Addiction, OCD and eating disorders

Question 1

Give examples of things you can be addicted to.

Answer 1

Alcohol, cigarettes, drugs - Relaxed, less stressed, coping mechanism.

Not easy to stop > Compulsive

Question 2

Define addiction

Answer 2

Repeated negative reinforcement, in the context of persistent states of suffering/distress/tension is a central part of the development of addictions.

Question 3

Explain addiction to opioids.

Answer 3

Opiods - reward pathway

Addictions have a powerful component, mediated by the substances’ direct action on neural circuits for motivation and reward-seeking.

Question 4

What is an obsession in psychiatry?

Answer 4

Your thinking about something all the time but you don’t want to → Intrusive thoughts.

Question 5

What is OCD characterised by?

Answer 5

Intrusive thoughts / images → Distressing + Involuntary (can’t control despite considerable effort)

Compulsive behaviours - Serve to relieve state of anxiety.

Question 6

Define OCD.

Answer 6

Negative reinforcement, driven by the distress caused by the intrusive thoughts, and cemented by habit-formation, are central to compulsion in OCD.

Question 7

Explain how obsessions drive compulsions.

Answer 7

Intrusive thoughts can lead to a state of distress → Leads to distress reducing behaviours.

Obsessions drive the compulsions (whatever you can do to relieve the obsessions)

Question 8

What can be seen in eating disorders?

Answer 8

Increasing restriction of diet

Purging

Episodes of laxative abuse

Excessive exercise

Question 9

Are eating disorders really about food or weight?

Answer 9

Not really about food or weight

Value judgements in culture; OBESE - Unhealthy

Losing weight = Success, self-restraint

Thin = Beautiful, healthy

Low self-worth can be experienced through your body (e.g. I’m overweight!!!) - Feeds into anxiety, depression etc.

Question 10

What do eating disorders start with?

Answer 10

Low self-worth and anxiety (persistent distress); these experiences can be projected onto body → Idea that I don’t look good enough. → Try to lose weight

Question 11

How can we conceptualise eating disorders?

Answer 11

Eating disorders can be conceptualised as means of reducing intense distress, particularly that associated with feeling everything is out of control.