Question 1

Ordinary people have occasional intrusive thoughts with bizarre,sexual,or aggressive content,but they would not be considered to have obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD).What is required for someone to be diagnosed with OCD?

Accepted Answer

For someone to be diagnosed with OCD, they must experience recurrent and persistent thoughts, urges, or images that are unwanted, intrusive, and cause anxiety or distress. These thoughts are not simply excessive worries about real-life problems and the person must attempt to ignore, suppress or neutralize them by performing compulsions, such as checking, cleaning, or mental rituals. Therefore, the person must find the thoughts unacceptable or even dangerous, and try to resist or eliminate them. Panic attacks or seeking help may also occur in OCD, but they are not the main diagnostic criteria for the disorder.

Question 2

When treating patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder,how effective is combining exposure and ritual prevention (ERP)with medication?

Accepted Answer

The answer of When treating patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder,how effective...

Question 3

In obsessive-compulsive disorder,certain types of obsessions lead to certain types of compulsions.Which of the following matches an obsession and its consequent rituals?

Accepted Answer

Sexual obsessions often lead to checking compulsions, where the individual repeatedly checks to make sure they have not engaged in inappropriate behavior. Symmetry obsessions may lead to compulsive arranging or organizing, contamination obsessions may lead to compulsive washing or cleaning, and aggression obsessions may lead to compulsive hoarding as a way to prevent harm to oneself or others.

Question 4

A young child has thoughts about hating her younger brother and wishing he would die.She becomes very anxious about these thoughts because she has developed the idea that if anything really happened to him,it would be her fault.Which pattern of thinking is she exhibiting?

Accepted Answer

The young child is exhibiting thought-action fusion, which is the belief that having a thought about something bad happening is equivalent to actually causing that thing to happen. This often results in anxiety and compulsive behavior to prevent these thoughts from becoming reality.

Question 5

Tony has thoughts about hating his younger brother and wishing he would die.He becomes anxious about these thoughts because he now thinks if anything really happened to his brother,it would be his fault.For no explainable reason,Tony starts mentally counting by odd numbers each time he walks past his brother's room and discovers that this activity makes him less anxious.How would you describe Tony's behaviour?

Accepted Answer

Tony's mental counting by odd numbers is a compulsive ritual or mental compulsion developed to neutralize his bad thoughts and reduce his anxiety. This is a common symptom of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). It does not directly relate to him attempting to stop himself from hurting his brother, having a phobia of his brother's room, or trying to make himself like his brother more.

Question 6

A man who has obsessive-compulsive disorder was compelled to take very small steps as he walked and to look back repeatedly.What was he trying to do?

Accepted Answer

The answer of A man who has obsessive-compulsive disorder was...

Question 7

Mr.Jones suffers from a severe case of obsessive-compulsive disorder.His symptoms have not responded to either medication or psychological therapies.As a last resort,his therapist suggests the possibility of a psychosurgical procedure.What is this procedure called?

Accepted Answer

Cingulotomy is a type of psychosurgical procedure that involves destroying a small part of the brain called the cingulate gyrus, which is responsible for generating anxiety and OCD symptoms. It is usually considered as a last resort when other treatments have failed to improve the patient's condition. Lobotomy is a much older and more invasive type of psychosurgery that involves cutting or removing parts of the brain, and is no longer practiced. Limbicotomy and temporal lesioning are not commonly used procedures for treating OCD.

Question 8

A woman was obsessed with the idea that if she did not eat in a consistent calculated way,some disaster would befall her family.What is the symptom subtype of this aspect of obsessive-compulsive disorder?

Accepted Answer

The answer of A woman was obsessed with the idea...

Question 9

In which behavioural treatment are patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder NOT permitted to carry out their compulsions while in the presence of the anxiety-producing stimulus or situation?

Accepted Answer

Exposure and ritual prevention involves exposing the patient to the anxiety-provoking stimulus or situation while preventing them from carrying out their usual compulsions. This aims to reduce the anxiety associated with the stimulus and decrease reliance on compulsions as a coping mechanism. In contrast, behavioural inhibition conditioning involves pairing an aversive stimulus with the occurrence of the unwanted behaviour, anxiety-reduction therapy teaches relaxation techniques to reduce anxiety, and thought-stopping technique involves interrupting and replacing unwanted thoughts. None of these treatments necessarily involve preventing compulsions while in the presence of anxiety-producing stimuli.

Question 10

What did Clark and Purdon's research show had a link to obsessive-compulsive disorder?

