Obsessive Compulsive And Related Disorders

Question 0

What are the main diagnostic criteria for body dysmorphic disorder?

Answer 0

Preoccupation with one or more perceived defects or flaws in physical appearance that are not observable or appear slight to others
At some point the person has performed repetitive behaviours or mental acts in response to the appearance concerns
Cause clinically significant distress or impairment
Not better explained by concerns with body fat or weight

Question 1

What are the main diagnostic criteria of OCD?

Answer 1

Presence of obsessions and/compulsions, or both
Obsessions are: 1) recurrent and persistent thoughts, urges or images that are experienced as intrusive and unwanted and cause marked anxiety and distress; 2) the individual attempts to ignore or suppress them or to neutralise them by performing a compulsion
Compulsions are: 1) repetitive behaviours that the individual feels driven to do in response to an obsession; 2) the behaviours or mental acts are aimed at preventing or reducing anxiety or distress or preventing some event from happening - however they are not connected in a realistic way or are clearly excessive
The obsessions or compulsions are time consuming (taking more than 1 hour per day) or cause clinically significant distress or impairment

Question 2

What are the main diagnostic criteria for hoarding disorder?

Answer 2

Persistent difficult discarding or parting with possessions, regardless of their actual value.
Difficulty is due to perceived need to save the items and distress associated with discarding them
Results in accumulation of possessions
Causes clinically significant distress or impairment

Question 3

What are the diagnostic criteria of trichotillomania?

Answer 3

Recurrent pulling out of one’s hair, resulting in hair loss
Repeated attempts to decrease or stop
Causes clinically significant distress or impairment
Not attributable to other medical condition
Not better explained by other mental disorder e.g. Body dysmorphic disorder

Question 4

What are the diagnostic criteria of excoriation disorder?

Answer 4

Recurrent skin picking resulting in skin lesions
Repeated attempts to decrease or stop skin picking
Causes clinically significant distress or impairment
Not attributable to effects of a substance
Not better explained by another mental disorder e.g body dysmorphic disorder