Obsessive – compulsive disorder is an anxiety mental disorder characterised by involuntary intrusive thoughts and compulsive behaviors.
CASE STUDY
‘Some kids like to wash their hands, but Sarah does it too much. She wants to stop, but her hands just don't feel clean enough and she can't make herself turn off the water. Sometimes she scrubs her hands until they are red and raw. After eating, she feels she has to wash again.
Because she spends so much time washing, Sarah has to rush to get to school on time. At school, she tries not to touch doorknobs or handrails, worrying that if she does she may catch a serious disease. Sometimes, Sarah gets behind in her classwork because she feels that she needs to keep checking it over and over.
During a quiz or test Sarah checks and rechecks every answer and erases anything that isn't perfectly straight or neat. Sometimes she erases so hard it tears the paper, but she can't help it. Sarah gets a bad feeling that if everything isn't exactly right, something terrible may happen. All this worrying, checking, and fixing takes so long that Sarah hardly ever finishes the test before time is up. So even though she knows the work, she often gets an incomplete mark or even fails.
Sarah tries so hard to hide her habits. She worries that she might be going crazy or that people would think she's weird if they knew what she was doing. Sarah knows that the time she spends washing and checking could be spent having fun with friends or doing her schoolwork, but she can't seem to stop herself. That's because Sarah has obsessive-compulsive disorder(OCD).’
Obsessive compulsive disorder can occur through teachings and habits in which are exploded at a time where the person is either under stress or something is worrying them. It can run through genes as if the mother or father is always obsessing over something, there is a good chance the child will.
OCD is fundamentally a part of ones nature, coming through genes and natural abilities, however the nurtured effect could prevent someone from having this difficulty. For example, if a childs mother and extended family has/had OCD, the child is very likely to have it too. However if the child is separated from her/his mother/family at birth, his new home could nurture him out of having OCD.
Questions:
1. With the evidence shown above, do you believe that this is a case of Nature or Nurture?
2. If your parents have OCD do you believe that your guaranteed to be diagnosed with OCD?
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With the evidence given above, I believe that OCD is fundamentally a characteristic of nurture.
ReplyDeleteIn the early 1910s, Sigmund Freud attributed obsessive–compulsive behavior to unconscious conflicts and anxiety which manifested as symptoms.
THe majority of researchers believe that OCD is due to an abnormality in the production of serotonin which is though to play a major role in regulating anxiety.
An example than can be given to why i believe that OCD is caused primarily by nature is the case of a child who a a terminally ill parent and who had to care for them when they were young, and is now always checking for germs etc.
If your parents had OCD, i believe that is almost certain that you will also be diagnosed with OCD unless the child finds another way of learning to cope with the anxiety.
Jillease
With the case shown there was not a lot of evidence that the parents were involved but i believe that it is a case of both nature and nurture. I believe it is nurture because the case states that Sarah believes
ReplyDelete"At school, she tries not to touch doorknobs or handrails, worrying that if she does she may catch a serious disease."
Sarah would of have to of got the idea that if she touches something that isnt clean and that other people have touched she will get a serious diesase. I also believe it is Nature because it is shown that OCD is a part of ones nature, because it comes through genes and natural abilities.
I believe that if your parents have OCD you will most likely get it to. This is because you will be raised in the sort of enviroment that you will learn OCD type things. It is like teaching a toddler how to walk, this parents will be teaching there kid how to wash there hands perfectly and all the bad things that could happen if they didnt.
Nicole Craig
1. From the evidence presented above, it is quite clear that obsessive compulsive disorder is the product of nature. However, there have to be certain aspects of their environment to be able to trigger the disorder. For e.g. the blog mentions that "if a parent appears obsessed with something, then the child is likely to as well" To a certain extent this statement is true, however, it also mentions that "if the child is separated from his/her family at birth, his new home could nurture him out of the OCD" This reinforces that OCD is the product of nature, however, just needs certain triggers to make the disease apparent in the child.
ReplyDelete2. No, if parents have OCD a child is not GUARANTEED to have OCD. They do however; have a higher risk of developing it in the future unless brought up in an environment which fails to trigger the disease.
