Characteristics

• Behavioural characteristics of phobias

  • Avoidance
  • Panic
• Behavioural characteristics of phobias

  • Avoidance
  • Panic
  • Failure to function
• emotional characteristics of phobias

  • Anxiety
  • Fear
• cognitive characteristics of phobias

  • Irrational beliefs
  • Reduced cognitive capacity
• avoidance as a behavioural characteristic of phobias

  behavioural adaptations made to prevent encountering the phobic object or situation
• panic as a behavioural characteristic of phobias

  an uncontrollable physical response such as screaming, escaping, or hyperventilating
• failure to function as a behavioural characteristic of phobias

  inability to conduct normal necessary behaviours due to excessive thoughts of the phobia or avoidance
• anxiety as an emotional characteristic of phobias

  • an uncomfortable high arousal state that inhibits relaxation and pleasurable emotions
  • Thought is focused on a future encounter with the phobic object or situation
• fear as an emotional characteristic of phobias

  an intense emotional state of panic linked to physiological fight or flight response when presented with the phobic object or situation
• irrational beliefs as a cognitive characteristic of phobias

  sufferers overstate the potential danger of the phobic object
• Reduced cognitive capacity as a cognitive characteristic of phobias

  sufferers focus their attention on the phobic object to the extent that it interferes with other tasks
• Behavioural characteristics of OCD

  • Compulsions
  • Ritual behaviour
  • Social impairment
• Emotional characteristics of OCD

  • Extreme anxiety
  • Distress/depression
• cognitive characteristics of OCD

  • Recurrent thoughts
  • Understanding the irrationality
• compulsions as a behavioural characteristic of OCD

  these often involve checking behaviour such as repeatedly testing the lights and checking that the door is locked
• Ritual behaviour as a behavioural characteristic of OCD

  behaviours that are repeated excessively such as constant hand washing, and hoarding
• Social impairment as a behavioural characteristic of OCD

  unable to take part in normal relationships due to excessive anxiety
• Avoidance as a behavioural characteristic of OCD

  sufferers prevent doing certain behaviours that may lead to obsessive thoughts so may stop using public toilets for fear of germs
• Distress/depression as an emotional characteristic of OCD

  low mood due to not being able to engage in enjoyable activities and a feeling of not being in control of own behaviour
• Extreme anxiety as an emotional characteristic of OCD

  • caused by the constant presence of the persistent obsessive thoughts and the fear associated with them.
  • resisting the urge to carry out compulsions can cause anxiety
• Recurrent thoughts as a cognitive characteristic of OCD

  • intrusive unpleasant thoughts that are anxiety-producing
  • Often of the worst case scenario or something else that distresses the person
• Understanding the irrationality as a cognitive characteristic of OCD

  sufferers know that the worst case scenarios imagined by their catastrophic thinking are unlikely, but are still unable to control them