OCD

Question 1

What OCD mean??

Answer 1

OCD stands for obsessive compulsive disorder- A condition characterised by obsessions and/ or compulsive behaviour

Question 2

What does behavioural mean?

Answer 2

Ways in which people act

Question 3

What does emotional mean?

Answer 3

Ways in which people feel

Question 4

What does cognitive mean?

Answer 4

Ways in which people process information, including perception, attention and thinking.

Question 5

What does the DSM system recognise OCD as?

Answer 5

The DSM system recognises OCD and a range of related disorders. What these disorders all have in common is repetitive is repetitive behaviour accompanied by obsessive thinking:

• OCD
• Trichotillomania
• Hoarding disorder
• Excoriation

Question 6

What is OCD?

Answer 6

Characterised by either obsession (recurring thoughts, images, etc.) and/ or compulsion (repetitive behaviours such as hand washing). Most people with a diagnosis of OCD have both obsessions and compulsions.

Question 7

What is trichotillomania?

Answer 7

Compulsive hair pulling

Question 8

What is Hoarding disorder?

Answer 8

The compulsive gathering of possessions and the inability to part with anything ,regardless of its value.

Question 9

What is excoriation disorder?

Answer 9

Compulsive skin picking

Question 10

What are the two component’s of compulsion for behavioural characteristics of OCD?

Answer 10

The behavioural component of OCD is compulsive behaviour. There are two elements to the compulsive behaviours:

1) Compulsion are repetitive
2) Compulsion reduce anxiety

Question 11

How does compulsions that are repetitive link to the behavioural characteristics of OCD?

Answer 11

Typically sufferers of OCD feel compelled to repeat a behaviour. A common example is hand washing. Other common compulsive repetitions include counting, praying and tidying/ ordering groups of objects such as CD collection (for those who have them) or containers in a food cupboard

Question 12

How does compulsions that reduces anxiety link to the behavioural characteristics of OCD?

Answer 12

Around 10% of sufferes of OCD show compulsive behaviour alone- they have no obessions, just a general sesn of irritationalanxiety. However for the vast majority compuilsive be behaviours are preformed in an attempt to manage the anxiety produced by obsessive fear of germs. Compulsive checking, for example that a door is locked or gas appliance is switched off , is in response to the obsessive thought that it might have been left unsecured

Question 13

How is avoidance part of the behavioural characteristics of OCD?

Answer 13

The behaviour of OCD sufferers may also be characterised by their avoidance as they attempt to reduce anxiety by keeping away from situations that trigger it.
Sufferers of OCD tend to try to manage their OCD by avoiding situations that trigger anxiety. For example, sufferers who wash compulsively may avoid coming into contact with germs. However, this avoidance can lead people to avoid very ordinary situations, such as emptying their rubbish bins and this can in itself interfere with leading a normal life.

Question 14

How is anxiety and distress an emotional characteristic of OCD?

Answer 14

OCD is regarded as particularly unpleasant emotional experience because of the powerful anxiety that accompanies both obsessions and compulsions. Obsessive thoughts are unpleasant and frightening and the anxiety that goes with these can be overwhelming. The urge to repeat a behaviour (a compulsion) creates anxiety.

Question 15

How is accompanying depression part of the emotional characteristics of OCD?

Answer 15

OCD is often accompanied by depression, so anxiety can be accompanied by low mood and lack of enjoyment in activities. Compulsive behaviours tends to bring some relief from anxiety but this is temporary.

Question 16

How is guilt and disgust part of the emotional characteristics of OCD?

Answer 16

As we;; as anxiety and depression, OCD sometimes involves other negative emotions such as irrational guilt, for example over minor and moral issues, or disgust which may be directed against something external like dirt or at the self/

Question 17

What Is the cognitive approach concerned with?

Answer 17

The cognitive approach is concerned with the ways in which people process information. People suffering from OCD usually plagues with obsessive thoughts but they also adopt cognitive strategies to deal with these.

Question 18

How is obsessive thoughts part of cognitive characteristics of OCD?

Answer 18

For around 90% of OCD sufferers the major cognitive feature of their condition is obsessive thoughts, i.e. thoughts that recur over and over again.. These vary considerably from person to person but are always unpleasant. Examples of reoccurring thoughts are worries of being contaminated by dirt and germs or certainty that a door has been left unlocked and that intruders will enter through it or impulses to hurt someone.

Question 19

How is cognitive strategies to deal with obsessions part of cognitive characteristics of OCD?

Answer 19

Obsessions are the major cognitive aspect of OCD, but people also respond by adopting cognitive coping strategies. For example, a religious person tormented by obsessive guilt may respond by praying or meditating. This may help manage anxiety but can make the person appear abnormal to others and can distract them from everyday tasks.

Question 20

How is insight into excessive anxiety part of cognitive characteristics of OCD??

Answer 20

People suffering from OCD are ware that their obsessions and compulsions are not rational. In fact, this is necessary for a diagnosis of OCD. If someone really believed their obsessive thoughts were based on reality that would be a symptom of a quite different form of mental disorder. However, in spite of this insight, OCD sufferers experience catastrophic thoughts about the worse case scenarios that might result if their anxieties were justified. They also tend to be hyper vigilant, i.e. they maintain constant alertness and keep attention focused on potential hazards.