Ocd Case Studies

Diagnosis: Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD)

Treatment: Exposure with response prevention (ERP)

Justification for Diagnosis: Obsessive compulsive disorder involves the individual being largely preoccupied with intrusive and irrational thoughts (obsessions), followed by the need to repeatedly act on these thoughts (compulsion) as a means to relieve anxiety associated with them. Based on the information from the case study, Carmen started developing a phobia of germs and habitat of turning off appliances. These irrational concerns and repetitive behaviours Carmen experiences have become so extreme they are now interfere with her daily life to the point she has difficulty leaving her apartment as she has recurring thoughts of her hair curler being left on causing her apartment to burn down.
This is a strong sign she suffers from OCD as Carmen fears her apartment burning down due to an unchecked for appliance or getting ill from touching a surface as she has reoccurring visions related to these events – these examples are features of the obsessions in OCD as they are invasive thoughts that cause great distress. OCD is often distinguished from other anxiety disorders based on the strong impulses to engage in repetitive rituals to relieve anxiety – also demonstrated by Carmen with her excessive hand-washing and checking her apartment. Carmen does not fall under other disorders like body dysmorphia disorder, hair pulling disorder (trichotillomania), or eating disorders as her obsessions are not linked to her body image and she does not perform specific eating or hair pulling rituals. Furthermore, Carmen’s behaviour is time consuming (1 hour to check the apartment and hand-wash as mentioned by her mother), which is another characteristic of OCD. The symptoms of OCD also have to be unrelated to the physical effects of drugs – this is important as Carmen denies consuming