Inversion of the “Unrealistic Optimism” Bias Contributes to Overestimation of Threat in Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder

2009 ◽  
Vol 37 (2) ◽  
pp. 179-193 ◽  
Author(s):  
Steffen Moritz ◽  
Lena Jelinek
Keyword(s):  
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder ◽  
Internet Survey ◽  
Average Risk ◽  
Negative Events ◽  
Unrealistic Optimism ◽  
Obsessive Compulsive ◽  
Optimism Bias ◽  
Compulsive Disorder ◽  
The Common ◽  
Healthy Participants

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.

Patterns of cannabis use among individuals with obsessive-compulsive disorder: Results from an internet survey

2021 ◽  
Vol 30 ◽  
pp. 100664
Author(s):  
Reilly R. Kayser ◽  
Meredith S. Senter ◽  
Rebecca Tobet ◽  
Marissa Raskin ◽  
Sapana Patel ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder ◽  
Cannabis Use ◽  
Internet Survey ◽  
Obsessive Compulsive ◽  
Compulsive Disorder

scholarly journals A Comparison of Manifestations and Impact of Reassurance Seeking among Japanese Individuals with OCD and Depression

2014 ◽  
Vol 43 (5) ◽  
pp. 623-634 ◽  
Author(s):  
Osamu Kobori ◽  
Yoko Sawamiya ◽  
Masaomi Iyo ◽  
Eiji Shimizu
Keyword(s):  
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder ◽  
Obsessive Compulsive ◽  
Reassurance Seeking ◽  
Compulsive Disorder ◽  
Key Aspects ◽  
Healthy Participants

Background: One of the most common interpersonal reactions to threat and anxiety is to seek reassurance from a trusted person. The Reassurance Seeking Questionnaire (ReSQ) measures several key aspects of reassurance seeking behaviour, including frequency, trust of sources, intensity, carefulness, and the emotional consequences of reassurance seeking. Aims: The current study compares patterns and consequences of reassurance seeking in obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and depression. Method: ReSQ scores were compared for three groups: 32 individuals with OCD, 17 individuals with depression, and 24 healthy comparison participants. Results: We found that individuals with OCD tended to seek reassurance more intensely and employ self-reassurance more frequently than individuals with depression or healthy participants, and that if reassurance was not provided, they tended to feel a greater urge to seek additional reassurance. Conclusions: This study is the first to quantitatively elucidate differences in reassurance seeking between OCD and depression.

scholarly journals Obsessive–Compulsive Disorder and Sexuality: A Narrative Review

2020 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 37-43
Author(s):  
Arpit Koolwal ◽  
Supriya Agarwal ◽  
Shivanand Manohar ◽  
Ghanshyam Das Koolwal ◽  
Anubha Gupta
Keyword(s):  
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder ◽  
Sexual Functioning ◽  
Review Article ◽  
Sexual Life ◽  
Relationship Functioning ◽  
Sexual Dysfunctions ◽  
Obsessive Compulsive ◽  
Compulsive Disorder ◽  
The Common ◽  
Entity Relationship

Obsessive–compulsive disorder (OCD) is one of the common psychiatric disorders. Despite being one of the basic aspects of biology, the sexual functioning in OCD patients has not received much attention, with there being very limited research on sexuality in these patients. In this review article, we try to take a look at the research on sexual functioning, sexual dysfunctions, and neurobiology of sexual dysfunctions in the anxiety disorders in general and in OCD specifically. We also take a look at the research on relationship functioning in the patients with OCD, a recently proposed entity, relationship-related obsessive compulsive phenomenon, at the sexual obsessions, and the sexual functioning in patients on active treatment for OCD. The overall research suggests that we should always take into account the sexual life and functioning of patients presenting with OCD.

scholarly journals Does clozapine cause or worsen obsessive compulsive symptoms? An analysis and literature review

2011 ◽  
Vol 1 (6) ◽  
pp. 181-188 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephen Bleakley ◽  
David Brown ◽  
David Taylor
Keyword(s):  
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder ◽  
De Novo ◽  
Case Reports ◽  
Obsessive Compulsive ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Obsessive Compulsive Symptoms ◽  
Compulsive Disorder ◽  
Clozapine Treatment ◽  
Increased Risk ◽  
The Common

Background: Clozapine is the most effective antipsychotic in treatment-resistant schizophrenia but its use portends with a high burden of adverse reactions. One adverse event reported both in case reports and cross-sectional surveys is the emergence or worsening of obsessive compulsive symptoms (OCS). Objectives: This study presents a retrospective review of a UK cohort of clozapine-treated individuals with the aim to further investigate the complex relationship between clozapine and OCS. Methods: An extensive review of the medical records of 49 patients receiving clozapine in the Southampton area was undertaken. We searched for a diagnosis of obsessive compulsive disorder, signs or symptoms of obsessive compulsive disorder or the prescribing of selected antidepressants the year before clozapine initiation and the year after. Results: Fifteen patients (31%) had reports of OCS during the 2-year data collection period. Twelve patients (24%) had OCS before clozapine initiation while only 7 (14%) had symptoms after clozapine was initiated. De novo OCS were reported in three (6%) cases after 5–9 months of clozapine treatment. Conclusions: As with previous studies it was not possible to establish a definitive link between clozapine and OCS. Clinicians should be mindful of the common comorbidity of OCS and schizophrenia and the possible increased risk incurred when starting clozapine.

