Common Neural Networks Between ocd and Behavioural Addictions: Is ocd a Behavioral Addiction?

2017 ◽  
Vol 41 (S1) ◽  
pp. S21-S22 ◽  
Author(s):  
G. Grassi ◽  
S. Pallanti

The stereotypical portrait of an obsessive–compulsive patient is an excessively self-controlled, risk aversive individual that acts in order to avoid potential loss or punishments. Although this portrait fits well with several clinical studies showing increased harm-avoidance in obsessive–compulsive disorder (OCD), more recent clinical, neuropsychological and neuroimaging studies challenged this idea and described a different portrait of OCD, showing several commonalities between OCD and addictions such as impulsivity, reward dysfunction and impaired decision-making. The results of these studies conflict with the stereotypical OCD portrait of doubtfulness and risk-aversiveness. In fact, these findings are prototypical for addiction and have led some authors in the last years to view OCD as a behavioral addiction. In our recently published article, we investigated the behavioral addiction model of obsessive (OCD), by assessing three core dimensions of addiction in patients with OCD and healthy participants. Similar to the common findings in addiction, OCD patients demonstrated increased impulsivity, risky decision-making, and biased probabilistic reasoning compared to healthy controls. During the presentation we will discuss the behavioral addiction model of OCD by focusing on common neuropsychological and neurobiological circuitries.Disclosure of interestThe authors have not supplied their declaration of competing interest.

2017 ◽  
Vol 41 (S1) ◽  
pp. S217-S218
Author(s):  
N. Nazarboland

Despite the neuropsychology literature provide reliable evidence of impaired executive functions in obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), it has not been determined whether these deficits are prior to onset of the disorder or they begin to appear as consequence. To investigate whether recent onset of OCD in adolescence is characterized by executive functioning difficulties in behavioral inhibition, attentional flexibility, and decision-making. Executive functions were compared in adolescents with recent (past year) appearance of OCD symptoms (n = 40) and control group (n = 40). Three computerized tests within the CANTAB battery were completed by all subjects (the Affective Go/No Go task, the Intra-Dimensional, Extra-Dimensional Set-Shifting task, and the Decision-Making task). Using one-way ANOVA showed that compared with control group, the OCD adolescents displayed a bias towards negative stimuli with less errors on sad and hopeless words on the Affective Go/No Go task. They also made faster decisions while they bet more of their available points compared to controls, in the Decision-Making task. Adolescents with recent OCD diagnosis (less than one year) showed greater attention towards sad and hopeless stimuli and more impulsive behavior when making decisions. However, they were able to switch attentional set to neutral stimuli. These findings suggest that executive functioning impairments can characterize adolescence OCD from early beginning of the disorder.Disclosure of interestThe author has not supplied his/her declaration of competing interest.


2009 ◽  
Vol 37 (2) ◽  
pp. 179-193 ◽  
Author(s):  
Steffen Moritz ◽  
Lena Jelinek

Background: Overestimation of threat (OET) is ascribed a pathogenetic role in obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). Aims: We hypothesized that OCD patients overestimate their personal but not the average risk for OCD-related events. Specifically, an attenuation of the common “unrealistic optimism” bias (UO) was expected for OCD patients. UO refers to the phenomenon that the subjective likelihood to personally experience a positive event is enhanced compared to other persons and vice versa for negative events. Method: Fifty-three participants with OCD as well as 40 healthy and 23 psychiatric controls participated in an internet survey. They were asked several questions about different event types (positive, negative, and OCD-related): the probability that this event will happen to oneself (block 1), to another person (block 2), comparison between oneself versus another person (block 3), appraisal of consequences (block 4), and prior encounters with event (block 5). Results: No evidence was obtained in OCD to overestimate the overall probability of negative or OCD-related events. However, whereas healthy participants displayed an UO bias, OCD participants perceived themselves as more vulnerable to experience OCD-related events. Conclusions: Results indicate that OCD is associated with inflated personal vulnerability and that this bias is not fully available to the consciousness of OCD participants.


2015 ◽  
Vol 69 ◽  
pp. 166-173 ◽  
Author(s):  
Helen Pushkarskaya ◽  
David Tolin ◽  
Lital Ruderman ◽  
Ariel Kirshenbaum ◽  
J. MacLaren Kelly ◽  
...  

