Cognitive-Behavioral and Neuropsychological Models of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder.

Obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) is characterized by persistent, intrusive, and distressing obsessions (unwanted thoughts, impulses, or images) that may or may not be accompanied by compulsions (repetitive behaviors or mental acts). It is a severe and persistent psychological problem with significant negative effects on the individuals’ social, family, and occupational functioning. The book reports on recent research examining phenomenology (included the current debate about its categorization in forthcoming DSM-V), neurobiology (including neuropsychological test data and functional neuroimaging studies), psychological models (including the promising role of so-called “Not Just Right Experiences”), and computational modeling (i.e., neural network) of obsessive-compulsive disorder. For each of these branch of research, specific limitations in depicting the full scope of OCD will be highlighted. Suggestion on how to go further in order to improve our comprehension of this disorder are also provided. This book is designed to offer a general view of the state-of-the art of the most recent psychological and neurobiological research on OCD to researchers, psychologists, psychiatrists, mental-health professionals and students. It reveals essential for a thorough and up to date knowledge and comprehension of this debilitating disorder, both for research and clinical practice.