psychopathology: OCD Flashcards
What is OCD?
Obsessive compulsive disorder
What is the definition of OCD?
A condition characterised by obsessions and/or compulsive behaviour
What are the two components of OCD?
Obsessions: persistent, recurring thoughts
Compulsions: repetitive behaviour
What are two examples of sub-types of OCD?
- Trichotillomania -> compulsive hair pulling
- Hoarding disorder -> the compulsive gathering of objects and the inability to part with anything
What are the behavioural characteristics of OCD?
- Compulsive behaviours
- Avoidance
What are compulsive behaviours?
- Behaviours which sufferers of OCD feel compelled to do, often repeated frequently
- Performed in an attempt to manage the anxiety caused by obsessions
- A typical example might be repeated hand-washing
What is avoidance?
Might try to avoid certain situations or experiences that are likely to trigger obsessive thoughts
- e.g. staying away from places that might bring them into contact with germs
What are the emotional characteristics of OCD?
- Anxiety and distress
- Accompanying depression
- Guilt and disgust
What is anxiety and distress?
An uncomfortably high and persistent state of arousal, making it hard to relax
- anxiety results from obsession
What is accompanying depression?
A constant and long-lasting sense of sadness
- the result of being unable to control the anxiety causing thoughts and the OCD symptoms taking over the sufferer’s life
What is guilt and disgust?
Irrational guilt over minor moral issues or disgust directed against something external like dirt or themself
What are the cognitive characteristics of OCD?
- Obsessive or intrusive thoughts
- Cognitive strategies to cope with OCD
- Awareness of irrational thinking
What are obsessive or intrusive thoughts?
Intrusive, irrational and recurrent thoughts that tend to unpleasant, catastrophic thoughts about potential dangers
What are cognitive coping strategies?
Might develop cognitive techniques to reduce anxiety and deal with obsessions
What is awareness of irrational thinking?
- Sufferers of OCD have a cognitive awareness that their behaviour is irrational
- If they believed their thoughts to be rational it might indicate a diagnosis of psychosis
