OBSESSIVECOMPULSIVE DISORDER OCD

1
OBSESSIVE-COMPULSIVE DISORDER(OCD)

• Obsessions- recurrent thoughts
• Distressing and unwelcome
• Arise from within
• Cant control
• Person is in contact with reality
• Realizes thoughts are senseless (ego dystonic)

2
OCD continued

• Compulsions- repetitive stereotyped behaviors
• Response to obsessive thoughts
• Accompanied by feelings of compulsion
• Unable to resist, even if try
• Experience anxiety if behavior is blocked

3
Common obsessions

• Dirt
• Contamination
• order

4
Common compulsions

• Washing
• Checking
• Counting
• Touching

5
DEMOGRAPHICS

• 2.5 LIFETIME PREVALENCE
• NO GENDER DIFFERENCES
• TEXT SAYS MORE IN FEMALES
• MORE FEMALE CLEANERS
• MORE MALE CHECKERS
• AGE OF ONSET- USUALLY PRE-ADOLESENCE
• OFTEN ASSOC. WITH DEPRESSION

6
ETIOLOGY

• ALL AGREE OBSESSIONS AND COMPULSIONS REPRESENT AN
  ATTEMPT TO WARD OFF ANXIETY
• PSYCHOANALYTIC VIEW- obsessions are substitutions
  for unconscious, unacceptable wishes and
  thoughts. (desire to kill mother repressed and
  replaced by obsession about blood) out damned
  spot

7
Etiology continued

• Cognitive view is that everyone has unwanted
  thoughts, but very anxious or depressed people
  have difficulty dismissing bothersome thoughts.
  Rituals develop to neutralize bad thoughts.
  Anxiety reduction reinforces compulsive
  behaviors.

8
Etiology continued

• Medical view OCD as a brain disease. Neurological
  signs and brain scan abnormalities reported in
  OCD patients.
• Genetics- higher concordance rate in MA than DZ
  twins
• Streptococcus infection?

9
TREATMENT OF OCD

• MEDICATION
• Clomipramine (anafranil)-antidepressant works
  best
• BEHAVIOR THERAPY
• Modeling
• Exposure
• Response prevention
• NOTHING CURES- ONLY CONTROLS SYMPTOMS!

10
Obsessive compulsive personality vs. OCD

• Neat, punctual, rigid, orderly, perfectionistic
• VALUES THESE TRAITS
• No more likely than general population to develop
  OCD

• No history of personality traits
• HATES SYMPTOMS (ego alien)