What are OC spectrum disorders?

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OC spectrum disorders, or Obsessive-Compulsive Spectrum Disorders are related to, but distinct from OCD. They share some similarities in symptoms and treatments but vary in terms of focus and severity.

Some conditions that fall under the umbrella of OC spectrum disorders include:

-Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD): This is the most well-known disorder in the OC spectrum. It involves intrusive, unwanted thoughts or obsessions, which lead to repetitive behaviors or compulsions to alleviate the anxiety caused by those obsessions.

-Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD): Individuals with BDD have a preoccupation with perceived flaws or defects in their appearance, which leads to significant distress and impairment in social, occupational, or other important areas of functioning.

-Hoarding Disorder: People with hoarding disorder have persistent difficulty discarding or parting with possessions, regardless of their actual value. This results in cluttered living spaces and significant distress or impairment in functioning.

-Trichotillomania (Hair-Pulling Disorder): This disorder involves recurrent pulling out of one's hair, resulting in noticeable hair loss and distress or impairment in social, occupational, or other important areas of functioning.

-Excoriation (Skin-Picking) Disorder: Individuals with excoriation disorder engage in recurrent skin picking that results in skin lesions and significant distress or impairment in functioning.

-Body-Focused Repetitive Behaviors (BFRBs): This category includes repetitive behaviors focused on the body, such as nail biting, skin picking, or lip biting, which can cause distress and impairment similar to OCD.

As a therapist, it's important to understand that these conditions can co-occur with one another, as well as with other mental health conditions such as anxiety, depression, substance abuse, and eating disorders. Furthermore, having a range of treatment modalities such as COM-b, CBT, HRT, and ExRP allows you to better support your clients with co-occurring conditions.