OCD, death anxiety, and attachment: what’s love got to do with it?

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-11
Author(s):  
Rachel E. Verin ◽  
Rachel E. Menzies ◽  
Ross G. Menzies
Keyword(s):  
Attachment Style ◽  
Death Anxiety ◽  
Strong Predictor ◽  
Diagnostic Interview ◽  
Moderating Effect ◽  
Fear Of Death ◽  
Obsessive Compulsive ◽  
Compulsive Disorder ◽  
Avoidant Attachment ◽  
The Relationship

Abstract Background: Death anxiety has been empirically implicated in obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD). Research has shown that secure attachments appear to protect against fear of death, and are also associated with reduced risk of mental illness. However, few studies have investigated the moderating effect of attachment style in the relationship between death anxiety and OCD. Aims: The present study sought to explore whether attachment style moderates the relationship between death anxiety and OCD symptoms among a treatment-seeking sample of individuals diagnosed with OCD. Method: Following a structured diagnostic interview, a number of measures were administered to 48 participants. These included the Multidimensional Fear of Death Scale, Vancouver Obsessive Compulsive Inventory, and Experiences in Close Relationships-Revised. Results: As expected, death anxiety was a strong predictor of OCD severity, and other markers of psychopathology. However, contrary to hypotheses, neither anxious nor avoidant attachment style moderated the association between fear of death and OCD severity. Conclusions: The current findings add further support to the role of death anxiety in OCD. Given the absence of a moderating effect of attachment between death fears and OCD severity, it is possible that this proposed buffer against death anxiety may potentially be insufficient in the presence of this disorder. Further research is needed to clarify whether attachment style may moderate the relationship between death anxiety and symptom severity in other disorders.

The Relationship Between Death Anxiety and Severity of Mental Illnesses

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rachel E Menzies ◽  
Ilan Dar-Nimrod
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Attachment Style ◽  
Meaning In Life ◽  
Death Anxiety ◽  
Strong Predictor ◽  
Mental Illnesses ◽  
Treatment Seeking ◽  
Clinical Samples ◽  
Compulsive Disorder ◽  
The Relationship

Death anxiety has been implicated theoretically and empirically in mental health, and has been proposed to be a transdiagnostic construct. However, it has largely been investigated in relation to specific disorders, such as obsessive compulsive disorder. Few studies have assessed the relationship between death anxiety and psychopathology using heterogeneous treatment-seeking clinical samples. In the present study, the relationships between death anxiety and broad markers of psychopathology were explored in 200 treatment-seeking participants with various diagnosed mental disorders. Across the sample, death anxiety was a strong predictor of psychopathology, including the number of lifetime diagnoses, medications, hospitalisations, distress/impairment, depression, anxiety, and stress. This relationship was not accounted for by neuroticism. Large to very large correlations were also consistently found between a measure of death anxiety and the symptom severity of 12 disorders. Neither meaning in life nor attachment style moderated the associations between death fears and psychopathology. The findings reveal a strong relationship between death anxiety and psychopathology across numerous disorders, further supporting the transdiagnostic role of fears of death. As such, clinical implications revolve around the potential need for innovative treatments which address death fears directly, in order to produce long-term improvements in mental health. However, experimental research is needed to ascertain causal relationships.

The Price of Love: An Investigation into the Relationship between Romantic Love and the Expression of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder

CNS Spectrums ◽  
2021 ◽  
pp. 1-33
Author(s):  
James McLauchlan ◽  
Emma M. Thompson ◽  
Ygor A. Ferrão ◽  
Euripedes C. Miguel ◽  
Lucy Albertella ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder ◽  
Romantic Love ◽  
Obsessive Compulsive ◽  
Compulsive Disorder ◽  
The Relationship

Disentangling Doubt and Checking Behaviors and Examining Their Association With Obsessive Compulsive Symptoms

