The Boy Who Couldn't Stop Washing

I have just finished reading this book, and I have found its content extremely useful.

Dr Rapoport presented many fascinating cases, such as a lady who had compulsions to sprinkle her entire flat in sugar. Many of the cases were extremely bizarre, however, they also highlighted to me the variable nature of the symptoms expressed from those with OCD. Furthermore, this book emphasised that the public view on OCD as being a disorder simple about 'neatness' is completely false.

I have also emailed Dr Rapoport asking whether she would still be free to answer a few of my questions via email. Hopefully, she will agree to answering some questions so I intend to write these questions within the next few days. The questions will be primarily based on childhood OCD and the differences present between adult and paediatric OCD. Furthermore, I will ask Dr Rapoport her views on the theories that currently exist to explain the cause of paediatric OCD.

Mid-Project Review

I had another meeting with my supervisor today in order to discuss my findings, as well the next stages of my project.

The successes of my project so far includes that an expert, Dr Rapoport, has agreed to answer a few of my questions via email after reading her book. Also, the table of sources I have produced seems to be very useful too!

My proposed plan for the rest of the project:

I will first finish off the research, most importantly, many sources have claimed that environmental factors are less important than biological factors, however, I haven't found any reliable evidence for this yet.

I will publish another post describing the outline of my project in more detail, but at the moment the simple outline is:

• Introduction - introducing my project and explaining OCD
• Explaining each of the different factors
• Evaluating the evidence I have found in order to determine the significance of each of the different factors
• Conclusion - summarising my project and my findings

A source's reliability is a very important thing to take into account, therefore, when writing my report, I will remember to take this into account.

A Brief Description of The Theories

My research has shown that there are various biological based theories detailing why paediatric OCD develops. These include heightened brain activity in the areas of the frontal lobes and orbital cortex, decreased levels of serotonin, a neurotransmitter and increased levels of glutamate, another neurotransmitter. Another interesting theory is that OCD can be triggered by an infection, and is one of the Paediatric Autoimmune Neuropsychiatric Disorders Associated with Streptococcal Infection (PANDAS).

In terms of environmental theories, these seem to be less significant. An environmental factor believed to possible influence the development of  OCD is the style of parenting; certain rituals performed by the parent may be 'picked up' by their child. However, this is not believed to be an important factor since many children with OCD don't have parents expressing similar symptoms.

Psychological factors are also believed by many to be significant. These are the psychodynamic model, the cognitive model and the behavioural model. The cognitive and behavioural models seem, to an extent, to be true due to the success of Cognitive-Behavioural Therapy (CBT).

Towards the end of my research...

After initial research, I realised that there were different types of OCD, such as childhood-onset OCD, pre-natal OCD and post-natal OCD. I have therefore decided to modify my question slightly so that I am now investigating the significance of biological factors in the development of OCD in childhood-onset OCD in order to further focus my question.

After emailing many experts in this field, I finally received one reply from Dr Judith Rapoport, a expert in Child Psychiatry. In this reply she replied that she would be happy to answer my questions, however, she advised me to first consult her book, 'The Boy Who Couldn't Stop Washing'. I have ordered this book, and when I have finished reading it, I will then ask Dr Rapoport if she would be happy to answer a few questions.

An Update on Progress

In order to organise the sources I have used, I have created a table listing all the details needed for referencing that type of source which I hope will make citing and referencing in my report easier.

Through initial research I have discovered that OCD is the fourth most common mental disorder, therefore, it is necessary to determine how it is caused to ensure a relevant, successful treatment can be used. Furthermore, I have begun to research various theories which are grouped into: biological, genetic, environmental, cognitive and behavioural theories.

I have also email the libraries of the University of Sussex and the University of Brighton asking whether it would be possible to visit their libraries to consult the resources there. I have also emailed three consultants who have specialised in Psychiatry and have a specific interest in OCD. Hopefully, at least one will agree to answer a few of my questions, either in person or via email, after I have completed the bulk of my research in the university libraries.

Plan for research

I intend to begin my research next week, after my work experience placement. After the referencing and citation taught element with our librarian, I have also decided to create a spread sheet to record all the sources that I use.

The first elements that I will focus research on will be present theories on the development of OCD, focusing on biological, environmental and psychological. After researching this, I will begin to investigate which is the most significant factor using investigations and experiments carried out by researchers.

An update on everything I have done so far...

Firstly, after initial research, I learnt that successful treatments of OCD can be used to produce theories on the causes of OCD. I have decided to alter the focus of my question to the causes of OCD.

The cause of OCD is not known, however, scientists speculate that people with OCD have a different brain activity pattern, moreover, deficiency of serotonin, a neurotransmitter, could lead to the development of OCD. These biological factors could be to blame, however, environmental (e.g. stress) and psychological factors could also be significant. I have decided that my question will be 'to what extent are biological factors responsible for the development of OCD?'

I have also completed Project Proposal Part A and my supervisor has completed Part B. After this, I completed the Planning Review.