Characteristics of Phobias, OCD and Depression

• Phobias

  A phobia is an extreme and irrational fear: it is therefore a type of anxiety disorder. The DSM distinguishes between several types of phobias.
• Phobias

  Specific Phobias: This is a fear of a specific object or setting, and can be divided into five subtypes:

  •animals - snakes, spiders

  •environmental - snow, earthquakes

  •blood/injection/injury - blood

  •situational - heights

  •agoraphobia - fear of open spaces or crowds, not being at home or social interaction.

  Agoraphobia can develop as a result of other phobias: an extreme fear of grass, for example, may lead to an individual being afraid to leave their house.
• Characteristics of Phobias

  •Cognitive Symptoms: These are usually irrational beliefs about the presence or extent of danger posed by an object or situation. The individual will also be completely overwhelmed by the fear and is unable to function normally
• Characteristics of Phobias

  •Behavioural Symptoms: The individual will be unable to behave in ways which conform to prevailing social norms, and will often behave in ways which are specifically designed to avoid an object. The individual will also often be restless, easily scared or overly nervous.
• Characteristics of Phobias

  •Physical symptoms: The individual will show increased adrenaline and heart rate when in the presence of the stimulus, and may display aggression and muscle tension.
• Characteristics of Phobias

  •Emotional symptoms: The individual will experience feelings of dread and panic
• Phobias

  Diagnostic Criteria

  • There is a significant and prolonged fear which lasts more than 6 months
  • The individual shows an anxiety response to the stimulus
  • The fear is out of all proportion to the actual danger
  • The individual changes their normal behaviour to avoid the stimulus
  • The level of fear is disruptive to the life of the individual
• Depression

  • Major Depression is unipolar: a single episode of depression which can come on suddenly and unexpectedly and can be caused by internal factors (such as neurological issues) or external factors (such as grief)
  • Manic Depression is biopolar: an individual alternates between two extremes of mood
• Depression

  This alternation between moods usually occurs in cycles: the mania phase demonstrates fast speech, overactivity and agitation, while the depression phase displays the traditional common symptoms of depression.
• Characteristics of Depression

  Physical/Behavioural Symptoms:

  • Insomnia and sleep disturbances
  • Changes in appetite, either eating much more or much less than normal
  • Pain, such as headaches, joint pain and muscle aches
  • A general lack of physical activity
• Characteristics of Depression

  Cognitive Symptoms:

  • Persistent negative self-regard
  • Suicidal thoughts
  • Slower thought processes
• Characteristics of Depression

  Affective/Emotional Symptoms:

  • Feelings of extreme sadness and despair
  • Variation of mood
  • Anhedonia: no longer enjoying activities and hobbies
• OCD

  People suffering from OCD suffer obsessions about a particular object or process, and then compulsions to carry out a specific action. The obsessions are cognitive: they effect thinking patterns, while the compulsions are behavioural. Obsessions are constant, recurring, persistent intrusive thoughts about a particular thing: usually they take the form of constantly worrying about something. For these thoughts to be classified as obsessions, according to the DSM, they must be unwanted, impossible to be ignore, and not caused by medical treatment or substance abuse. 
• OCD

  Compulsions are a physical or mental repetitive action, such as repeatedly checking that the oven is off or that the door is locked. For these actions to be classified as compulsions, according to the DSM, they must be repetitive, they must reduce anxiety and they must not be caused by medical treatment or substance abuse.
• OCD behaviours

  There are several types of OCD behaviours:

  • Checking, such as checking that something is locked, or present on your person
  • Contamination, such as a persistent need to repeatedly clean
  • Hoarding, such as keeping useless objects for no reasonable reason
  • Orderliness, such as getting books into alphabetical order for no reasonable purpose