OCD

Question 1

What is OCD?

Answer 1

An anxiety disorder where sufferers experience persistent and intrusive thoughts occurring as obsessions, compulsions, or a combination of both.​

Question 2

What are obsessions?

Answer 2

Things people think about.

They comprise forbidden or inappropriate ideas and visual images that aren’t based in reality.

E.g. being convinced that germs lurk everywhere, leading to feelings of extreme anxiety.

Question 3

What do obsessive thoughts trigger in someone with OCD?

Answer 3

Thoughts trigger a response, e.g. a compulsion to address the thoughts someone has.

Question 4

What are compulsions?

Answer 4

What people do as a result of obsessions; they are reactions and results comprising intense, uncontrollable urges to repetitively perform tasks and behaviour.​

Compulsions are an attempt to reduce distress or prevent feared events, even though there is little chance of doing so.​

Question 5

Why do sufferers engage in compulsions?

Answer 5

There thoughts are very much real, and they respond in that way.

They are aware that their compulsions are only a temporary solution, but have no other way of coping, so rely on them as a short-term solution.​

Question 6

Do compulsions also require sufferers to satisfy an additional obsession?

Answer 6

No, compulsions can also include avoiding situations that trigger obsessive ideas or images, not just engaging with one.

Question 7

The symptoms of OCD can overlap with other conditions. Give an example. What has this led to?

Answer 7

E.g. Tourette’s.

This has led some to question whether OCD really exists as a separate disorder.​

Question 8

What does OCD treatment normally consist of?

Answer 8

How to manage the triggers on a longer-term basis.

Avoiding situations that may be triggering.

Question 9

Most sufferers realise that their obsessive ideas and compulsions are excessive and inappropriate, but cannot consciously control them. What does this link to? Why?

Answer 9

This links to phobias, as both anxiety disorder sufferers cannot control their perception.

Question 10

Both phobias and OCD are classified as what type of disorders?

Answer 10

Anxiety disorders.

Question 11

How does OCD link to failure to function adequately?

(OCD within abnormality definitions)

Answer 11

A sufferer’s obsessions and compulsions become very time-consuming, thus interfering with the ability to conduct everyday activities.

Question 12

How does OCD link to statistical infrequency?

(OCD within abnormality definitions)

Answer 12

OCD occurs in about 2% of the population (statistical infrequency), with no real gender differences, though there are gender differences in the types of OCD suffered.​

Question 13

What are the most common things females obsess about?

Answer 13

Contamination and cleaning.

Question 14

What are the most common things males obsess about?

Answer 14

Religion and sexual obsessions.

Question 15

OCD is more common among male children than females. Why?

Answer 15

OCD is more common among male children than females, as they tend to have an earlier gradual onset with more severe symptoms. Females generally have a later, sudden onset with fewer severe symptoms.

Question 16

Why may it be that males are easier to diagnose with OCD than females? What is this an example of?

Answer 16

OCD symptoms have been created from largely male samples, so their potentially gender specific symptoms ignore that of women’s.

This may explain why men are diagnosed more readily than women.

This is an example of an androcentric beta bias.

Question 17

State and explain a behavioural obsessional symptom of OCD.

Answer 17

Hinder everyday functioning:
Having obsessive ideas of a forbidden or inappropriate type creates such as anxiety and inability to perform everyday functions are severely hindered. E.g. being able to work effectively.

Social impairment:
Anxiety levels generated are so high as to limit the ability to conduct meaningful interpersonal relationships.

Question 18

State and explain a emotional obsessional symptom of OCD.

Answer 18

Extreme Anxiety:
Persistent inappropriate or forbidden ideas create excessively high levels of anxiety.

Question 19

State and explain a cognitive obsessional symptom of OCD.

Answer 19

Recognised as self-generated:
Most sufferers understand that their obsessive thoughts and ideas of an intrusive nature.

Realisation of inappropriateness:
Most sufferers understand that their obsessive thoughts are inappropriate, but cannot consciously control them.

Question 20

State and explain a behavioural compulsive symptom of OCD.

Answer 20

Uncontrollable urges:
Sufferers experience uncontrollable urges to perform acts they feel will reduce the anxiety caused by obsessive thoughts, such as cleaning door handles to remove the threat of contamination.

Repetitive:
Sufferers feel compelled to repeat behaviours as a response to their obsessive thoughts, ideas, and images.

Question 21

State and explain an emotional compulsive symptom of OCD.

Answer 21

Distress:
The recognition that compulsive behaviours cannot be consciously controlled can lead to a strong feeling of distress.

Question 22

State and explain an cognitive compulsive symptom of OCD.

Answer 22

Realisation of inappropriateness:
Sufferers understand that their compulsions are inappropriate, but they cannot consciously control them.

Social impairment:
The performance of repetitive behaviours can seriously affect the ability to conduct meaningful interpersonal relationships.

Uncontrollable urges:
Sufferers experience uncontrollable urges to perform acts they feel will reduce the anxiety caused by obsessive thoughts, such as cleaning door handles to remove the threat of contamination.

Question 23

State two common obsessions.

Answer 23

Contamination e.g. by germs​.

Fear of losing control e.g. impulses to hurt others​.

Perfectionism e.g. fear of not being the best​.

Religion e.g. fear of being immoral.

Question 24

State two common compulsions.

Answer 24

Excessive washing and cleaning e.g. hair brushing​.

Excessive checking e.g. that all doors are locked​.

Repetition e.g. bodily movements​.

Mental compulsions e.g. praying to prevent harm​.

Hoarding e.g. magazines.

Question 25

What is the diagnosis for OCD?

Answer 25

The presence of obsessions and/or compulsions on most days for a period of two weeks or more.