The Salkovskis theory of OCD: what is it and what does it propose?

A psychological theory that tries to explain the causes of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder.

Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder or OCD is a problem that causes great suffering and distress to the sufferer and is highly disabling.

Analyzing how and why OCD appears is necessary to understand it and to be able to develop treatments to overcome it or at least reduce the symptoms. And among the multiple theories that try to explain how it works, we can find Salkovskis' theory of OCD.. Let's see what it consists of.

The Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder

It is understood by Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder or OCD to a type of disorder or psychic alteration deeply linked to the disorders of the anxiety, that is characterized by the experimentation of intrusive, recurrent, uncontrollable and egodistonic thoughts, which generate a high level of anxiety and discomfort to the sufferer, as they are unacceptable or undesirable that generate a high level of anxiety and discomfort to the sufferer who finds them unacceptable or undesirable, although these thoughts are perceived as their own.

These intrusive thoughts are called obsessionsThese intrusive thoughts are called obsessions, which the person makes great efforts to avoid or eliminate from his or her thoughts. Precisely due to these efforts and to the maintenance of the attention directed to not having these thoughts, the reappearance in the psyche of the obsessive thought is facilitated.

Although it does not occur in all cases, obsessive thoughts often generate such a level of anxiety that the subject ends up performing some kind of physical or mental ritual in order to reduce his discomfort or to prevent his thought from having consequences. These acts are the so-called compulsions.

Often these behaviors are not directly related to what the person is trying to avoid or are exaggerated for the connection they might have, and the subject often considers the ritual as something absurd but that he or she needs to do.

Symptoms

The OCD is a Disorder that can become very disabling, since the person uses large amounts of time trying to control their thoughts or perform rituals.. It usually generates great suffering since the person usually has a high level of hyper-responsibility and a feeling of guilt for his thoughts, in addition to a high level of uncertainty and doubt.

It is not infrequent that the wear and tear generated by constantly trying to control thoughts and to avoid anxiety anxiety can end up provoking depressive-type symptoms.. In addition to this, the person usually has difficulty concentrating and may see decreased performance, which can lead to academic, occupational and social problems.

The causes of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder are still not completely clear, although there are several hypotheses and theories that try to explain why it arises.

An excessively rigid or overprotective education, the presence of a predisposing biology, the inhibition of impulses and desires, the fusion of thought-action and aspects such as hyper-responsibility and aspects such as hyper-responsibility are some of the factors that may influence its appearance. And one of the theories that try to explain how a thought becomes obsessive is found in Salkovskis' theory of OCD.

The Salkovskis theory of OCD

Among the many theories that attempt to explain how obsessive disorder appears and is maintained, one of the best known and most relevant cognitive theories is the theory of Salkovskis and his collaborators.

Salkovskis's theory proposes that obsessions trigger automatic thoughts regarding one's own responsibility for thought control.

The author argues that one of the main causes of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder is the existence of hyper-responsibility, to the point of considering that the person has the power to produce or foresee negative results and that it is essential to act to avoid them.

The existence of a thought that is considered to be unacceptable awakens in the subject anguish and anxiety when considering that he/she is responsible for something that degrades him/her, even if the thought has no reason to be so.even if the thought does not have to happen. Compulsions seek to prevent being responsible for thoughts that may have negative (usually catastrophic) repercussions for others.

It is established that on a day-to-day basis we all have intrusive negative and aversive thoughts as extreme as those that can become obsessive, but that in most cases they are accepted as consistent or merely circumstantial, giving them no importance.

People with OCD find such thoughts** unacceptable and punishable**, so that anxiety and discomfort arise in them for having had them.

Thus, a primary factor for the appearance of anxiety is not only the thought itself but also the evaluation of the intrusive thought itself. It will be this valuation that will cause the obsessive thought to become recurrent and persistent in our lives. becomes recurrent and persistent instead of fading away.by generating automatic thoughts about that thought.

In the case of people with OCD, these thoughts are going to be responsible for what the obsessions can generate, and they will be the ones that end up making the person feel anxiety and discomfort.

Beliefs and hyperresponsibility as key factors.

Among the beliefs from which a person with Obsessive Disorder starts and that end up facilitating and helping to make the person interpret that he/she has the responsibility to control his/her thoughtsWe can find the idea that not being able to prevent harm to others (or to oneself) is the same as generating it.

Also common is the belief that not doing the compulsion is equivalent to desiring or not preventing the content of the thought from coming true, and the belief that thinking something is equivalent to doing it (at least on a moral level) or that it is necessary to control one's own thinking, without there being anything that can diminish such responsibility.

The origin of these beliefs is not predeterminedThe origin of these beliefs is not predetermined, but is generally attributed to the set of learning and experiences that the subject has had throughout his or her life. Parental models and the style of upbringing are some of the most relevant aspects, especially if they have been rigid or excessively overprotective. Also the existence of school bullying, or experiences that make the child feel the need to repress and control his instincts and thoughts, can be risk factors.

With exceptions

Although Salkovskis establishes in his theory that a primary factor in the genesis of OCD is the presence of hyperresponsibility, the truth is that he also recognizes that there are obsessions that are not linked to this feeling of hyperresponsibility. there are obsessions that are not linked to this sensationAlthough infrequent, there are cases in which the ritual in question may become less egodystonic or even feel pleasant.

Now, he establishes that these cases are generally going to be cases of long evolution in which there are compulsions that greatly reduce anxiety and in which there is no resistance to the thought or ritual.

Bibliographical references:

• American Psychiatric Association. (2013). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders. Fifth edition. DSM-V. Masson, Barcelona.
• Belloch, Sandín and Ramos (2008). Manual de Psicopatología. McGraw-Hill. Madrid.
• Kodysz, S. (n.d.). Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD). Breve Revisión Bibliográfica. Hojas Clínicas de Salud Mental.
• Salkovskis, P.M. (1985). Obsessional and compulsive problems: A cognitive behavioral analysis. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 23, 571-583.
• Salkovskis, P.M. (1999). Understanding and treating obsessive-compulsive
• disorder. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 37, S29-S52.
• Vallejo, M.A. (2001). Tratamientos psicológicos eficaces para el trastorno obsesivo compulsivo. Psicothema, 13 (3): 419-427.