Anxiety and obsessive–compulsive disorders

Author(s):  
Philip Cowen ◽  
Paul Harrison ◽  
Tom Burns

Chapter 9 discusses how the symptom of anxiety is found in many disorders. In the anxiety disorders, it is the most severe and prominent symptom, and it is also prominent in the obsessional disorders, although these are characterizedby their striking obsessional symptoms. In DSM-IV, obsessive–compulsive disorder is classifi ed as a type of anxiety disorder, but in ICD-10 it is classified separately. We have followed the DSM convention and included obsessional disorders in this chapter, as well as covering generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), phobias, panic, mixed anxiety and depression, transcultural variations, and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD).

CNS Spectrums ◽  
2008 ◽  
Vol 13 (S14) ◽  
pp. 6-15 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stefano Pallanti ◽  
Eric Hollander

AbstractAs a result of clinical, epidemiological, neuroimaging, and therapy studies that took place in the late 1980s, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) has been well-characterized in the field of anxiety disorders. Other disorders attracted attention for their similarities to OCD, and were located in the orbit of the disorder. OCD has become known as the “primary domain” of a scientific “metaphor” comprising the putative cluster of OCD-related disorders (OCRDs). It is a “paradigm” with which to explore basal ganglia dysfunction. The OCRDs share common phenomenology, comorbidities, lifetime course, demographics, possible genetics, and frontostriatal dysfunction (particularly caudate hyperactivity.) The adoption of this metaphor analogy has proven useful. However, 15 years since its emergence, the spectrum of obsessive-compulsive disorders remains controversial. Questions under debate include whether OCD is a unitary or split condition, whether it is an anxiety disorder, and whether there exists only one spectrum or several possible spectrums. Further work is needed to clarify obsessive-compulsive symptoms, subtypes, and endophenotypes. There is need to integrate existing databases, better define associated symptom domains, and create a more comprehensive endophenotyping protocol for OCRDs. There is also a need to integrate biological and psychological perspectives, concepts, and data to drive this evolution. By increasing research in this field, the OCD spectrum may evolve from a fragmented level of conceptualization as a “metaphor” to one that is more comprehensive and structured.


2017 ◽  
Vol 45 ◽  
pp. 139-153 ◽  
Author(s):  
X. Sun ◽  
C. Zhu ◽  
S.H.W. So

AbstractBackground:Dysfunctions in metacognition have been reported in individuals with anxiety disorders. Although recent studies have examined metacognition in other disorders, how dysfunctional metacognition compares across disorders is not clear. This review aimed to ascertain the importance of dysfunctional metacognition in various psychopathologies, and to identify similarities and differences in metacognitive profiles across disorders.Methods:Forty-seven studies were selected from 586 articles published between 1990 and August 2015, including a total sample of 3772 patients and 3376 healthy individuals. Studies that measured metacognition using the Meta-Cognitions Questionnaire (MCQ) and its variants were included. We conducted five meta-analyses including 49 to 55 effect sizes, comparing psychiatric patients to healthy individuals on respective metacognitive dimensions of the MCQ.Results:We found elevated metacognitive dysfunctions in patients, as a group, on all MCQ dimensions. Group effects were large and robust for the two negative beliefs (i.e., beliefs about the uncontrollability and danger of thoughts, and beliefs about the need to control thoughts), and moderate and unstable for the positive beliefs. Patients showed decreased cognitive confidence and heightened cognitive self-consciousness on moderate to large levels. Moderator analyses revealed that negative beliefs about uncontrollability and danger of thoughts were most prevalent in generalized anxiety disorder, whereas heightened cognitive self-consciousness was more characteristic in obsessive-compulsive disorder. Generalized anxiety disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder and eating disorders manifested more similar metacognitive profiles than other disorders.Conclusions:Our findings supported dysfunctional metacognition as common processes across psychopathologies, with certain dimensions being more prevalent in particular disorders.


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