Accepted Answer

The answer of What did Clark and Purdon's research show...

Question 11

In which country have researchers found obsessive-compulsive behaviours to be most often related to religious rituals?

Accepted Answer

Researchers have found that in Saudi Arabia, obsessive-compulsive behaviors are most often related to religious rituals, such as excessive washing to maintain ritual purity.

Question 12

Which of the following treatments teaches the person with obsessive-compulsive disorder that no harm will result if they do not perform the ritual?

Accepted Answer

Exposure therapy involves gradually exposing the person to the feared object or situation and preventing them from performing the ritual. This way, they learn that no harm occurs even when they do not engage in the compulsive behavior. Hypnosis and psychoanalytic therapy may not be effective for treating OCD, and drug therapy may provide some relief from symptoms but does not address the underlying beliefs and behaviors.

Question 13

Some people with obsessive-compulsive disorder attempt to neutralize or suppress disturbing,intrusive thoughts.How successful do these strategies tend to be?

Accepted Answer

Attempting to neutralize or suppress obsessive thoughts usually leads to an increase in the frequency of those thoughts. This is because the act of trying to suppress or neutralize the thoughts actually reinforces their importance and makes them more likely to recur. This can lead to a vicious cycle of obsessive thinking and attempts to suppress or neutralize those thoughts.

Question 14

Drugs that inhibit the reuptake of serotonin have been found to be moderately effective in treating obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD).Which of the following is a problem with using pharmacological treatments?

Accepted Answer

Relapse often occurs when the drug is discontinued, which can make long-term treatment challenging. This highlights the need for additional treatments, such as psychotherapy, to address the underlying causes of OCD.

Question 15

According to one model of the etiology of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD),what is necessary for an individual to develop OCD?

Accepted Answer

According to one model of the etiology of OCD, both biological vulnerability (such as genetic or neurobiological factors) and psychological vulnerability (such as cognitive styles or personality traits) are necessary for an individual to develop the disorder. Social vulnerability (such as stressful life events or poor social support) may also contribute to the development of OCD, but it is not considered as necessary as the other two vulnerabilities. The presence of OCD in other family members may suggest a genetic contribution, but it is not a necessary condition for developing OCD.

Question 16

The neurosurgical procedure called a cingulotomy is sometimes used to relieve severe symptoms of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD).Why would a cingulotomy usually be considered only after drugs and psychological treatments had failed?

Accepted Answer

A cingulotomy is a highly invasive procedure that involves removing or disabling a portion of the cingulate bundle, a structure deep inside the brain. Because the procedure carries significant risks and is generally not reversible, it is typically considered only after other treatments have failed. Additionally, the success rate for cingulotomy is relatively low, with only about 30 percent of patients experiencing substantial symptom relief.

Question 17

Brian,who has obsessive-compulsive disorder,holds fundamentalist religious beliefs.Which of the following concerns is he most likely to present with?

Accepted Answer

Individuals with religious beliefs may feel a heightened sense of responsibility and guilt. This tendency toward an inflated sense of responsibility would likely exacerbate the symptoms of someone with obsessive-compulsive disorder. Therefore, Brian is most likely to present with an attitude of inflated responsibility.

Question 18

What does the term "thought-action fusion" mean when used to describe the obsessional thinking pattern of persons with obsessive-compulsive disorder?

Accepted Answer

Thought-action fusion in OCD refers to the conviction that having a thought is morally equivalent to carrying out the corresponding action. This can lead to individuals feeling responsible for the outcome of their thoughts and leads to increased anxiety and distress.

Question 19

With regard to pharmacological treatments for obsessive-compulsive disorder,the most effective drugs are those that inhibit the reuptake of a certain neurotransmitter.What is this neurotransmitter?

Accepted Answer

The neurotransmitter that is inhibited by the most effective drugs for OCD is serotonin. Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) are commonly prescribed to treat OCD.

Question 20

With regard to the obsessions seen in patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder,what does the term "need for symmetry" refer to?

Accepted Answer

The "need for symmetry" in OCD refers to the overwhelming urge to keep things in a perfect order or symmetry. This can manifest in various ways, such as the need to arrange objects in a certain pattern or to evenly distribute weight or color.

Quiz 5: Anxiety,Trauma-Related,and Obsessive-Compulsive Disorders

Ordinary people have occasional intrusive thoughts with bizarre,sexual,or aggressive content,but they would not be considered to have obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) .What is required for someone to be diagnosed with OCD?

When treating patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder,how effective is combining exposure and ritual prevention (ERP) with medication?