2021 ◽  
pp. 216770262199386
Author(s):  
Asher Y. Strauss ◽  
Isaac Fradkin ◽  
Jonathan D. Huppert
Keyword(s):  
Mouse Tracking ◽  
Obsessive Compulsive ◽  
Obsessive Compulsive Symptoms ◽  
Compulsive Disorder ◽  
Null Results ◽  
Unobtrusive Measure ◽  
Compulsive Checking ◽  
Tone Discrimination ◽  
Neutral Conditions ◽  
The Relationship

Experiencing doubt in an uncertain situation has been theorized to be an antecedent of compulsive checking. However, whether and when obsessive compulsive (OC) symptoms are associated with experiencing doubt and increased checking is unclear. In this study, we investigated the relationship between OC symptoms, the experience of doubt, and checking in a tone-discrimination task. Doubt was measured using mouse tracking, an indirect, unobtrusive measure. The results of two studies ( N = 119) showed that OC symptoms were associated with elevated experiences of doubt when uncertainty was low. However, OC symptoms were not associated with increased checking, but doubt was. Results highlight the utility of mouse-tracking measures to capture the tendency of individuals with OC symptoms to experience doubt even under neutral conditions. The unexpected null results concerning checking suggest some specific directions for research to determine the conditions under which doubt evolves into checking in obsessive compulsive disorder.

scholarly journals The Role of Self-Talk in Predicting Death Anxiety, Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, and Coping Strategies in the Face of Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19)

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Esmaeil Sadri Damirchi ◽  
Arezoo Mojarrad ◽  
Saeed Pireinaladin ◽  
Andrej M M Grjibovski
Keyword(s):  
Coping Strategies ◽  
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder ◽  
Coping Style ◽  
Death Anxiety ◽  
Obsessive Compulsive ◽  
Compulsive Disorder ◽  
Self Talk ◽  
The Face ◽  
And Coping

Objective: Nowadays, the outbreak of Coronavirus (COVID-19) is one of the most stressful resources that has led to the rise of different levels of psychological crisis. In addition to the countries affected by the COVID-19, such as China, European and American countries, Iran has appeared as one of the most affected countries with high infected cases and deaths. Thus, the purpose of this study was to investigate the role of self-talk in predicting death anxiety, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and coping strategies in the face of COVID-19. Method: This descriptive and correlational study was conducted on 354 adults living in Ardabil, Iran, who were selected using cluster sampling from 21 January to 19 March 2020. Self-Talk questionnaires, Coping Strategies, Death Anxiety, and Obsessive-Compulsive questionnaires were used for data collection. Descriptive statistics, Pearson correlation, and multiple linear regression were used for data analysis. Results: The findings revealed a significant positive relationship between self-talk and problem-centered coping style. Also, significant negative relationships were found between self-talk and emotional coping style, death anxiety, and obsessive-compulsive disorder. Furthermore, based on the results of the regression test, self-talk predicted problem-centered style, emotional-coping style, death anxiety, and obsessive-compulsive disorder. Conclusion: The results of this study emphasize the need for psychological crisis intervention during the COVID-19 outbreak. Also, this study provides an important step in shifting attention to self-talk skills from sport psychology fields toward clinical psychology, especially about the mental impacts of COVID-19.

scholarly journals The Mediating Role of Alexithymia in the Relationship of Coping Strategies and Personality Traits With Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder

2021 ◽  
Vol 27 (1) ◽  
pp. 62-81
Author(s):  
Masoud Bagheri ◽  
◽  
Kazem Nematollah Zadeh Mahani ◽  
Maryam Pour Amrollahi ◽  
◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Personality Traits ◽  
Coping Strategies ◽  
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder ◽  
Psychological Health ◽  
Obsessive Compulsive ◽  
Positive Correlation ◽  
Compulsive Disorder ◽  
Mediating Role ◽  
The Relationship

