Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder

Type of psychology: Psychopathology
Field of study: Anxiety disorders
Obsessions and compulsions are the cardinal features of a chronic anxiety disorder
known as obessive-compulsive disorder. The identification of repetitive, anxietyprovoking
thoughts known as obsessions and of associated compulsive, ritualistic behaviors
is critical in the diagnosis and assessment of this debilitating condition.
Key concepts
• anxiety
• checking ritual
• cleaning ritual
• compulsions
• fear of contamination
• obsessions
• response prevention
Obsessive thinking and urges to engage in ritualistic compulsive behaviors
are common phenomena that most individuals experience to some extent
throughout their lives. It is not uncommon, for example, for a person to
reexperience in his or her mind involuntary, anxiety-provoking images of
circumstances surrounding a traumatic accident or embarrassing moment.
Similarly, behaviors such as returning home to make sure the iron is turned
off or refusing to eat from a spoon that falls on a clean floor represent mild
compelling rituals in which many persons engage from time to time. It is
when these patterns of obsessive thinking and behaving become either too
frequent or too intense that they may escalate into a distressing clinical condition
known as obsessive-compulsive disorder.
According to the American Psychiatric Association’s Diagnostic and Statistical
Manual of Mental Disorders: DSM-IV-TR (rev. 4th ed., 2000), the primary
feature of this disorder is the presence of distressing obsessions or severe
compulsive behaviors that interfere significantly with a person’s daily functioning.
Although diagnosis requires only the presence of either obsessions
or compulsions, they typically are both present in obsessive-compulsive disorder.
In most cases, persons with this diagnosis spend more time, on a daily
basis, experiencing obsessive thinking and engaging in ritualistic behaviors
than other constructive activities, including those pertaining to occupational,
social, and family responsibilities. Therefore, it is not uncommon for
obsessive-compulsive patients also to experience severe vocational impairment
and distraught interpersonal relationships.