Bio Approach to explaning OCD

• Emotional characteristics:

  Anxiety and distress = the urge to report a behaviour causes anxiety.

  Accompanying depression = low mood and lack of enjoyment

  Guilt and disgust = irrational disgust on external stimuli (dirt)
• Behavioural characteristics:

  Compulsions = compulsions are repetitive and they reduce anxiety when completed

  Avoidance = keeping away from situations which will trigger anxiety
• Cognitive characteristics:

  Obsessive thoughts = around 90% of sufferers will have obsessive thoughts (reoccurring thoughts and worries)

  Insight into excessive anxiety = experience the ‘worse case’ scenario as a result of the situation