2017 ◽  
Vol 41 (S1) ◽  
pp. S415-S415
Author(s):  
A. Mowla

IntroductionUp to 50% of patients with OCD have failed to respond in SSRI trials, so looking for pharmacological alternatives in treatment of obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) seems necessary.ObjectivesSurveying duloxetine augmentation in treatment of resistant OCD.AimsStudy the effects of serotonin-norepinephrine enhancers for treatment of OCD.MethodsThis augmentation trial was designed as an 8-week randomized controlled, double blind study. Forty-six patients suffering from OCD who had failed to respond to at least 12 weeks of treatment with a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (fluoxetine, citalopram or fluvoxamine) were randomly allocated to receive duloxetine or sertraline plus their current anti OCD treatment. Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale (Y-BOCS) was the primary outcome measure.ResultsForty-six patients (24 of 30 in duloxetine group and 22 of 27 in sertraline group) completed the trial. Both groups showed improvement over the 8-week study period (mean Y-BOCS total score at week 8 as compared with baseline: P < 0.001 and P < 0.001) without significant difference (P = 0.861). Those receiving duloxetine plus their initial medications experienced a mean decrease of 33.0% in Y-BOCS score and the patients with sertraline added to their initial medication experienced a mean decrease of 34.5% in Y-BOCS.ConclusionsOur double blind controlled clinical trial showed duloxetine to be as effective as sertraline in reducing obsessive and compulsive symptoms in resistant OCD patients. However, it needs to be noted that our study is preliminary and larger double blind placebo controlled studies are necessary to confirm the results.Disclosure of interestThe authors have not supplied their declaration of competing interest.


2016 ◽  
Vol 33 (S1) ◽  
pp. S496-S496 ◽  
Author(s):  
L. Silva ◽  
C. Raposo-Lima ◽  
C. Soares ◽  
J.J. Cerqueira ◽  
P. Morgado

IntroductionKoro syndrome is a culturally related disorder characterized by intense anxiety that the penis (vulva or nipples in females) is shrinking or retracting and will recede into the body. Usually it occurs in epidemics in Southeastern Asia, being extremely rare in western countries. The condition is more common in males and is classified within Obsessive Compulsive and Related Disorders.Case reportA 27-year-old single man was referred to the psychiatric department. By the age of 23, he began worrying that his penis was shrinking and retracting into the abdomen. He described these thoughts as intrusive, ridiculous and repetitive. During the first months the thoughts were not very disturbing but he progressively developed an urge to verify the length of his penis several times a day. To diminish the anxiety provoked by the obsessive doubts on penis length, he started to have repetitive thoughts and mental images about sexual acts, to consume pornography compulsively and to increase his masturbatory behaviors (from some times a week to several times a day). He described those thoughts and behaviors as unpleasant and uniquely driven to reduce anxiety provoked by obsessions.He was prescribed fluvoxamine 200 mg/day and initiated cognitive behavioral therapy with good response. Y-BOCS score decreased from 30 at initial evaluation to 18 after 3 months of treatment.ConclusionsKoro syndrome is a very rare condition in psychiatry in western countries, usually presenting secondarily to other psychiatric disorders. Awareness of this diagnosis and knowledge on its management are critical to provide optimal care to patients.Disclosure of interestThe authors have not supplied their declaration of competing interest.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
POONAM BHARTI ◽  
Angad harshbir singh ◽  
Parul Gupta

Abstract Background- Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is one of the most frequently associated comorbidities in bipolar disorder (BD). While this presents a challenge in understanding the phenomenology and also the treatment aspect of co occurrence of mania with OCD. Case history- The index case is of an elderly female who presented with OC symptoms and while on treatment had mania episodes. The mania episodes presented challenges while managing underlying OC symptoms. Conclusion- The common neurobiological mechanism for the co-morbid illness and treatment lacunae are discussed. The serotonin, dopamine, and glutamate having important role in BD-OCD were evaluated to understand the neurobiological basis of BD-OCD. The index case presented with the challenge of understanding the phenomenology of the illness but also presented with opportunity to learn and successfully manage patients with such co-morbidity. Divalproex and risperidone combo was found to be effective in controlling mania in OCD patients.


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