Characteristics of OCD (AQA AS Psychology): Revision Note

Characteristics of OCD

• Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) is an anxiety disorder which is characterised by persistent, intrusive thoughts and repetitive behaviours

• Obsessions take the form of intrusive, persistent thoughts, e.g.,

  • 'Germs are everywhere; they could harm me and my family'

  • 'The outside world is a terrifying and dangerous place so I must do what I can to protect myself and my family'

• Compulsions take the form of repetitive behaviours, e.g.,

  • 'I must wash my hands thoroughly every time I touch any sort of surface'

  • 'I must check that I've locked the door at least seven times before I go to bed'

Behavioural characteristics of OCD

• Compulsions, which tend to be repetitive and time-consuming and are adhered to obsessively by the person with OCD, e.g.,

  • hand-washing (a highly prevalent OCD behaviour)

  • continual organising or re-arranging of food cupboards or bookshelves

  • switching a light on and off a set number of times

• Compulsions are performed to reduce anxiety

  • Repetitive hand-washing may reassure the person with OCD that they will not contract a disease

  • Checking that the door is locked several times before bed may reassure the person that they and their family are safe

• Avoidance is a key characteristic of OCD

  • Someone with OCD is likely to try and avoid situations that may trigger their obsessive thoughts and compulsive behaviours

    • People may avoid all social engagements due to their fear of contracting a germ-borne disease

    • Avoidance may lead to the OCD person becoming cut off from friends, family and contact with the outside world

Emotional characteristics of OCD

• Extreme levels of anxiety, fear, and feelings of being overwhelmed

• Guilt directed towards themselves or as a result of neglecting friends, family, work, etc.

• Disgust directed towards themselves or the outside world

• Depression (having more than one mental illness at a time is known as comorbidity) due to feeling 'trapped' by their obsessions and compulsions

Cognitive characteristics of OCD

• Obsessive thoughts (these affect 90% of people with the illness)

• The use of coping mechanisms to deal with the obsessive thoughts, e.g.,

  • identifying the obsessive thought as it occurs (e.g., 'There's that feeling of panic about germs again')

  • using a grounding object such as a pebble or wristband to remind the person that they should stop their obsessive thoughts

• Awareness that their anxiety and fear are irrational

  • This awareness may help to control the fear (but not necessarily; fear can spiral regardless of the application of logic)

• Catastrophising around their OCD, e.g.,

  • 'I can't find anywhere to wash my hands properly; this is terrible; I might die'