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Systemic Approaches in the Treatment of Obsessive‐Compulsive Disorder
Author(s) -
Welfare Anne
Publication year - 1993
Publication title -
australian and new zealand journal of family therapy
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.297
H-Index - 19
eISSN - 1467-8438
pISSN - 0814-723X
DOI - 10.1002/j.1467-8438.1993.tb00955.x
Subject(s) - spouse , context (archaeology) , obsessive compulsive , psychology , family systems , cognition , value (mathematics) , psychotherapist , project commissioning , clinical psychology , developmental psychology , psychiatry , publishing , computer science , sociology , paleontology , political science , law , biology , machine learning , anthropology
The recent limited input of a systems approach in the treatment of OCD is examined in the context of the broader treating system. General information about OCD is given along with summaries of the current dominant treatment approaches (cognitive‐behavioural and drug treatment). Early attempts at applying a ‘family approach’ are identified but considered parent or spouse blaming. The value of a systemic approach is argued using age of onset figures and identifying rigid cycles of behaviour that can occur around the symptoms for two distinct groups: adolescents and a later age onset group, usually women. Constraints in the application of a systems approach are discussed.