Question

Describe the theoretical models used to explain various mental health concerns (e.g., learning theory, biological models, psychosocial models, diathesis-stress modeletc.) for Obsessive Compulsive disorder

Answer 1

• Learning theory model:-
• Learning theory models of OCD have gained influence as a result of the success of behavior therapy. Behavior therapy does not concern itself with the psychological origins or meaning of obsessive-compulsive symptoms. The techniques of behavior therapy are built on the theory that obsessions and compulsions are the result of abnormal learned responses and actions.
• Obsessions are produced when a previously neutral object (e.g., chalk dust) is associated with a stimulus that produces fear (e.g., seeing a classmate have an epileptic fit). Chalk dust becomes connected with a fear of illness even though it played no causative role.
• Compulsions (e.g., hand washing) are formed as the individual attempts to reduce the anxiety produced by the learned fearful stimulus (in this case, chalk dust). Avoidance of the object and performance of compulsions reinforces the fear and perpetuates the vicious cycle of OCD. The learned fears also begin to generalize to different stimuli. The fear of contamination with chalk dust may gradually spread to anything that can be found in a classroom, such as textbooks.
• Biological model:-
• Research suggests that OCD is most likely have a genetic or familial link. This means family members often have the same disorder, and this frequency occurs more often than random chance. However, the research has not yet identified the precise nature of this link.
• In addition, at birth, there are observable temperamental differences among individuals. These differences appear to be a function of genetics. For example, some babies are much more sensitive to stimulation and stress than are other babies. These differences remain as the child matures. People born with these extra-sensitive temperaments may be at a greater risk for developing an OCD later in life because their nervous system is more easily aroused.
• Psychological model:-
• Simply having a biological predisposition is not enough to develop an obsessive-compulsive disorder. A person is more likely to develop an obsessive-compulsive disorder if they also possess a psychological vulnerability to developing such a disorder. Research has identified several variables that may contribute to a psychological vulnerability. These variables include: 1) perceived control, 2) cognitive appraisals, and 3) cognitive beliefs and distortions.
• One such vulnerability is the lack of "perceived control" over stressful life circumstances.Children and their families experience varying degrees of distress. The presence of these stressors may set the stage for the development of an OCD. However, researchers have learned it is not just the stressors themselves that create psychological vulnerabilities. The way the people learn to cope with these stressors is also important. Resilient people believe they can control, or at least influence, what happens to them. This is called perceived control.
• Another psychological vulnerability results from the way we interpret our environment. The term "cognitive appraisal" refers to the way we think about, and assess, a particular event or situation. Cognitive appraisal is a key concept in understanding one's susceptibility to stress and anxiety.
• Therefore, whether an individual experiences a situation as anxiety-producing is determined by their own unique appraisals. As with perceived control, these appraisals may, nor may not be accurate. Overtime, people develop a habitual style of appraisal. When people habitually think they are in danger, and believe they lack the ability to cope with those threats, it makes them more vulnerable to developing an OCD
• A third type of psychological vulnerability is our core beliefs. Core beliefs refer to organizing principles we use to understand and interpret the world around us. Our beliefs about a particular situation, and our beliefs about our ability to cope with it, are not necessarily haphazard. Instead, our core beliefs influence our understanding of a particular situation.
• People are prone to making certain types of cognitive "errors" in their appraisals across various situations in their lives. These thinking errors are called cognitive distortions. While there are many different types of cognitive distortions, two types are particularly common with OCD: 1) the overestimation of threat and 2) the underestimation of one's ability to cope with that threat.
• The overestimation of threat refers to a person's beliefs about the probability, or certainty, that an event will occur. A good example of this type of distortion is called "fortune-telling." For instance, a person with obsessive-compulsive disorder may believe, "I will get sick if I touch that doorknob."
• Catastrophic prediction is another type of cognitive distortion that refers to a heightened or exaggerated sense of perceived harm. A good example of this type is called "catastrophizing." For example, someone may believe, "It will horrible if I get sick," or "I could not stand being sick."
• Social model-
• A key concept in understanding the development of OCD, is the role that social experiences play.According to social learning theory, people with OCD may have learned to be anxious through prior contact with other people. A child's caregivers may have communicated, via their actions or the information they provided, that certain situations or objects are dangerous and subsequently must be avoid at all costs.
• For instance, people with obsessive-compulsive disorder may have been provided information that germs are everywhere and will positively make them very sick (omitting the important fact that the body is fairly well protected against germs). Therefore, the way early role models handled their own anxiety may directly, or indirectly, teach a child to respond in a similar manner.
• The family forms a social environment that provides many opportunities for learning. By observing family members, children learn how to think and act. These observations provide a guide for understanding their world, and demonstrate various ways of coping with life stressors. One's social environment is also a key factor in the development of certain beliefs about oneself and one's abilities. Thus, our social environment influences our cognitive appraisals and further illustrates the importance of social influences in the development of OCD.
• The diathesis-stress model of abnormality says that people are born with a vulnerability to a certain mental illness, and life stressors influence whether they will end up getting that disease or not.For example,If someone has obsessive compulsive disorder, or OCD. She can't stop thinking about germs, and it makes her really anxious that there are germs everywhere. Sometimes, she even gets panic attacks just thinking about how she's surrounded by germs.
• To try to make herself calmer and get rid of her anxiety, the patient cleans all the time. She scrubs her house from ceiling to floor, trying to eliminate all the germs she can. Then, she scrubs her own skin raw in order to become clean. But, it's never enough.
• According to this model, perhaps Oshe inherited a gene that makes her more likely to develop OCD than the average person. With just this gene, she might never develop the disorder. But, if she experiences stress, like having a chaotic childhood, that stress plus her vulnerability could lead to her developing the disorder.
• Genes that have been studied in relation to OCD include those associated with the action of serotonin, which is a neurotransmitter believed to have a role in regulating mood.
• Some of these genes are involved in regulating the serotonin system development.E.g gene 5HT1-D beta is implicated in transport efficiency of serotonin across synapses.