Cognitive Approaches to Understanding Obsessive Compulsive and Related Disorders

Author(s):  
Steven Taylor ◽  
Jonathan S. Abramowitz ◽  
Dean McKay ◽  
Carrie Cuttler

This chapter focuses on cognitive models of obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) and related disorders. It begins with a historical perspective, in which the antecedents of cognitive models are described. Contemporary cognitive models are then reviewed, predictions derived from the models are identified, and empirical evidence for these predictions is summarized. This is followed by a review of cognitive models of four OC-related disorders: hoarding, hypochondriasis, body dysmorphic disorder, and trichotillomania. Finally, the conceptual problems with cognitive models of OCD and related disorders are identified, suggestions for improvements to the models are made, and potentially fruitful directions for future research are proposed.

2008 ◽  
Vol 36 (4) ◽  
pp. 463-471 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shirley Reynolds ◽  
Jenny Reeves

AbstractCognitive models of obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) have been influential in understanding and treating the disorder in adults. Cognitive models may also be applicable to children and adolescents and would have important implications for treatment. The aim of this systematic review was to evaluate research that examined the applicability of the cognitive model of OCD to children and adolescents. Inclusion criteria were set broadly but most studies identified included data regarding responsibility appraisals, thought-action fusion or meta-cognitive models of OCD in children or adolescents. Eleven studies were identified in a systematic literature search. Seven studies were with non clinical samples, and 10 studies were cross-sectional. Only one study did not support cognitive models of OCD in children and adolescents and this was with a clinical sample and was the only experimental study. Overall, the results strongly supported the applicability of cognitive models of OCD to children and young people. There were, however, clear gaps in the literature. Future research should include experimental studies, clinical groups, and should test which of the different models provide more explanatory power.


CNS Spectrums ◽  
2007 ◽  
Vol 12 (5) ◽  
pp. 359-375 ◽  
Author(s):  
Naomi A. Fineberg ◽  
Sanjaya Saxena ◽  
Joseph Zohar ◽  
Kevin J. Craig

ABSTRACTThe boundaries between obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and other neuropsychiatric disorders remain unresolved and may well differ from one disorder to another. Endophenotypes are heritable, quantitative traits hypothesized to more closely represent genetic risk for complex polygenic mental disorders than overt symptoms and behaviors. They may have a role in identifying how closely these disorders are associated with another and with other mental disorders with which they share major comorbidity. This review maps the nosological relationships of OCD to other neuropsychiatric disorders, using OCD as the prototype disorder and endophenotype markers, such as cognitive, imaging, and molecular data as well as results from demographic, comorbidity, family, and treatment studies. Despite high comorbidity rates, emerging evidence suggests substantial endophenotypic differences between OCD and anxiety disorders, depression, schizophrenia, and addictions, though comparative data is lacking and the picture is far from clear. On the other hand, strong relationships between OCD, Tourette syndrome, body dysmorphic disorder, hypochondriasis, grooming disorders, obsessive-compulsive personality disorder, and pediatric autoimmune neuropsychiatric disorders associated with streptococcus are likely. Studies designed to delineate the cause, consequences, and common factors are a challenging but essential goal for future research in this area.


Author(s):  
Adam S. Radomsky ◽  
Gillian M. Alcolado

Information processing research has become increasingly important in understanding a large number of different disorders, including obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD). This work, which focuses on the factors affecting attention, encoding (learning), and different types of memory, promises not only to improve our knowledge of the psychopathology of OCD and related problems, but also to influence the treatment of these often severe and debilitating conditions. This chapter reviews the history and research associated with aspects of information processing as they relate to both the psychopathology and treatment of OCD, trichotillomania, and body dysmorphic disorder. This includes descriptions of some experimental methodologies used to assess challenging aspects of cognition in OCD. Consistencies and inconsistencies in the literature are highlighted, and an attempt is made to resolve some of them through conceptualizing information-processing studies as either relevant or irrelevant to the experience of OCD. Ideas and questions for future research are proposed.


Author(s):  
Jordana Muroff ◽  
Abigail Ross ◽  
Joseph Rothfarb

While cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) and pharmacotherapy are “gold standard” treatments for obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), complementary and alternative treatments are frequently sought for anxiety disorders. The purpose of this chapter is to review and discuss the available research on the application, efficacy and effectiveness of complementary and alternative methods for treating OCD. The first section identifies and reviews studies focusing on specific alternative and complementary treatments that are independent from, or work in conjunction with CBT, such as yoga, herbal remedies, motivational strategies, and bibliotherapy. The second section discusses alternative and complementary methods of more mainstream CBT and related techniques, with a particular focus on technology-supported approaches. The chapter concludes with a discussion of the methodological issues in the existing research on complementary and alternative methods in the treatment of OCD, questions for future research, and implications for providers.


CNS Spectrums ◽  
2021 ◽  
pp. 1-18
Author(s):  
Long Long Chen ◽  
Oskar Flygare ◽  
John Wallert ◽  
Jesper Enander ◽  
Volen Z. Ivanov ◽  
...  

