OCD (characteristics)

Question 1

What is OCD?

Answer 1

• Obsessive compulsive disorder is a mental health condition.
• Affects about 2% of the population.

Question 2

Who is OCD diagnosed in?

Answer 2

• It is diagnosed in individuals who experience disruption to their daily functioning as a result of obsessions and/ or compulsions.
• They must experience clinically significant distress or impairment in functioning on most days for a period of two weeks or more.

Question 3

Cognitive characteristics of OCD

Answer 3

Individuals with OCD tend to process information (think) differently:
- Obsessive thoughts= persistent and intrusive (unwanted) thoughts or images that cause anxiety and distress. This is one of the core symptoms of OCD.
- Hypervigilance= an increased awareness of your surroundings, including an alertness to perceived hidden dangers (most often these dangers are not real!).
- Irrational thoughts= including catastrophe thinking- individuals with OCD may have negative thoughts that assume that the worst outcome will happen.
- Cognitive coping strategies= to help deal with obsessions, for example, mediation.

Question 4

Behavioural characteristics of OCD

Answer 4

OCD has a impact on the way people act:
- Compulsions are a core symptom of OCD. These are repetitive behaviours or mental acts that a person with OCD feels driven to perform either as a result of the anxiety and distress caused by the obsession or according to rules that must be applied rigidly.

Question 5

Compulsions- more info

Answer 5

• The compulsive behaviours or mental acts are aimed at preventing or reducing distress or preventing some dreaded event or situation. However, they are either not connected in a realistic way with what they are designed to neutralise or prevent or are clearly excessive.
• Compulsions are time consuming or cause clinically significant distress or impairment in daily functioning.

Question 6

Emotional characteristics of OCD

Answer 6

OCD affects the way people feel:
- Anxiety- obsessive thoughts are distressing, sometimes frightening, and this causes intense anxiety. Urges to repeat behaviours (compulsions) also cause anxiety.
- Guilt- OCD suffers may experience excessive, irrational guilt over minor issues that individuals would not normally dwell on.
- Disgust- feelings of self-loathing or repulsion towards external factors may also be experienced.

Question 7

What is meant by catastrophic thinking?

Answer 7

• A cognitive distortion that prompts people to jump to the worst possible conclusion.