OCD and DSM-V: Taking the “anxiety” out of OCD

DSM-IV-TR’s days are numbered.

Psychiatrists and psychologists continue to debate the fundamental nature of OCD, trying to decide whether or not OCD should continue to be classified as an “anxiety disorder.”  In some ways, OCD overlaps with other anxiety-related conditions, such as panic disorder, phobias, social anxiety disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).  In other ways, OCD is unique unto itself.

Although the current version of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (the book that psychologists and psychiatrists use when making diagnoses) classifies OCD as an anxiety disorder, the next revision is likely to give OCD its own category of related conditions (see here). Regardless of your position on the conceptual issues involved in this change, there are many pragmatic benefits that arise from treating OCD-related conditions as distinct from the anxiety disorders.  For example, it is likely that this change will ultimately increase the availability of funds for OCD-related education, treatment, and research.  This will be appreciated by patients, clinicians, and researchers alike.

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