Individual and Abnormal - Obsessive Compulsive Disorder

OCD- Obsessive Compulsive Disorder

What is OCD?-
● The Nature of Anxiety
- Universal- exams, interviews performances
- Useful emotions- motivation, energise behaviour
- Disordered if debilitating

Definition of OCD-
‘’ The occurrence of unwanted or intrusive thoughts, usually occupied by compulsive
behaviours used to neutralise the obsessive thought’’.

Prevalence and Age of onset-
● 2% of lifetime prevalence
● 98% sufferers show obsessions and compulsions
● Equal across gender and culture
● Socio-economic drift noticeable
● Late adolescence, early adulthood
● Childhood onset more common in males
● 4th most common mental disorder

Key features-

Obsessions-
● Recurrent Intrusive thoughts
● Images
● Harmful and inappropriate

Compulsions-
● Used to get rid of obsessions and prevent distress
● Covert mental acts such as chanting
● Repetitive behaviour such as hand washing

- Must be recognised by the sufferer as a product of their own mind
- Not externally driven, distinct from schizophrenia
- Degree of insight variable

, DSM 5-
● Obsessive Compulsive and Related Disorders
● Disorders grouped in this chapter have features in common, obsessive
preoccupation and repetitive behaviours.

- OCD
- Body dysmorphic disorder
- Hair pulling disorder
- Hoarding disorder
- Skin picking disorder
DSM Criteria America on slides 14 and 15

Comorbidity-
● 80% experience depressive symptoms and 30% experience major depressive
symptoms
● Co-occurs with anxiety disorders
● High occurrence with body dysmorphic disorder

Characteristics-
● Intrusive thoughts
● Repetitive behaviours
● Excessive, persistent, distressing, dysfunctional

Typical Obsessive Thoughts-
1. Fear of contamination
2. Fear of harming self or others
3. Pathological doubt
4. Need for symmetry
5. Religious themes
6. Sexual Obsessions

Five main Types of compulsions-
1. Cleaning
2. Checking
3. Repeating
4. Ordering/arranging
5. Counting