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OCD: obsessive-compulsive … disgust? The role of disgust in obsessive-compulsive disorder
Tracy Bhikram1, Elia Abi-Jaoude1, Paul Sandor1
1From the Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto (Bhikram, Abi-Jaoude, Sandor); the Tourette Syndrome Neurodevelopmental Clinic, Toronto Western Hospital (Bhikram, Abi-Jaoude, Sandor); the Department of Psychiatry, The Hospital for Sick Children (Abi-Jaoude); and the Division of Child Psychiatry, Department of Psychiatry, Youthdale Treatment Centres (Sandor), Toronto, Ont., Canada.
Abstract:
Recent research has identified the important role of disgust in the symptomatology of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). Exaggerated and inappropriate disgust reactions may drive some of the symptoms of OCD, and in some cases, may even eclipse feelings of anxiety. This paper reviews behavioural and neuroimaging research that recognizes the prominent role of disgust in contributing to OCD symptoms, especially contamination-based symptoms. We discuss how elevated behavioural and biological markers of disgust reported in OCD populations support the need for alternative clinical treatment strategies and theoretical models of OCD.