Week 9: OCD Flashcards
(6 cards)
What is OCD?
A disorder in which a person experiences obsessions and compulsions
What are obsessions?
persistent, recurring, involuntary thoughts, images, impulses that invade our consciousness - obsessions are rarely acted upon
What are compulsions?
Persistent, irresistible, irrational urge to perform an act or ritual repeatedly.
A resistance to performing them causes a buildup of anxiety that can only be relieved by yielding to the compulsion.
What is “magical thinking” as it relates to compulsions?
The irrational belief that certain activities or thoughts will ease a particular outcome to occur.
What percentage of people in treatment for OCD have both obsessions and compulsions?
70%
What are the causes of OCD?
Biological basis:
- early autoimmune diseases, infections, and changes in the brain caused by infection may predispose a person to develop OCD
- Genes affecting serotonin functioning are suspected of causing OCD in some people many of whom are helped by antidepressants