Aims: Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) is one of the severe psychological health problems imposing considerable social and economic costs on society. OCD debilitating symptoms can disrupt interpersonal relations, job performance, and life quality. The purpose of this study is to investigate the mediating role of alexithymia in the relationship between coping strategies and personality traits with OCD. Methods & Materials: This is a descriptive correlational study. The study population consists of all people with OCD referred to psychiatric clinics in Kerman City, Iran, during 2018-2019. Of this population, 200 patients were selected using a convenience sampling method. Research instruments included the ways of coping questionnaire, NEO five-factor personality inventory, Toronto alexithymia scale, and Maudsley obsessive-compulsive test. The obtained data were analyzed using the Pearson correlation test and simultaneous and hierarchical regression in SPSS v. 23. Findings: Personality traits had a negative significant correlation with alexithymia (r=0.523, P<0.000) and OCD (r=0.253, P<0.000). Alexithymia had a significant positive correlation with OCD (r=0.272, P<0.000). There was no correlation between problem-focused coping and alexithymia (r=-0.045, P<0.531). There was a positive correlation between emotion-focused coping and OCD (r=0.198, P<0.000). The fit indices indicated a good fit of the proposed model (P<0.005). Conclusion: Alexithymia, as a mediator of the relationship between coping styles and personality traits with OCD, plays an essential role in improving the psychological health of people with OCD.

scholarly journals Brain Activation of Patients With Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder During a Mental Rotation Task: A Functional MRI Study

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sanghoon Oh ◽  
Wi Hoon Jung ◽  
Taekwan Kim ◽  
Geumsook Shim ◽  
Jun Soo Kwon
Keyword(s):  
Magnetic Resonance Imaging ◽  
Cognitive Function ◽  
Neural Activity ◽  
Symptom Severity ◽  
Brain Activation ◽  
Functional Magnetic Resonance ◽  
Resonance Imaging ◽  
Obsessive Compulsive ◽  
Compulsive Disorder ◽  
The Relationship

Functional neuroimaging studies have implicated alterations in frontostriatal and frontoparietal circuits in obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) during various tasks. To date, however, brain activation for visuospatial function in conjunction with symptoms in OCD has not been comprehensively evaluated. To elucidate the relationship between neural activity, cognitive function, and obsessive-compulsive symptoms, we investigated regional brain activation during the performance of a visuospatial task in patients with OCD using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). Seventeen medication-free patients with OCD and 21 age-, sex-, and IQ-matched healthy controls participated in this study. Functional magnetic resonance imaging data were obtained while the subjects performed a mental rotation (MR) task. Brain activation during the task was compared between the two groups using a two-sample t-test. Voxel-wise whole-brain multiple regression analyses were also performed to examine the relationship between obsessive-compulsive symptom severity and neural activity during the task. The two groups did not differ in MR task performance. Both groups also showed similar task-related activation patterns in frontoparietal regions with no significant differences. Activation in the right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex in patients with OCD during the MR task was positively associated with their total Yale-Brown Obsessive-Compulsive Scale (Y-BOCS) scores. This study identified the specific brain areas associated with the interaction between symptom severity and visuospatial cognitive function during an MR task in medication-free patients with OCD. These findings may serve as potential neuromodulation targets for OCD treatment.

Correlational research on facial and clinical characteristics of adolescents with obsessive-compulsive disorder

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yanrong Wang ◽  
Shaohua Chang ◽  
Xiaomin Ma ◽  
Jiying Li ◽  
Ruixia Zhang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder ◽  
Clinical Characteristics ◽  
Healthy Controls ◽  
Obsessive Compulsive ◽  
Lower Lip ◽  
Compulsive Disorder ◽  
Correlational Research ◽  
Nasolabial Angle ◽  
The Difference ◽  
The Relationship

