Obsessive-compulsive and related disorders

 Characteristics of obsessive-compulsive and related disorders (1st bullet point)

8 marker descriptive answer plan:

Para 1: types of and common obsessions, common compulsions, hoarding and body
dysmorphic disorder
Para 2: examples and case studies ('Charles' by Rappaport, 1989)
Para 3: measures: Maudsley Obsessive-Compulsive Inventory (MOCI), Yale-Brown Obsessive-
Compulsive Scale (Y-BOCS)

10 marker evaluation answer plan:

Para 1: Case studies
 Pros and cons - Rappaport. Case studies provide in-depth and detailed data - this study
described different aspects of Charles' behavior and reported the change observed over
time. However, since there was only one participant, the results could not be
generalized to others with OCD.
Para 2: Research methods
 Psychometric tests - MOCI. These are easy to administer and established (valid) tools to
measure obsessions, but they could be disadvantageous because participants could act
in a socially desirable manner and downplay their symptoms/ obsessions/ compulsions.
They have face, predictive and concurrent validity and test-retest and split-half
reliability, making them accurate and useful measures for OCD. Refer to the chart on
measures given.
 Interviews - Y-BOCS. Semi-structured interviews are to measure the obsessions and
compulsions an individual has in order to diagnose them with OCD. These are easy to
administer and not expensive but could lead to bias. For example, the interviewer could
phrase questions in a leading manner. Refer to the chart on measures given.
Para 3: Reductionism versus holism
 Reductionist - MOCI. This is a self-report which provides quantitative data which may be
objective but lacks detail. This lack of context does not take into account the "whys" of
obsessions which makes this measure reductionist.
 Holistic - Y-BOCS. However, Y-BOCS is more holistic because it includes a semi-
structured interview which is more open-ended and provides more details rather than
just numbers. More questions can be asked based on the participant's responses and so
a lot more can be covered by the interviewer.
Para 4: Usefulness
 Psychometric tests - MOCI. Such self-reports provide quantitative data which help
researchers establish statistical comparisons making the findings useful.
 Case studies - Rappaport. While they provide in-depth data, which makes them useful,
they are not generalizable. Therefore, the findings cannot be applied to other
individuals with OCD making these studies less useful.
OR
Para 4: Reliability and validity
 Reliability - MOCI and Y-BOCS. Both measures have high levels of test-retest and split
half reliability. However, MOCI can be said to be more reliable since it provides
quantitative data and so is more objective, standardized and replicable.
 Validity - MOCI and Y-BOCS. Both measures have high levels of face, predictive and
concurrent validity for measuring OCD. However, Y-BOCS is arguably more valid than
MOCI because it provides more in-depth data since it consists of semi-structured
interviews. However, its validity can be challenged since the semi-structured method
makes it open to interviewer bias.

• Explanations of obsessive-compulsive disorder (2nd bullet point)

Years tested:
1. m18 v2 (named issue: nature versus nurture)
2. W20_V2 (named issue: determinism)

8 marker descriptive answer plan:

Para 1: biomedical (genetic, biochemical and neurological)
Para 2: cognitive and behavioral
Para 3: psychodynamic

10 marker evaluation answer plan:

Para 1: Practical applications
 Biological - drug therapy/ surgery. Biological treatments like drug therapy and surgery
are used world over even today which shows how practically applicable the biological
model is when it comes to OCD.
 Cognitive behavioral - CBT. Similarly, CBT is practiced by many well-established
psychotherapists as it has proven to be effective by a number of studies. Therefore, this
treatment is very useful and it is based on the cognitive-behavioral model.
 Psychodynamic - therapy. Many psychotherapists perform therapy on their clients to
treat conflicts of the unconscious mind. This is based on the psychodynamic model
provided by Freud which is still applied in the world today.
Para 2: Research methods
 Correlational studies and quantitative data - biochemical. Such studies provide
quantitative data which makes them objective and reliable. However, correlational
studies do not provide cause and effect statements which hampers their validity.
Therefore, we do not know if OCD is caused by low levels of serotonin or if low levels of
serotonin cause OCD.
 Physiological tests (MRI) - anatomical. These tests are objective, reliable and valid but
are also too expensive and a medical professional is needed to administer them. Refer
to the chart on measures given.
  Case studies - Freud. Case studies provide in-depth data as change is observed over time
and qualitative data is produced. However, the sample usually consists of a single
participant making it difficult to generalize its results which makes such studies lack
usefulness.
 Self-reports - obsessions. These are easy to administer but participants may answer in a
socially desirable manner and downplay the extent of their obsessions. Refer to the
chart on measures given.
Para 3. Nature versus nurture
 Nature - biomedical. Such explanations provide genetic, anatomical or biochemical
causes to OCD which are innate factors that we are born with. These are not learnt
therefore this explanation sides with nature.
 Nurture - behavioral part of cognitive-behavioral. However, the behavioral aspect of this
explanation assumes that OCD is learnt from the environment and is not caused by
innate factors. Therefore, this explanation sides with nurture.
Para 4: Reductionism versus holism
 Reductionist - biomedical. This explanation is reductionist as it only takes into account
the biological factors (genetic, anatomical and biochemical) that could potentially cause
OCD but ignore factors like our cognitions or behaviors that could be equally, if not
more responsible for this disorder.
 Holistic - cognitive-behavioral. This explanation though, takes into account both our
faulty thought processes (cognitions) and how it affects our learnt behavior making it a
more holistic explanation.