“The brain’s anticipation of threats is invaluable for survival, but some people cannot turn down the voltage.” (Carey, B. http://health.nytimes.com/health/guides/disease/obsessive-compulsive-disorder/overview.html)
ReplyDeleteNature is clearly the cause of OCD, as the sufferers do not enjoy their rituals, which make them anxious and distressed. Human nature makes us avoid situations which cause us high levels of anxiety; sort of a self-nurturing process. This means that a person unaffected by OCD may perform repetitive 'rituals' - but not to an extent that they will interfere with everyday life (which would cause anxiety) as they have self-nurtured themselves to avoid these kinds of situation. As a child can be nurtured out of OCD by an unaffected family and therapy, it shows that OCD can be affected by nurture though only from an external source, as they are unable to teach themselves not to perform their rituals. A diagnosis (for genetic reasons) of OCD for a person with parents who have the disorder may not be guaranteed, but if someone can be nurtured out of OCD, could they not also be nurtured in to OCD? For example, someone is born without OCD, but has parents who both suffer from it. Could they not therefore become accustomed to that style of life and adopt it, causing OCD?
Tom
It is written in the blog post that OCD is passed on through genes and natural abilities, which should therefore prove that it is a result of nature. However, this is not the case, because environmental factors will obviously have an influence on a child’s development. How can a child possibly develop an obsessive habit without external influence? Maybe OCD is contained in a person’s genes since birth, but their environment is what determines what kind of form this obsession will appear in. For instance, in Sarah’s case, she obsessively cleans and makes everything neat – maybe she feels compelled to control how neat everything appears as a result of not being able to control certain other aspects of her life. Therefore, I believe that OCD is a predetermined genetic trait, but that our environment influences how this disorder is expressed.
ReplyDeleteI do not believe that just because one’s parents have OCD, this must mean that they will develop it. A child who spends their life watching their parent’s struggles with this disorder may in fact try to stop themselves from developing it, and therefore act differently to their parents – which could actually develop into another kind of OCD...
I have said that I believe OCD is a predetermined genetic trait, but I do not necessarily believe that this means it will definitely develop because a child’s parents have it – environmental factors are still an important influence on the development of such a disorder.
Caitlin H
- I believe that the evidence shows that this study is mostly a case of nature, and to a lesser extent nurture. Although I don’t believe that you’re guaranteed to be diagnosed with obsessive compulsive disorder due to hereditary reasons, I think there is a greater chance you will have the mental disorder compared to those who don’t have any signs of it in their gene history. In Sarah’s case she has an increased sense of fear of being messy and unclean, always scrubbing her hands and rechecking everything she does to make sure everything’s perfect. Although she doesn’t like constantly being in fear that something’s out of place or dirty, she can’t stop herself from feeling the need to make things perfect. If Sarah had been raised in an environment that perhaps discouraged her OCD, she could have learnt at a young age to control her obsession and grant her the ability to manage it better later in life.
ReplyDeleteBy Jordan Raison
From personal experience I believe OCD is caused by nature. Somebody I know has OCD but his parents don’t have OCD and they do not engage in any obsessive or compulsive behaviors. So he does not clearly have OCD by nurture because he has not seen his parents being obsessive or compulsive. On the other hand it can’t clearly be nature because his parents don’t have OCD so they could not have passed it onto him through genetics. However, genetics can skip a generation or two and then come into the present generation. So say your Grandfather had OCD but your parents didn’t but then you did. This is because of your alleles and how they work but if you want to read about these just go to: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Allele. So I believe OCD is caused by nature but I’m not totally sure and some cases could be caused by nurture.
ReplyDeleteIf your parents have or had OCD then I don’t believe that you will have OCD. There is a large chance that you will get OCD but it is not certain. If you observe one of your parents or both doing obsessive behaviors then you may see this as normal because you are with your parents for extended periods of time and they are role models to you. So if you think that such behaviors are normal then you may start doing similar things and soon have a habit of obsessive behaviors. On the nature side of things, if your parents both had OCD then it would seem that you are highly genetically liable to get OCD. However the chance that you genetically get OCD would be smaller if only one of your parents had OCD. So I believe that if your parents had OCD it is very likely that you get it as well but you are not “guaranteed” to get OCD.
Iain
The case of OCD may not be a case of nature vs. nurture at all; Psychologist Sigmund Freud suggested that the cause of many cases of OCD is thought suppression which is neither nature nor nurture. Freud suggested that when a person pushes a particular desire into their unconscious it surfaces later in life in the form of OCD. This along with biological influences (heredity) forms the basis for the cause of OCD. We must not forget that OCD is not just a mental thing: it is physical disease that can be traced to certain chemicals in the brain (most notably abnormal serotonin). This rules out nurture completely... so in the terms of the nature/nurture debate this one is clearly nurture.
