OCD Flashcards
What is OCD?
An anxiety disorder characterised by either obsessions and/or compulsions
According to DSM-5 what symptoms must be present for the diagnosis of ocd?
-Obsessions (thoughts)
-Compulsions (actions)
What are obsessions?
-repetitive recurrent and persistent thoughts that = intrusive, unwanted and cause anxiety
-individual tries to supress the thoughts or neutralise
them with some other thought or action
What are compulsions?
-repetitive behaviours (e.g. checking) or mental acts (e.g. counting) in response to an obsession.
-behaviours are designed to reduce anxiety or prevent dreadful event occurring.
-They are excessive
and can be unrealistic.
What is the difference between obsessions and compulsions?
Obsessions are persistent thoughts that are internal (take place in the mind) whereas compulsions are repetitive behaviours that are external (it is something you do)
What are the cognitive characteristics of ocd (obsessions)?
•Recurrent and persistent thoughts
• Insight into excessive anxiety
• Catastrophic thoughts
What are recurrent and persistent thoughts?
-sufferers experience constantly repeated obsessive thoughts, images and ideas of an intrusive nature. -uncontrollable
and cause distress.
What is insight into anxiety?
people suffering from OCD are aware that their obsessions and compulsions are not rational. This is necessary for a diagnosis for OCD.
What are catastrophic thoughts?
•Catastrophic thoughts about the worst-case scenarios that might result if their anxieties were justified
What are the behavioural characteristics of OCD? (compulsions)
• Repetitive Behaviours
• Compulsions reduce anxiety
What are repetitive behaviours?
sufferers feel compelled to repeat behaviours as a response to their obsessive thoughts, ideas and images.
e.g. hand washing, counting, praying and tidying groups of objects.
What is compulsions release anxiety?
-behaviours + mental acts are used to prevent or reduce anxiety produced by obsessions. e.g. compulsive checking, (that a door is locked or a gas appliance is switched off, is in response to the obsessive thought -that it might have been left unsecure).
-behaviours are designed to prevent some dreaded event or situation even though they cannot realistically prevent these.
What are the emotional characteristics of OCD?
Anxiety and distress
Guilt
What is anxiety and distress?
-obsessive thoughts =unpleasant and frightening and the anxiety that goes with these can be overwhelming.
-The urge to repeat a behaviour (a
compulsion) creates anxiety.
What is guilt?
OCD often involves irrational guilt, for example over minor moral issues.
-sufferer may have a feeling that their actions have, or will lead to something terrible, resulting in feelings of guilt.
