OBSESSIVE COMPULSIVE AND RELATED DISORDERS

Submitted to:
Prof. Serafina P. Maxino
Submitted by:
DUCUT, Jan Pauline K.
BS Psychology III-2

Obsessivecompulsive disorder (OCD) is a mental disorder where people feel the

need to check things repeatedly, perform certain routines repeatedly (called
"rituals"), or have certain thoughts repeatedly. People are unable to control either the
thoughts or the activities for more than a short period of time. It is a potentially
disabling illness that traps people in endless cycles of repetitive thoughts and
behaviors. People with OCD are plagued by recurring and distressing thoughts, fears,
or images (obsessions) they cannot control. The anxiety (nervousness) produced by
these thoughts leads to an urgent need to perform certain rituals or routines
(compulsions). The compulsive rituals are performed in an attempt to prevent the
obsessive thoughts or make them go away.
Diagnostic Criteria:
A. Presence of obsessions, compulsions, or both:
Obsessions are defined by (1) and (2):
1. Recurrent and persistent thoughts, urges, or images that are experienced, at
some time during the disturbance, as intrusive and unwanted, and that in most
individuals cause marked anxiety or distress.
2. The individual attempts to ignore or suppress such thoughts, urges, or images,
or to neutralize them with some other thought or action (i.e., by performing a
compulsion).
Compulsions are defined by (1) and (2):
1. Repetitive behaviors (e.g., hand washing, ordering, checking) or mental acts
(e.g., praying, counting, repeating words silently) that the individual feels driven
to perform in response to an obsession or according to rules that must be applied
rigidly.
2. The behaviors or mental acts are aimed at preventing or reducing anxiety or
distress, or preventing some dreaded event or situation; however, these
behaviors or mental acts are not connected in a realistic way with what they are
designed to neutralize or prevent, or are clearly excessive.
Note: Young children may not be able to articulate the aims of these behaviors
or mental acts.
B. The obsessions or compulsions are time-consuming (e.g., take more than 1 hour
per day) or cause clinically significant distress or impairment in social, occupational,
or other important areas of functioning.
C. The obsessive-compulsive symptoms are not attributable to the physiological
effects of a substance (e.g., a drug of abuse, a medication) or another medical
condition.
D. The disturbance is not better explained by the symptoms of another mental
disorder (e.g., excessive worries, as in generalized anxiety disorder; preoccupation
with appearance, as in body dysmorphic disorder; difficulty discarding or parting with
possessions, as in hoarding disorder; hair pulling, as in trichotillomania [hair-pulling
disorder]; skin picking, as in excoriation [skin-picking] disorder; stereotypies, as in

stereotypic movement disorder; ritualized eating behavior, as in eating disorders;

preoccupation with substances or gambling, as in substance-related and addictive
disorders; preoccupation with having an illness, as in illness anxiety disorder; sexual
urges or fantasies, as in paraphilic disorders; impulses, as in disruptive, impulsecontrol, and conduct disorders; guilty ruminations, as in major depressive disorder;
thought insertion or delusional preoccupations, as in schizophrenia spectrum and
other psychotic disorders; or repetitive patterns of behavior, as in autism spectrum
disorder).
Specify if:
With good or fair insight: The individual recognizes that obsessive-compulsive
disorder beliefs are definitely or probably not true or that they may or may not be
true.
With poor insight: The individual thinks obsessive-compulsive disorder beliefs are
probably true.
With absent insight/delusional beliefs: The individual is completely convinced
that obsessive-compulsive disorder beliefs are true.
Specify if:
Tic-related: The individual has a current or past history of a tic disorder.

