Characteristics of mental disorders

• OCD definition

  OCD is an anxiety disorder characterised by obsessions (persistent thoughts) and compulsions (repetitive behaviours)
• OCD emotional characteristic

  1. Compulsions and obsessions lead to considerable anxiety and distress
  2. aware their behaviour is excessive which causes feelings of shame and embarrassment
  3. possible feelings of disgust-common obsession being germs
• Cognitive characteristics OCD

  1. (obsessions)unwanted or Intrusive thoughts or impulses  that cause distress and these may be perceived as inappropriate or forbidden.
  2. They realise that their thoughts are excessive or unreasonable
• Behavioural characteristics 

  1. compulsive behaviours - repetitive and unconcealed behaviours which are completed to alleviate anxiety. 
  2. They are not realistic with the thing which they are attempting to prevent.
• Phobias definition

  • an anxiety disorder with instances of irrational fears that cause an conscious avoidance of the feared thing or situation 
• Emotional characteristics phobias

  1. persistent fear
  2. anxiety and panic 
• Behavioural characteristics phobias 


  1. avoidance is the immediate response to avoid the feared stimuli - can interfere with people's lives
  2. freeze or faint response which is another stress response (linking to fight or flight) freezing is an adaptive response as the predator may think the prey is dead
• Cognitive characteristics phobias

  1. irrational nature of a person’s thinking and resistance to rational arguments
  2. the person is aware their fear is excessive or unreasonable
• depression definition

   Depression is a mood disorder characterized by persistent feelings of sadness, hopelessness, and a loss of interest in activities that one used to enjoy
• Emotional characteristics depression

  1. Sadness or loss of pleasure in normal activities
  2. feelings of low self esteem of worthlessness 
• Behavioural characteristics depression

  1. appetite - increase or decease
  2. sleep - increase or decrease
  3. activity level increase or decrease
• Cognitive characteristics depression

  1. Negative view of the world and expect things to turn out badly
  2. experience negative thoughts about themselves and a sense of worthlessness
  3. negative thoughts are irrational and don’t reflect the reality about themselves