This document contains revision notes for the OCD content for the psychopathology topic in paper 1 of psychology AQA A level. All content follows the AQA specification.
1. Behavioural Characteristics
● Compulsions: Unwelcome thoughts that repeatedly appear in your mind. Sufferers
feel anxious or uncomfortable. Sufferers feel compelled to repeat behaviours.
Compulsions can reduce or manage sufferers’ anxiety.
● Avoidance: Sufferers reduce anxiety by staying away from potential triggers.
2. Emotional Characteristics
● Anxiety / Distress: The urge to repeat a behaviour creates anxiety. Obsessive
thoughts are unpleasant.
● Accompanying Depression: OCD is comorbid with depression, low mood, anhedonia.
● Guilt / Disgust: OCD involves emotions such as irrational guilt.
3. Cognitive Characteristics
● Obsessive thoughts: Unpleasant thoughts that reoccur. Vary from person to person.
● Cognitive strategies to deal with obsessions: Helps the person, looks abnormal to
others.
● Insight into excessive anxiety: OCD sufferers are aware their compulsions are
irrational. Experience catastrophic thoughts about worst case scenarios if their
anxieties were justified.
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