sychlotron or Obsessive Compulsive Disorder sychlotron or Diagnosis

sychlotron. or Obsessive Compulsive Disorder

sychlotron. or

Diagnosis Obsessions • • Compulsions • • • intrusive thoughts, impulses or images Repetitive/ritualistic behaviours or mental acts Distressing, time consuming, interferes with normal functioning Usually recognised as irrational sychlotron. or •

Diagnosis 2. 6% lifetime prevalence • • Obsessions often contamination, illness, aggression, sex, symmetry Compulsions often washing, ritualistic behaviour Multiple obsessions in 60% of cases Continuous with normal behaviour (degree rather than kind) sychlotron. or •

Explanations & treatments Biological • • • Genes, structural brain abnormality, neurochemical processes Drugs, surgery Psychodynamic • • Unconscious processes, childhood experiences Psychotherapy (catharsis) sychlotron. or •

Explanations & treatments Behaviourist • • • Classical and operant conditioning Desensitisation, deconditioning Cognitive • • Faulty thinking & ineffective information processing Altering thinking processes (CBT) sychlotron. or •

• • • Tends to run in families Often accompanies other brain insult (e. g. encephalitis) or neurological problem (e. g. Tourette’s syndrome) Responds to serotoninergic drug treatment sychlotron. or Biological approach

Psychodynamic approach • Associated with fixation at anal stage of development (Freud) or feelings of inferiority (Adler) Clinical case study evidence sychlotron. or •

• • Obsessions are learned anxieties; compulsions are reinforced through anxiety reduction ‘Superstitious’ behaviour – unrelated to consequences – easy to observe in animals and humans sychlotron. or Behaviourist approach

Cognitive Approach Paradoxical effect of trying to suppress particular thoughts (e. g. the blue rocking horse) • • Belief that certain thoughts are unacceptable is a risk factor Memory failure (‘did I really turn the gas off? ’) sychlotron. or •

Treatments 60% patients improve with SSRIs • • Exposure & response prevention (ERP) is more effective • • moderate gains; frequent relapse Flooding (behavioural); forced reality testing (cognitive) Neurosurgery (cingulotomy) may be effective as a last resort sychlotron. or •