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Understanding Phobias, Depression, and OCD

May 12, 2025

Lecture Notes: Psychic Pathology Series - Phobias, Depression, and OCD

Overview of the Series

  • Focuses on defining and understanding three major psychopathologies: Phobias, Depression, and OCD.
  • Characteristics are divided into:
    • Behavioral characteristics (actions)
    • Emotional characteristics (feelings)
    • Cognitive characteristics (thought processes)

Phobias

  • Definition: Extreme and irrational fear of objects or situations.
  • Behavioral Characteristics:
    • Avoidance: Altering behaviors to avoid phobic objects, e.g., crossing the street to avoid a bird (ornophobia).
    • Panic: Physical reactions such as screaming, hyperventilating, or running away.
    • Failure to Function: Difficulty engaging in normal daily activities, e.g., avoiding work.
  • Emotional Characteristics:
    • Anxiety: High state of arousal, constant worry about encountering phobic object.
    • Fear: Intense emotional state triggered by phobic object leading to fight or flight response.
  • Cognitive Characteristics:
    • Irrational Beliefs: Exaggerated view of harm from phobic object, e.g., harmless spider seen as deadly.
    • Reduced Cognitive Capacity: Difficulty focusing on daily life due to focus on phobic objects.

Depression

  • Definition: Mood disorder characterized by persistent sadness.
  • Behavioral Characteristics:
    • Lethargy: Low energy, lack of engagement in enjoyable activities (anhedonia).
    • Poor Hygiene: Notable lack of personal care.
    • Change in Eating Behavior: Significant weight changes.
    • Aggression or Self-Harm: Increase in aggressive acts.
  • Emotional Characteristics:
    • Persistent Sadness: Very low mood.
    • Guilt and Helplessness: Feeling of low self-worth.
  • Cognitive Characteristics:
    • Poor Concentration: Indecisiveness and difficulty focusing.
    • Negative Schemas: Automatic negative thoughts about self, world, and future.

Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD)

  • Definition: Anxiety disorder marked by obsessions and compulsions.
  • Behavioral Characteristics:
    • Compulsions: Repetitive behaviors to reduce anxiety, e.g., checking locks, excessive cleaning.
    • Avoidance: Avoiding situations that trigger obsessions, leading to social withdrawal.
  • Emotional Characteristics:
    • Anxiety: Result of constant obsessive thoughts.
    • Depression: Resulting from inability to control anxiety and the life limitations caused by OCD.
  • Cognitive Characteristics:
    • Obsessions: Intrusive, irrational, and recurrent thoughts.
    • Hypervigilance: Constant alertness for sources of obsession.
    • Selective Attention: Focus on obsession-related objects to the exclusion of other stimuli.

Additional Resources

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These notes summarize the key points regarding the behavioral, emotional, and cognitive characteristics of phobias, depression, and OCD as described in the lecture.

Full transcript