Lecture 18 Flashcards
the presence of both obsessions and compulsions is needed as part of meeting diagnostic criteria for OCD. TRUE OR FALSE
false
What is the diagnostic criteria for Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder? A and the descriptions
A. Presence of obsessions, compulsions, or both
Obsessions are defined by (1) and (2):
1. recurrent and persistent thoughts, urges, or images that are experienced, at some time during the disturbance, as intrusive and unwanted, and that in most individuals cause marked anxiety or distress
- the individual attempts to ignore or suppress such thoughts, urges, or images, or to neutralize them with some other thought or action (ex. by performing a compulsion)
Compulsions are defined by (1) and (2):
1. repetitive behaviours (ex. hand washing, ordering, checking) or mental acts (ex. praying, counting, repeating words silently) that the individual feels driven to perform in response to an obsession or according to rules that must be applied rigidly
- the behaviours or mental acts are aimed at preventing or reducing anxiety or distress, or preventing some dreaded event or situation; however, these behaviours or mental acts are not connected in a realistic way with what they are designed to neutralize or prevent, or are clearly excessive
Note: young children may not be able to articulate the aims of these behaviours or mental acts
What is the diagnostic criteria for Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder? B, C, and D, and specifications
B. the obsessions or compulsions are time-consuming or cause clinically significant distress or impairment in social, occupational, or other important areas of functioning
C. the obsessive-compulsive symptoms are not attributable to the physiological effects of a substance (ex. a drug of abuse, a medication) or another medical condition
D. the disturbance is not better explained by the symptoms of another mental disorder
Specify if:
- with good or fair insight: the individual recognizes that obsessive-compulsive disorder beliefs are definitely or probably not true or that they may or may not be true
- with poor insight: the individual thinks obsessive-compulsive disorder beliefs are probable true
- with absent insight/delusional beliefs: the individual is completely convinced that obsessive-compulsive disorder beliefs are true
Specify if:
- tic-related: the individual has a current or past history of a tic disorder
What are the 2 broad frameworks that social science often makes assumptions about knowledge?
postivist framework and constructivist perspective
explain the positivist framework
- sees scientific knowledge as always improving leading more perfect understanding of mental illness
- mental health/illness as objective and concretely knowable (one reality/truth)
- assumes that we will eventually “discover” nature of mental health/illness and best way to diagnose/treat via research and technology
explain the constructivist perspective
- sees knowledge as fluid, contingent, contextual
- currently unanswered questions will not be easily solved or may never be solved
— because understanding of phenomena not based on scientific facts but instead based on consensus of “truth”/social reality (including mental health/illness) - regarding consensus:
— what is agreed upon as truth is subject to change
— reaching consensus is not based on best evidence but rather culture, research funding, personality, scientific trends, etc.
What are the debates about OCD symptom Dimensions
- people with OCD have wide variations. in their symptoms (extensive heterogeneity in focus of both obsessions and compulsions)
- may have one individual obsessed about contamination and compelled to clean, another plagued with intrusive thoughts about harm displaying compulsive “checking” rituals
- this raises the question: should the disorder be further divided into “subtypes”?
- if there are distinct subtypes this could mean that causes, level of functioning, and treatment options might be different for each
Should the OCD be further divided into “subtypes”?
- schizophrenia was previously diagnosed using “paranoid” and “catatonic” subtypes, highlighting how overarching symptoms (delusions) are shared but behaviour may differ widely - this is now conceptualized differently in the DSm-5 as it was argued subtypes could not be reliably diagnosed
- “checking” type of OCD may be different from subtypes focused on contamination or symmetry, and it may be that subtypes may benefit from specific treatments
What’s another debate about OCD symptom Dimension?
- researchers disagree about how and whether OCD should be divided into subtypes
should classification of subtypes be categorical or dimensional?
- “subtype” implied a single discrete category, but many people with OCD have symptoms which would fall into more than one subtype category
- infrequent that individuals have only one subtype of symptoms
What does “symptom dimension” approach recognize?
- recognizes that it is possible to have several types of symptoms (representing potential subtypes) at varying levels of severity
- this suggests “symptom dimension” may be more accurate than symptom type or subtyep
What does the research on OCD symptom dimensions frequently use and rely on?
- uses and relies upon the Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale
- deemed to be the most comprehensive symptom checklist
What does the Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale include?
- 7 types of obsessions
- 6 types of compulsions
What are the 7 types of obsessions
- aggressive
- contamination
- sexual
- hoarding
- religious
- symmetry
- somatic
What are the 6 type sof compulsions
- cleaning
- checking
- repeating
- counting
- ordering
- hoarding
What is the conceptual issue/concern of the Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale?
- categories (to date) are not based on empirical evidence, but rather on clinical experience/researchers’ assumptions (rationally rather than empirically derived)
What is one proposed framework after the debates about OCD symptom dimensions
- autogenous vs. reactive symptom model (internal vs. external triggers
- there is evidence for differences between these groups, but clinical value is unclear
define autogenous symptoms
- self-generated triggers (sexual or aggressive thoughts)
define reactive symptoms
- response to external stimuli (triggers regarding contamination or symmetry)
What is another proposed model after hte debates about OCD?
- core dimensions model
- defines dimensions based on symptom theme
- allows for possibility of heterogeneity of symptoms, yet still identifies core or key dimensions in classification of OCD
What is harm avoidance?
- thoughts and actions to avoid harm
- may lead to checking believed to ensure safety
WHat is fear of incompleteness
- one’s actions or intentions have not been correctly achieved
What are the still unresolved questions about the debates about OCD?
improved symptom measures, larger samples of patients, and investigation of alternate models