ReplyDeleteQuestion 2
I believe that without a trigger for OCD in their life a person whose parents were OCD would not get OCD.
With the evidence given, I believe that OCD is mainly part of nature but I also believe that it is part of nurture. People with genes containing OCD (like Sarah) may show anxiety signs throughout their lives. However, environmental factors and the need to conform to others can also create anxiety in people. In extreme cases, the anxiety generated can produce a long or short-term OCD. It seems very likely for parents with OCD to spread it to their children. However, genetic OCD may or may not always appear in children. Environmental factors and the separation of family members could prevent the occurrence of this anxiety. It may also be possible to teach the child to demolish this anxiety by using methods such as mental meditation, medication or to see a psychiatrist and/or a psychologist.
ReplyDeleteTiffany
The evidence provided clearly shows that OCD is a product of Nature. However, I also strongly believe in the thought that someone who is born by someone suffering from Obsessive Compulsive Disorder can be nurtured out of it. ‘When we talk about nature versus nurture in regard to anxiety problems we are usually referring to the cause of the problem: is it due to nature - a faulty gene, brain structure, chemical imbalance or disease. Or nurture - the environment we live in, our experiences, learning and conditioning?’ (Articlesbase, 2008) A parent with OCD not only supports direct learning, as a role model, but often treats their children in such a way that may promote fears and anxieties i.e. Over cautious. Based on this information, I believe the blog, in saying that ‘if the child is separated from her/his mother/family at birth, his new home could nurture him out of having OCD.’ After reading additional studies regarding OCD being a result of nature, I am convinced that OCD is the product of Nature.
ReplyDeleteLuce
I belive that OCD is a result of both nature and nurture. Some people are born with the predisposition to mental illness; however, it is environmental factors which trigger it.
ReplyDeleteIt is normaly passed on through generations if parents have it but gained through environmentle clicks.
If parents are affected by OCD and have a child they are more likeley to have a child with OCD. Even if they to not show signes of OCD they are still more likeley to be affected later in life due to exposure from parents.
Joel
The evidence above shows that Obsessive Compulsive Disorder is connected with genes however, I think that this gene will not be “triggered” unless you are put in the right environment or under the right conditions. Scientists at the National Institutes of Health have identified a previously unknown gene variation that doubles an individual’s risk for obsessive-compulsive disorder. It is a component of the serotonin transporter gene (SERT). Researchers think that a mutation in this cell is the cause of most OCD cases and other anxiety disorders. It can be argued that the disorder is purely a psychological disorder and the compulsive behaviour is carried out to remove anxiety-provoking disturbing thoughts. For example after touching a door-knob a person might have the thought that they may develop a disease as a result of contamination. They then experience anxiety, which is relieved when they wash their hands. This might be followed by the thought "but did I wash them properly?" causing an increase in anxiety once more, the hand-washing once again rewarded by the removal of anxiety and the cycle being repeated when thoughts of contamination re-occur. The distressing thoughts might then spread to fear of contamination from e.g. a chair (someone might have touched the chair after touching the door handle). However to have such anxiety to this extent then I believe that a person must have something wrong with them biologically as well.
ReplyDeleteIt is not fair to say that OCD is guaranteed if your parents have the disorder, although it is very likely for the disorder to be inherited. If parents who have the disorder raised their children is a manner where they are continually obsessing, then this will raise the children’s chances of developing the disorder too.
Mandy
My view of OCD is similar to that of other disorders such as eating disorders. One’s genetic predisposition to OCD makes them more susceptible to developing it under certain conditions. However without the suitable environment, OCD may not occur.
ReplyDeleteIt is true that studies show “close relatives of people with OCD are up to nine times more likely to develop OCD themselves” (Gavin, K, 2006), and the genetic basis behind OCD has become increasingly evident. Scientists found a gene that possibly increased the risk of OCD. However this does not mean genetic predisposition is the main cause for OCD. Many other risk factors created by nurture can cause OCD. For example, environmental stress and anxiety have been thought of as the main causes OCD (Swiezerwski, S., 2001). OCD has also been linked to higher education and IQ and higher social status.
It is not true to say that simply because someone’s parents have OCD, they will also develop the disorder. As I have already stated, genes and nature only act to increase the risk of OCD for the child. However even this link is not fully confirmed by researchers. Without environmental triggers, no matter how predisposed one is to OCD, they may never develop it. Triggers may involve abuse or trauma.
Nurture is the main cause for OCD.