2014 ◽  
Vol 16 (2) ◽  
pp. 239-254 ◽  

The purpose of the article was to provide an overview of patient-reported outcomes (PROs) and related measures that have been examined in the context of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). The current review focused on patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) that evaluated three broad outcome domains: functioning, health-related quality of life (HRQoL), and OCD-related symptoms. The present review ultimately included a total of 155 unique articles and 22 PROMs. An examination of the PROs revealed that OCD patients tend to suffer from significant functional disability, and report lower HRQoL than controls. OCD patients report greater symptom severity than patients with other mental disorders and evidence indicates that PROMs are sensitive to change and may be even better than clinician-rated measures at predicting treatment outcomes. Nonetheless, it should be noted that the measures reviewed lacked patient input in their development. Future research on PROMs must involve patient perspectives and include rigorous psychometric evaluation of these measures.


Author(s):  
Damian Mellifont

The inclusivity of neurodiversity conferences is a new field of research. Utilising Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) as an example, this study aims to critically investigate issues of inclusivity in the flyers advertising these conferences. This exploratory research is informed by 22 conference flyers and 14 scholarly articles retrieved from respective internet and Google Scholar enquiries. These articles offered evidence-based justifications for a greater inclusion of OCD-focused content in neurodiversity conferences. The study cautions that the lack of explicit inclusion of OCD as a topic among conferences can be harmful to persons who identify with this particular type of neurodivergence. This study offers a sound base from which future research focusing upon other forms of neurodivergence and issues of neurodiversity conference inclusivity and intersectionality can develop.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Long Long Chen ◽  
Oskar Flygare ◽  
John Wallert ◽  
Jesper Enander ◽  
Volen Ivanov ◽  
...  

Objective: To assess executive functions in patients with Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD) and Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) compared with healthy controls. Methods: Adults diagnosed with BDD (n=26) or OCD (n=29) according to DSM-5, and healthy controls (n=28) underwent validated and computerized neuropsychological tests; spatial working memory (SWM), Intra- extra dimensional set shifting (IED) and Stop signal task (SST), from the Cambridge Neuropsychological Test Automated Battery (CANTAB). Test performance was compared between groups, and correlated to standardized symptom severity of BDD and OCD. Significance level was set to p<0.05. Results: There were no statistically significant between-group differences on key outcome measures in SWM, IED, or SST. There was a weak positive correlation between symptom severity and test errors on SWM and IED in both OCD and BDD groups; increased clinical severity were associated with more errors in these tests. Further, there was a negative correlation between symptom severity and SST in the BDD group. Conclusions: Patients with BDD or OCD did not differ from healthy control subjects in terms of test performance, however there were several statistically significant correlations between symptom severity and performance in those with BDD or OCD. More studies on EF in BDD and OCD are required to elucidate if there are differences in EF between these two disorders.


BJPsych Open ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (S1) ◽  
pp. S56-S56
Author(s):  
Claire Tiley ◽  
Marinos Kyriakopoulos

AimsAutism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) commonly co-occur in children and adolescents (C&A); evidence suggests functional impairment is increased in those diagnosed with both disorders. The aims of this systematic review were: 1) To review studies that report on the prevalence of ASD traits and/or diagnosis in C&A with OCD. 2) To review whether the severity of OCD symptoms is related to the severity of ASD traits in C&A with OCD. 3)To review whether the severity of comorbid ASD traits or diagnosis in C&A with OCD impact on their global functioning.MethodThis systematic review was registered in PROSPERO. Prisma guidelines were followed . Electronic searches were carried out on Pubmed, EMBASE and Psychinfo with the use of selected keywords. Inclusion criteria : 1) Participants up to the age of 18 who had an ICD or DSM diagnosis of OCD. 2) Journal articles published in the English, with no date specifications. 3) Papers evaluating ASD diagnosis or traits, or where data on this could be extracted. Exclusion criteria: 1) Papers looking at OCD related disorders such as body dysmorphic disorder, compulsive skin picking, trichotillomania and hoarding disorder. 2) Samples including adults where C&A data could not be extracted. 3) Posters, abstracts and dissertations.ResultA total of 15 studies were included in the systematic review. Seven of these studies directly compared the prevalence of ASD traits (measured by questionnaires) or diagnosis in OCD to a control group or normative data, with all studies reporting a significant elevation in ASD trait scores and diagnosis in OCD. Ten of the studies reported on the correlation between ASD trait severity and OCD severity. Four studies identified a significant correlation between ASD and OCD total scores or specified subscales. In contrast, one study found significantly elevated OCD scores in an OCD only group when compared to a comorbid OCD and ASD group. Three studies reported on the correlation between ASD scores and functional impairment or compared an OCD only group to a comorbid group. All three studies demonstrated that the presence ASD or ASD traits are associated with elevated scores in global functional impairment.ConclusionIn conclusion, this review suggests that there is an increased prevalence of ASD traits and diagnosis amongst C&A with OCD. Elevated ASD traits within this population are associated with a greater impact on global functioning.


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