> From: "Mark A. Casteel" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
> Subject: Classification of OCD
>
> Are any tipsters aware of recent research arguing that OCD may be more a
> form of a depressive disorder than an anxiety disorder? I'm well aware
> that both OCD and depression are commonly treated with Prozac (arguing for
> the role of serotonin), but other than this common link, other there other
> connections?
>
> A student has tried to argue with me that his therapist believes that OCD
> is a depressive disorder (I should point out that this student is NOT
> being treated for OCD).
I'm not a clinical psychologist, so I can't speak with much authority on OCD
(don't see it too often on college campuses).
But I certainly haven't heard anything about research (or any other source)
that suggests reclassifying it as a mood disorder. If I do, I'll be glad to pass
it on.
I don't really understand why the therapist thinks OCD is a depressive
disorder. The nutshell of OCD is typically a combination of obsessions --
unwanted, unpleasant, persistent thoughts and images, and compulsions --
behaviors, sometimes ritualistic and repitive, that are enacted to reduce the
ANXIETY (anxiety precipitated by the obsessions).
I would guess there are OCD people that become depressed -- a few that I
have worked with struggled with depression, simply because their illness (at
least before getting it somewhat under control) was so debilitating it caused
them to become depressed. But most of the OCD I have worked with/known
struggled much more with anxiety than depression.
> Since I'm not a clinical psychologist, I've always
> relied on the bible - DSM-IV. Are there more recent views of which I need
> to be aware?
I believe DSM-V is coming out one day soon. Oh, boy, that puts it up there
with other sequels like "Planet of the Apes" and "Rocky V."
************************************************************************
Jim Guinee, Ph.D.
Director of Training & Adjunct Professor
President, Arkansas College Counselor Association
University of Central Arkansas Counseling Center
313 Bernard Hall Conway, AR 72035 USA
(501) 450-3138 (office) (501) 450-3248 (fax)
"You don't have to be a fantastic hero to do certain things --
to compete. You can be just an ordinary chap, sufficiently
motivated to reach challenging goals."
-- Edmund Hillary, New Zealander mountaineer and explorer
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