Abstract We examined the relationship between facial morphological features and clinical characteristics of adolescents with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). The enrolled study sample comprised 40 adolescents diagnosed with OCD using the Obsessive Compulsive Inventory Child Version (OCI-CV) and 38 healthy controls (HCs). Facial photos, 21 facial diameters, and nine facial angles were collected using image software. In males, lower lip red height was significantly lower in OCD patients than in HCs (P < 0.05); no significant differences were observed in other facial indicators (all P > 0.05). In females, the nasolabial angle was smaller in OCD patients than in HCs (P < 0.05); no significant differences were observed in other facial indicators (all P > 0.05). The difference in lower lip red height between the OCD group and HC group was positively correlated with mental neutralization symptoms (r = 0.401, P < 0.05). Our findings highlight the relationship between facial and clinical characteristics in OCD patients.

scholarly journals Obsessive–compulsive disorder: subclassification based on co-morbidity

2008 ◽  
Vol 39 (9) ◽  
pp. 1491-1501 ◽  
Author(s):  
G. Nestadt ◽  
C. Z. Di ◽  
M. A. Riddle ◽  
M. A. Grados ◽  
B. D. Greenberg ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Anxiety Disorder ◽  
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder ◽  
Clinical Characteristics ◽  
Latent Class ◽  
Age At Onset ◽  
Separation Anxiety Disorder ◽  
Obsessive Compulsive ◽  
Compulsive Disorder ◽  
Co Morbidity ◽  
The Relationship

BackgroundObsessive–compulsive disorder (OCD) is probably an etiologically heterogeneous condition. Many patients manifest other psychiatric syndromes. This study investigated the relationship between OCD and co-morbid conditions to identify subtypes.MethodSeven hundred and six individuals with OCD were assessed in the OCD Collaborative Genetics Study (OCGS). Multi-level latent class analysis was conducted based on the presence of eight co-morbid psychiatric conditions [generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), major depression, panic disorder (PD), separation anxiety disorder (SAD), tics, mania, somatization disorders (Som) and grooming disorders (GrD)]. The relationship of the derived classes to specific clinical characteristics was investigated.ResultsTwo and three classes of OCD syndromes emerge from the analyses. The two-class solution describes lesser and greater co-morbidity classes and the more descriptive three-class solution is characterized by: (1) an OCD simplex class, in which major depressive disorder (MDD) is the most frequent additional disorder; (2) an OCD co-morbid tic-related class, in which tics are prominent and affective syndromes are considerably rarer; and (3) an OCD co-morbid affective-related class in which PD and affective syndromes are highly represented. The OCD co-morbid tic-related class is predominantly male and characterized by high conscientiousness. The OCD co-morbid affective-related class is predominantly female, has a young age at onset, obsessive–compulsive personality disorder (OCPD) features, high scores on the ‘taboo’ factor of OCD symptoms, and low conscientiousness.ConclusionsOCD can be classified into three classes based on co-morbidity. Membership within a class is differentially associated with other clinical characteristics. These classes, if replicated, should have important implications for research and clinical endeavors.

scholarly journals Preliminary evidence of the effectiveness of acceptance and commitment therapy for death anxiety in Iranian clients diagnosed with obsessive-compulsive disorder

2020 ◽  
Vol 84 (Supplement A) ◽  
pp. 1-11
Author(s):  
Mohammad Hassan Davazdahemami ◽  
Abolfazl Bayrami ◽  
Julie M. Petersen ◽  
Michael P. Twohig ◽  
Maryam Bakhtiyari ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder ◽  
Acceptance And Commitment Therapy ◽  
Death Anxiety ◽  
Visual Analysis ◽  
Preliminary Evidence ◽  
Adult Women ◽  
Obsessive Compulsive ◽  
Compulsive Disorder ◽  
Commitment Therapy ◽  
Acceptance And Commitment

The authors investigated the effectiveness of acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) for the treatment of death anxiety and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) with eight adult women in Iran. The ACT protocol was conducted in weekly solo sessions with each participant for 8 weeks (45 minutes each). The results were analyzed by visual analysis method and improvement percentage. ACT resulted in a 60%–80% decrease in death anxiety and a 51%–60% decrease in obsessive-compulsive symptoms, thereby indicating promise for ACT as a treatment for OCD and death anxiety.

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