Information from:
http://www2.med.umich.edu/prmc/media/newsroom/details.cfm?ID=987
http://www.mentalhealthchannel.net/ocd/index.shtml
http://organizedwisdom.com/Is_OCD_Genetic%3F
http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20080608103503AAymtZG
Using gathered resources, I have come to the conclusion that Obsessive Compulsive Disorder is due to Nurture more so than nature. As stated from above, it has been shown that” if a child’s mother and extended family has/had OCD, the child is very likely to have it too. However if the child is separated from her/his mother/family at birth, his new home could nurture him out of having OCD.” This information reiterates the fact that OCD can be triggered through exposure to a certain type of environment and influence from others. Terry Dixon, has also revealed the fact that “a parent with OCD not only promotes direct learning (as a role model) but often treats their children in such a way (over cautious, negatively due to their own problems etc.) that may promote fears and anxieties. A child with OCD from a parent with OCD does not confirm a genetic link as the cause.” If genetics isn’t a direct link then the fact that parents diagnosed with OCD are only more likely to develop OCD because of their parents’ behavior and attitudes.
ReplyDeleteOn the nature side of the debate, it is believed that the brain has physical brain differences and that being the cause of OCD. Barbara McClintock won the 1950 Nobel Prize as she discovered that “genes in plants change in stressful environmental conditions (whole sequences of DNA moving from one place to another).” Now with this known, imagine what effect may be happening to suffers of OCD.
I think that if your parents are diagnosed with OCD, that you have a higher possibility of also obtaining OCD that others but not a guaranteed diagnosis. As I have already stated above, if a child has OCD from a parent with OCD, it doesn’t confirm any genetic link. Also, if a child does have parents with OCD but doesn’t spend a lot of time with them, their chance of being influenced by their parents’ behavior and developing OCD is not likely.
Alex Reddy
Links:
http://www.selfgrowth.com/articles/Anxiety_Disorders_Nature_vs_Nurture.html
http://www.helpguide.org/mental/obsessive_compulsive_disorder_ocd.htm
I definitely think that OCD can be caused by external sources other than genetics. If a person’s parent is sick when the person is a child, the person may feel an inflated sense of responsibility, and may develop a set of rituals so they can feel that they are more ‘in control’ of their situation. This implies that in order for a person to develop OCD from nurturing, the person must go through some fairly emotionally traumatic situations.
ReplyDeleteIt has also been proven through study of brains with the condition, that people with OCD often have abnormalities in the frontal lobe (associated with organising and planning). This may be due the hereditary characteristics passed down from parents. This supports the nurture side of the debate.
Ryan
I definitely think that OCD can be caused by external sources other than genetics. If a person’s parent is sick when the person is a child, the person may feel an inflated sense of responsibility, and may develop a set of rituals so they can feel that they are more ‘in control’ of their situation. This implies that in order for a person to develop OCD from nurturing, the person must go through some fairly emotionally traumatic situations.
ReplyDeleteIt has also been proven through study of brains with the condition, that people with OCD often have abnormalities in the frontal lobe (associated with organising and planning). This may be due the hereditary characteristics passed down from parents. This supports the nurture side of the debate.
Ryan
My view of OCD is similar to that of other disorders such as eating disorders. One’s genetic predisposition to OCD makes them more susceptible to developing it under certain conditions. However without the suitable environment, OCD may not occur.
ReplyDeleteIt is true that studies show “close relatives of people with OCD are up to nine times more likely to develop OCD themselves” (Gavin, K, 2006), and the genetic basis behind OCD has become increasingly evident. Scientists found a gene that possibly increased the risk of OCD. However this does not mean genetic predisposition is the main cause for OCD. Many other risk factors created by nurture can cause OCD. For example, environmental stress and anxiety have been thought of as the main causes OCD (Swiezerwski, S., 2001). OCD has also been linked to higher education and IQ and higher social status.
It is not true to say that simply because someone’s parents have OCD, they will also develop the disorder. As I have already stated, genes and nature only act to increase the risk of OCD for the child. However even this link is not fully confirmed by researchers. Without environmental triggers, no matter how predisposed one is to OCD, they may never develop it. Triggers may involve abuse or trauma.
Nurture is the main cause for OCD.
Information from:
http://www2.med.umich.edu/prmc/media/newsroom/details.cfm?ID=987
http://www.mentalhealthchannel.net/ocd/index.shtml
http://organizedwisdom.com/Is_OCD_Genetic%3F
http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20080608103503AAymtZG
cathy