Anxiety and Obsessive Compulsive Disorder

Paper Summary:

This paper discusses abnormal psychology and personality disorders in general and obsessive-compulsive disorder in particular, with a full case study of a woman diagnosed with this complaint. It details all the related symptoms and their manifestation concluding with suitable available treatments.

Outline:
Introduction
Case Study Particulars
The Prevalence and Characteristics of Anxiety Disorders
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder
The Physiological basis of anxiety disorders
Diagnostic Alternatives
Treatment Strategies
Conclusion

From the Paper:

"According to Martin Kantor, abnormal psychology concerns "the study of mental disorders and maladaptive behavior, including neuroses and psychoses, and of normal phenomena that are not completely understood, such as dreams and altered states of consciousness" (1992). As a branch of the study of abnormal psychology, a personality disorder "is a non-psychotic mental illness characterized by enduring patterns of perceiving, relating to, and thinking about oneself and the environment in ways that are maladaptive, being those that go against normal adaptive processes" (McNeil, 1970). Thus, an individual affected with a personality disorder often utilizes inflexible behavior patterns in order to fulfill his/her own personal needs and attain self-satisfaction, often at the expense of others and society. These traits mainly result in severe functional impairment and/or subjective distress, usually imagined or brought on by a particular illness.
"Having a personality disorder means that the affected individual is not the kind of person who can adapt smoothly to the normal routines of everyday life. Instead, the person expects the world and those in his orbit to change rather than being able to adjust to the requirements of different situations and relationships. In essence, the affected person behaves in a rigid and inflexible way that perpetuates vicious cycles and fulfills his/her worst prophecies".

Sample of Sources Used:

• Barlow, David. (1988). Anxiety and Its Disorders. New York: Guilford Press.
• Beck, Aaron. (1990). Anxiety Disorders and Phobias: A Cognitive Perspective. New York: Basic Books.
• Derogatis, Leonard. (1989). Anxiety Disorders in the Medical Patient. Washington, DC: American Psychiatric Association.
• Dultz, Ron. (2002). Understanding Human Mental Health: A Philosophy of Psychology. Reseda, CA: Dultz Publishing.
• Joseph, Sonny. (1997). Personality Disorders: New Symptom-Focused Drug Therapy. New York: Haworth Medical Press.

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