Question
Psychology Question on Psychological Disorders
An 18-year-old male had a severe dislike for touching door knobs. He feared contamination and spent hours washing his hands if he had to open a door at his office. He spent more than 3-4 hours taking a shower and spent a lot of time cleaning surfaces after "incidental contaminations." Eventually, he stopped waking up in the morning as it was not worth the effort. Identify the disorder he is suffering from:
Obsessive-Compulsive and Related Disorders
Depressive Disorders
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
Somatic Symptom Disorder
Obsessive-Compulsive and Related Disorders
Solution
The symptoms described in this case point to Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD), which is categorized under Obsessive-Compulsive and Related Disorders. - The individual exhibits a fear of contamination, which is a common obsession in OCD. - His compulsive behaviors include excessive hand washing, prolonged showering, and cleaning surfaces to alleviate his anxiety about contamination. - The significant amount of time spent on these compulsions (3-4 hours showering, cleaning) indicates the level of distress and impairment caused by the disorder.
Other options: - Depressive Disorders: While the individual shows some signs of with-drawal and low motivation, the primary symptoms align more with OCD. - Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD): Typically involves exposure to a traumatic event, which is not indi-cated in this scenario. - Somatic Symptom disorder: Involves physical symptoms that are not explained by a medical condition, which does not match this individual’s fears and compulsions.