Paper Summary:

This paper is a detailed, up-to-date description of obsessive-compulsive disorder. The paper examines the signs, symptoms and possible underlying causes of the disorder. It illustrates theories of etiology and explanation of the disorder, and its pharmacological and psychological treatment is discussed. The writer claims that more research is required for successful treatment of the disorder.

From the Paper:

"Of all mental disorders, with the possible exception of depression, anxiety disorders are the most common and most intricate to diagnose, as clinicians must constantly differentiate between patients experiencing acute, normal anxiety and patients disabled by a pathological condition. The key factor differentiating between normal anxiety and pathology is subjective in nature - "appropriateness". Persons experiencing the death of a loved one, divorce, sickness, or other catastrophic life events benefit by their appropriate physiological and psychological reactions. As the duration and intensity of the anxiety state increases in response to more commonplace and innocuous stimuli the patient's anxiety progressively becomes pathological. Eventually the anxiety state becomes pervasive enough to interfere with every day functioning and overall quality of life and induces the patient to seek treatment. This anxiety may take many forms from vague and generalized, unspecified, or directly related to a specific traumatic event. One such form of anxiety is obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), and after phobias, it is the most prevalent form of pathological anxiety."

Visitors who viewed this Research Paper also liked these:

• Film Review # 145998 : "Obsessive Compulsive Disorder in " As Good As It Gets"
• Analytical Essay # 104084 : "Interventions for Obsessive Compulsive Disorder"
• Term Paper # 133514 : "Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD)"

APA Citation:

MLA Citation: