Trauma and the pathogenesis of OCD : a literature review

[摘要] ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is the most recognised mental disorder stemming fromsevere psychological trauma. One of the differential diagnoses of post-traumatic stressdisorder, amongst others, is obsessive-compulsive disorder (OGD). These two disordersoverlap at some point in terms of symptomatology. More specifically, both are characterizedby recurrent intrusive thoughts. It has been hypothesized that trauma may also be asignificant source of OGD development.OGD and PTSD are disorders that present in adulthood, as well as in childhood andadolescence. It is shown that PTSD and OGD can present comorbidly in adulthood and it istheorized that it may also be the case in childhood and adolescence. Evidence of OGDdeveloping in the context of trauma and theories of how this might have happened arepresented. It is shown how complicated it is to distinguish between OGD developing in thewake of trauma and PTSD and the importance of such a distinction.

[发布机构] Stellenbosch University