twins had it, compares to
31%
for
non-identical twins
.
Pauls et al (2005)
found that
10%
of people with an
immediate relative
with OCD also suffered from the disorder. This is compared to around
2%
of people in the general population.
Evidence Against
No study has found a
100%
concordance rate, so
genetics can't
be the full story in OCD. It's possible that children
imitate
the obsessive and compulsive behaviour of their relatives.
Concordance rates don't prove that OCD is
caused
by genetics. It may be that
general anxiety
is genetic and that going on to develop OCD itself has
other contributing factors
.
Biochemical Factors
PET scans
have shown that levels of the
neurotransmitter serotonin
are lower in OCD sufferers.
Evidence For
Insel (1991)
found that a class of drugs called
SSRIs
, which increase levels of serotonin, can reduced symptoms of OCD in
50 to 60%
of cases.
Zohar et al (1996)
also found that
SSRIs alleviated symptoms
in
60%
of patients with OCD.
Evidence Against
SSRIs
appear to offer some relief to sufferers of OCD. However, as this is
not
true in
100%
of cases, there must be
more
to understanding OCD.
The
link
with serotonin is
correlational
, so it doesn't show
cause and effect
. It may be that decreased serotonin levels are a
symptom
of OCD, rather than a cause of it.
Neurological Factors
Some research using
PET scans
has found that
abnormality
in the
basal ganglia
within the brain may be linked to OCD.
Evidence For
Max et al (1995)
found
increased rates
of OCD in people after
head injuries
that caused brain damage to the
basal ganglia
.
Other researchers have found
increased activity
in this area during OCD-related thoughts and behaviours.
OCD is often found in people with
other diseases
which involve the basal ganglia.
Evidence Against
Aylward et al (1996)
didn't find a significant difference in
basal ganglia impairment
between OCD patients and controls.
Basal ganglia damage
hasn't
been found in
100%
of people with OCD, so it can't be the full story.
Strengths of the Biological Explanation of OCD
It has a
scientific
basis in biology - there's evidence that low serotonin and damage to the basal ganglia
correlate
with cases of OCD, though this doesn't necessarily show a
causal
relationship.
Twin studies
have shown that genetics have at least some effect on the likelihood of developing OCD.
It can be seen as
ethical
- people
aren't blamed
for their disorders; they just have an illness.
Weaknesses of the Biological Explanation of OCD
The explanation doesn't take into account the effect of the
environment
,
family
,
childhood experiences
or
social influences
- psychologists taking other approaches consider these sorts of things important factors.
Biological therapies raise
ethical
concerns. Drugs can produce addiction and may only suppress symptoms rather than cure the disorder.
OCD Can be Treated Using Biological Therapy
The
biological
approach to treating OCD involves
drug therapy
. Drug treatments usually work by increasing levels of
serotonin
in the brain using
selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs)
. These are a type of
antidepressant
drug that
increase
the availability of
serotonin
. SSRIs
prevent the reuptake
of serotonin in the
synaptic cleft
. This means there's
more serotonin
available to the next neurone.
Advantages of Biological Therapy
Several researchers have found SSRIs to be
effective
in treating OCD.
Thoren et al
(1980) found that use of an SSRI was significantly better at
reducing obsessional thoughts
than a placebo.
Research has found that using
other antidepressants
that don't affect serotonin levels is
ineffective
at reducing OCD symptoms.
Disadvantages of Biological Therapy
Up to
50%
of patients with OCD
don't
experience any improvement in their symptoms when taking SSRIs. Out of those that do improve up to
90%
have a
relapse
when they stop taking them.
SSRIs have to be taken for
several weeks
before the patient experiences an improvement in their symptoms.
Side effects
of using these types of drugs include
nausea
and
headaches
, and sometimes increased levels of
anxiety
. This can cause people to
stop taking
their medication.