scholarly journals The experiences of help-seeking in people with obsessive compulsive disorder: an internet survey

2016 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thanh Mai Vuong ◽  
Judith Gellatly ◽  
Karina Lovell ◽  
Penny Bee
Keyword(s):  
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder ◽  
Health Professionals ◽  
Help Seeking ◽  
Mental Health Disorder ◽  
Economic Consequences ◽  
Internet Survey ◽  
Obsessive Compulsive ◽  
Compulsive Disorder ◽  
Awareness Campaigns ◽  
The Right

AbstractObsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) is a debilitating mental health disorder, with prevalence in adults of around 3.1%. The social and economic consequences of OCD are high for patients and their families. It is unlikely to improve without treatment. Help-seeking for treatment is often delayed and studies have found an average treatment gap of up to 17 years. This study aimed to explore the factors that influenced how, when and why people sought help and to identify any issues that they faced during help-seeking. Individuals experiencing OCD were invited to complete a web-based survey hosted on a national OCD charity website over a 3-month period. Eighty-eight individuals took part. Most had sought help from their general practitioner (GP), while others accessed websites and private services. Lack of awareness and understanding by health professionals was reported as a problem, as was the speed of referral or getting the right treatment. There is a need for further training and education for health professionals and GPs. Education and awareness campaigns for the general public, with more focus on how help can be sought, and on the different types of OCD may contribute to improving recognition of symptoms and accessing timely help.

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
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Probabilistic Reasoning ◽  
Behavioral Addiction ◽  
Obsessive Compulsive ◽  
Risky Decision ◽  
Compulsive Disorder ◽  
The Common ◽  
Competing Interest ◽  
Healthy Participants ◽  
Behavioural Addictions

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.

Affective forecasting accuracy in obsessive compulsive disorder

2019 ◽  
Vol 47 (5) ◽  
pp. 573-584 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dianne M. Hezel ◽  
S. Evelyn Stewart ◽  
Bradley C. Riemann ◽  
Richard J. McNally
Keyword(s):  
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder ◽  
Cognitive Biases ◽  
Affective Forecasting ◽  
Self Report ◽  
Negative Events ◽  
Obsessive Compulsive ◽  
Socially Anxious ◽  
Forecasting Accuracy ◽  
Compulsive Disorder ◽  
Broad Domain

AbstractBackground:Research indicates that people suffering from obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) possess several cognitive biases, including a tendency to over-estimate threat and avoid risk. Studies have suggested that people with OCD not only over-estimate the severity of negative events, but also under-estimate their ability to cope with such occurrences. What is less clear is if they also miscalculate the extent to which they will be emotionally impacted by a given experience.Aims:The aim of the current study was twofold. First, we examined if people with OCD are especially poor at predicting their emotional responses to future events (i.e. affective forecasting). Second, we analysed the relationship between affective forecasting accuracy and risk assessment across a broad domain of behaviours.Method:Forty-one OCD, 42 non-anxious, and 40 socially anxious subjects completed an affective forecasting task and a self-report measure of risk-taking.Results:Findings revealed that affective forecasting accuracy did not differ among the groups. In addition, there was little evidence that affective forecasting errors are related to how people assess risk in a variety of situations.Conclusions:The results of our study suggest that affective forecasting is unlikely to contribute to the phenomenology of OCD or social anxiety disorder. However, that people over-estimate the hedonic impact of negative events might have interesting implications for the treatment of OCD and other disorders treated with exposure therapy.

Generic and Illness-Specific Quality of Life in Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder

2010 ◽  
Vol 38 (4) ◽  
pp. 417-436 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marit Hauschildt ◽  
Lena Jelinek ◽  
Sarah Randjbar ◽  
Birgit Hottenrott ◽  
Steffen Moritz
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Life ◽  
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder ◽  
Self Report ◽  
Internet Survey ◽  
Obsessive Compulsive ◽  
Compulsive Disorder ◽  
Health Related Qol ◽  
Comprehensive Picture ◽  
Health Related

Background: Obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) is a chronic and disabling disorder. It profoundly compromises various aspects of patients’ everyday life, thus affecting their quality of life (QoL). Using generic instruments, several studies have confirmed severely impaired health-related QoL in patients diagnosed with OCD. However, there has been a dearth of research on illness-specific QoL. Aims: The present study aimed to further investigate subjective QoL in individuals with OCD with a focus on illness-specific aspects. Method: To assess subjective QoL in a broad OCD sample, an internet survey was conducted with 123 participants with obsessive-compulsive symptoms. The survey comprised both a generic (WHOQOL-BREF) and a novel self-developed OCD-specific QoL measure (QoLOC). Psychopathology was determined with diagnostic standard instruments (self-report forms of: Y-BOCS, OCI-R, BDI-SF). Results: Regression analyses confirmed depression as the best predictor for decreased QoL. In addition, participants reported high despair resulting from OCD-related problems that differed across symptom subtypes. An exploratory factor analysis suggested four domains of OCD-specific problems tapped by the QoLOC: (1) depressiveness in association with OCD; (2) constraints in activities due to OCD symptoms or avoidance; (3) problems with partner and/or family due to OCD symptoms or avoidance; (4) self-concept/coping of own illness. Conclusions: Results produced a comprehensive picture of QoL impairments and their relation to psychopathology in a representative OCD sample. Illness-specific concerns should be further addressed in QoL research in OCD because such problems are not sufficiently mirrored in generic QoL measures.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document