Treatments of OCD (Abnormal Psychology)

IB Psychology SL/HL: Treatments of OCD

Abnormal psychology

A branch of psychology that focuses on the study of atypical behaviour, thoughts, and emotions

Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD)

A mental disorder in which people have unwanted and repeated thoughts, feelings, ideas, sensations (obsessions), and behaviours that drive them to do something over and over (compulsions)

Mental Disorder

Characterised by a clinically significant disturbance in an individual's cognition, emotional regulation, or behaviour

Compulsions

Behaviours which are repetitive, and the person feels they have no choice but to act to neutralise their obsessive thoughts

Obsessions

An idea or thought that continually preoccupies or intrudes on a person's mind 

Y-BOCS

The Yale-Brown Obsessive Complusive Scale, used to diagnose OCD

Intrusive thoughts

Unwanted, distressing, or disturbing thoughts, or urges that come to mind 

Neurotransmitter

A chemical substance which is released at the end of a nerve fibre by the arrival of a nerve impulse and, by diffusing across the synapse or junction, effects the transfer of the impulse to another nerve fibre

Serotonin

a neurotransmitter which regulates mood, lack of serotonin contributes to depression, anxiety, mania and health conditions 

Serotonin receptors

proteins that receive chemical signals from serotonin and trigger responses in cells

Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs)

Drugs block the transporter molecules or ‘pumps’ on the presynaptic cell membrane meaning more serotonin is available in the synapse ready to bind to receptors on the postsynaptic cell

Efficacy

ability to produce the maximum response possible to the drug

Tolerability

the degree to which drugs' overt adverse effects can be tolerated by patients. 

Remission

a state where a person with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) experiences minimal to no symptoms, with no significant distress or impairment related to their OCD. Y-BOCS score equal or less than 16

Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT)

treatment involves sending an electric current through the brain, causing a brief surge of electrical activity within the brain known as a seizure.  

Attrition

the loss of participants in a study over time

Symptom relapse

when symptoms of a disease return or worsen after a period of improvement 

Cognitive behavioural therapy

is a structured, time-limited, and evidence-based therapeutic approach to treat Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD). It focuses on changing maladaptive thought patterns and behaviours associated with OCD 

Cognitive restructuring

Identifying and challenging irrational or intrusive thoughts (obsessions) that cause anxiety.

Systematic desensitisation

a behaviour therapy designed to replace an anxiety response to stimuli with a relaxation response

Exposure response therapy (ERP)

a type of cognitive therapy that focuses on exposing clients to the thoughts, images, objects, and situations that make them anxious (exposure) and then preventing the ritualistic behaviours or mental acts that they usually engage in to reduce that anxiety (response prevention).

Self-directed therapy (sERP)

the client works through a program designed by a trained therapist, but it is completed independently via computer or mobile phone 

Fear hierarchy

a ranked list of situations or stimuli that a person fears, ordered from least to most anxiety-provoking, used primarily in exposure therapy to gradually help individuals confront their fears in a controlled manner