Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder: Strategies for Optimal Treatment

Article Abstract

Although the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition, Text Revision, (DSMIV- TR),¹ states that a diagnosis of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) requires that patients have obsessions or compulsions, patients usually experience both obsessions and compulsions, explained Jonathan S. Abramowitz, Ph.D., ABPP. In his presentation, Dr. Abramowitz described the symptoms, dimensions, etiology, psychological theories, and psychosocial treatment of OCD.

Understanding Obsessions

Obsessions are unwanted persistent thoughts, impulses, or images that are experienced as intrusive, inappropriate, and distressing; they are anxietyprovoking, but not simply excessive worries about real-life problems.