Body Dysmorphic Disorder is a distinct mental disorder in which a person is

preoccupied with an imagined physical defect or a minor defect that others often cannot
see. As a result, people with this disorder see themselves as "ugly" and often avoid social
exposure or turn to plastic surgery to try to improve their appearance. BDD shares some
features with eating disorders and obsessive-compulsive disorder. BDD is similar
to eating disorders in that both involve a concern with body image. However, a person
with an eating disorder worries about weight and the shape of the entire body, while a
person with BDD is concerned about a specific body part.
Diagnostic Criteria:
A. Preoccupation with one or more perceived defects or flaws in physical appearance
that are not observable or appear slight to others.
B. At some point during the course of the disorder, the individual has performed
repetitive behaviors (e.g., mirror checking, excessive grooming, skin picking,
reassurance seeking) or mental acts (e.g., comparing his or her appearance with that
of others) in response to the appearance concerns.
C. The preoccupation causes clinically significant distress or impairment in social,
occupational, or other important areas of functioning.
D. The appearance preoccupation is not better explained by concerns with body fat
or weight in an individual whose symptoms meet diagnostic criteria for an eating
disorder.
Specify if:
With muscle dysmorphia: The individual is preoccupied with the idea that his or
her body build is too small or insufficiently muscular. This specifier is used even if
the individual is preoccupied with other body areas, which is often the case.
Specify if:
Indicate degree of insight regarding body dysmorphic disorder beliefs (e.g., I
look ugly or I look deformed).

With good or fair insight: The individual recognizes that the body dysmorphic
disorder beliefs are definitely or probably not true or that they may or may not be
true.
With poor insight: The individual thinks that the body dysmorphic disorder beliefs
are probably true.
With absent insight/delusional beliefs: The individual is completely convinced
that the body dysmorphic disorder beliefs are true.
Hoarding Disorder is a persistent difficulty discarding or parting with possessions
because of a perceived need to save them. A person with hoarding disorder
experiences distress at the thought of getting rid of the items. Excessive
accumulation of items, regardless of actual value, occurs.
Diagnostic Criteria:
A. Persistent difficulty discarding or parting with possessions, regardless of their
actual value.
B. This difficulty is due to a perceived need to save the items and to distress
associated with discarding them.
C. The difficulty discarding possessions results in the accumulation of possessions
that congest and clutter active living areas and substantially compromises their
intended use. If living areas are uncluttered, it is only because of the interventions of
third parties (e.g., family members, cleaners, authorities).
D. The hoarding causes clinically significant distress or impairment in social,
occupational, or other important areas of functioning (including maintaining a safe
environment for self and others).
E. The hoarding is not attributable to another medical condition (e.g., brain injury,
cerebrovascular disease, Prader-Willi syndrome).
F. The hoarding is not better explained by the symptoms of another mental disorder
(e.g., obsessions in obsessive-compulsive disorder, decreased energy in major
depressive disorder, delusions in schizophrenia or another psychotic disorder,
cognitive deficits in major neurocognitive disorder, restricted interests in autism
spectrum disorder).
Specify if:
With excessive acquisition: If difficulty discarding possessions is accompanied by
excessive acquisition of items that are not needed or for which there is no
available space.
Specify if:
With good or fair insight: The individual recognizes that hoarding-related beliefs
and behaviors (pertaining to difficulty discarding items, clutter, or excessive
acquisition) are problematic.
With poor insight: The individual is mostly convinced that hoarding-related beliefs
and behaviors (pertaining to difficulty discarding items, clutter, or excessive
acquisition) are not problematic despite evidence to the contrary. With
absent
insight/delusional beliefs: The individual is completely convinced that hoardingrelated beliefs and behaviors (pertaining to difficulty discarding items, clutter, or
excessive acquisition) are not problematic despite evidence to the contrary.
Trichotillomania (Hair-Pulling Disorder) is a type of impulse control disorder.
People with these disorders know that they can do damage by acting on the
impulses, but they cannot stop themselves. They may pull out their hair when they're
stressed as a way to try to soothe themselves.

Diagnostic Criteria:
A. Recurrent pulling out of ones hair, resulting in hair loss.
B. Repeated attempts to decrease or stop hair pulling.
C. The hair pulling causes clinically significant distress or impairment in social,
occupational, or other important areas of functioning.
D. The hair pulling or hair loss is not attributable to another medical condition (e.g., a
dermatological condition).
E. The hair pulling is not better explained by the symptoms of another mental
disorder (e.g., attempts to improve a perceived defect or flaw in appearance in body
dysmorphic disorder).

Excoriation (Skin-Picking) Disorder is a mental disordercharacterized by the repeated

urge to pick at one's own skin, often to the extent that damage is caused. Research has
suggested that the urge to pick is similar to a body-focused repetitive behavior but others
have argued that for some the condition is more akin to a substance abuse disorder. The
two main strategies for treating this condition are pharmacological and behavioral
intervention.
Diagnostic Criteria:
A. Recurrent skin picking resulting in skin lesions.
B. Repeated attempts to decrease or stop skin picking.
C. The skin picking causes clinically significant distress or impairment in social,
occupational, or other important areas of functioning.
D. The skin picking is not attributable to the physiological effects of a substance (e.g.,
cocaine) or another medical condition (e.g., scabies).
E. The skin picking is not better explained by symptoms of another mental disorder
(e.g., delusions or tactile hallucinations in a psychotic disorder, attempts to improve a
perceived defect or flaw in appearance in body dysmorphic disorder, stereotypies in
stereotypic movement disorder, or intention to harm oneself in nonsuicidal selfinjury).
Substance/Medication-Induced Obsessive-Compulsive and Related Disorder
occurs as a direct result of using drugs, such as prescribed medications, illicit
substances, alcohol, or exposure to certain toxins. Medications or substances may
induce obsessive compulsive disorder symptoms and behaviors while under their
influence or upon withdrawal from their use.
Diagnostic Criteria:
A. Obsessions, compulsions, skin picking, hair pulling, other body-focused repetitive
behaviors, or other symptoms characteristic of the obsessive-compulsive and related
disorders predominate in the clinical picture.
B. There is evidence from the history, physical examination, or laboratory findings of
both (1)and (2):
1. The symptoms in Criterion A developed during or soon after substance
intoxication or withdrawal or after exposure to a medication.
2. The involved substance/medication is capable of producing the symptoms in
Criterion A.

C. The disturbance is not better explained by an obsessive-compulsive and related

disorder that is not substance/medication-induced. Such evidence of an independent
obsessive-compulsive and related disorder could include the following:
The symptoms precede the onset of the substance/medication use; the
symptoms persist for a substantial period of time (e.g., about 1 month) after the
cessation of acute withdrawal or severe intoxication; or there is other evidence
suggesting the existence of an independent non-substance/medication-induced
obsessive-compulsive and related disorder (e.g., a history of recurrent nonsubstance/medication- related episodes).
D. The disturbance does not occur exclusively during the course of a delirium.
E. The disturbance causes clinically significant distress or impairment in social,
occupational, or other important areas of functioning.
Note: This diagnosis should be made in addition to a diagnosis of substance
intoxication or substance withdrawal only when the symptoms in Criterion A
predominate in the clinical picture and are sufficiently severe to warrant clinical
attention.
Obsessive-Compulsive
Condition

and

Related

Disorder

Due

to

Another

Medical

Diagnostic Criteria
A. Obsessions, compulsions, preoccupations with appearance, hoarding, skin picking,
hair pulling, other body-focused repetitive behaviors, or other symptoms
characteristic of obsessive-compulsive and related disorder predominate in the
clinical picture.
B. There is evidence from the history, physical examination, or laboratory findings
that the disturbance is the direct pathophysiological consequence of another medical
condition.
C. The disturbance is not better explained by another mental disorder.
D. The disturbance does not occur exclusively during the course of a delirium.
E. The disturbance causes clinically significant distress or impairment in social,
occupational, or other important areas of functioning.
Specify if:
With obsessive-compulsive disorder-like symptoms: If obsessive-compulsive
disorder-like symptoms predominate in the clinical presentation.
With appearance preoccupations: If preoccupation with perceived appearance
defects or flaws predominates in the clinical presentation.
With hoarding symptoms: If hoarding predominates in the clinical presentation.
With hair-pulling symptoms: If hair pulling predominates in the clinical
presentation.
With skin-picking symptoms: If skin picking predominates in the clinical
presentation.