 Treatment and management of obsessive-compulsive and related disorders (3rd bullet

point)
Years tested:
1. s19 _V2 (named issue: validity)

8 marker descriptive answer plan:

Para 1: biomedical (SSRIs)
Para 2: psychological: cognitive (Lovell et al., 2006) and exposure and response prevention
(Lehmkuhl et al., 2008)

10 marker evaluation answer plan:

Para 1: Individual versus situational explanations
 Individual - Drug therapy (SSRIs). Drug therapies cater to people's unique concentration
of chemicals inside their body, which is why each individual's dose varies. Therefore, this
treatment supports the individual side of the debate.
 Situational - psychological therapies (eg. ERP). These therapies, however, support
situational explanations because the act of learning skills, via a therapist, is the context
that changes negative thoughts to positive thoughts. In this example, the therapist is an
external, ie situational factor.
Para 2: Research methods
 Longitudinal studies - Lovell et al. These studies allow the researcher to observe change
over time which provides in-depth data, but these studies are also time consuming and
consist of either one or very few participants which makes it ungeneralizable to the rest
of the population.
 RCTs - Lovell et al. Typical pros and cons as discussed throughout (experiments and
experimental design, longitudinal, etc).
 Independent measures design - Lovell et al. No order effects or demand characteristics
since participants are only exposed to one level of the IV. However participant variables
can occur (any relevant example) and since the same participants aren't exposed to
another level of the IV, more participants are needed which could be practically
disadvantageous.
 Quantitative data - Lovell et al. Such data is objective and reliable and so statistical
comparisons can be made to see if there really is a genetic basis to phobias. However,
quantitative data lacks detail and does not provide context, so it lacks validity.
 Case studies - Lehmkuhl et al. Case studies provide in-depth data as change is observed
over time and qualitative data is produced. However, the sample usually consists of a
single participant making it difficult to generalize its results which makes such studies
lack usefulness.
 Ethics (use of children) - Lehmkuhl et al. Children cannot be asked to give informed
consent, nor can they be debriefed. They cannot speak for themselves if they are not
being protected from physical or psychological harm. Therefore, the use of children in
psychological studies is highly unethical.
Para 3: Nature versus nurture
 Nature - Drug therapy (SSRIs). SSRIs deal with increasing the level of serotonin in the
brain to treat OCD. Therefore, drug therapy supports the biological causes of depression
which only takes into account innate factors, which makes it side with nature.
 Nurture - psychological therapies. However, these therapies require the individual to
learn from their skilled therapist to change their negative thoughts to positive. They are
not assumed to be born with said thoughts as such thoughts can be learned or
unlearned. Therefore, such therapies side with nurture.
Para 4: Reductionism versus holism
 Reductionist - Drug therapy (SSRIs). Drug therapy takes into account the potential
biological causes for OCD, like genetic, biochemical or anatomical. However, it does not
take into account other factors that could be equally responsible like our cognitions or
our behaviors. Therefore, such therapies are reductionist.
 Holistic - psychological therapies. Psychological therapies factor in our thought
processes and help the individual change negative ones to positive in order to make our
behavior positive. These therapies take into account how both cognitions and behaviors
cause OCD in an individual, making these a more holistic treatment.