SASHA ALBRECHT

Psychoanalytic Treatment of Obsessive Compulsive

Disorder

OCD Example

Melvin Udall

DSM-IV

•Obsessions or compulsions•Individual has at one point realized that the obsessions or compulsions are excessive or unreasonable•Distressful, excessively time-consuming, or impairing of normal functioning•Symptoms not induced by a substance or another medical condition

Conventional Treatments

Freud’s Perspective on “Obsessional Neurosis”

Inappropriate impulses of the id acting out and/or punishment of a harsh superego Origin: fixation at the anal stage of psychosexual

development ≈ Autonomy vs. Shame/Doubt

Contemporary Psychoanalytic Therapy

Ambivalent attachment styleambivalent sense of self Splitting defense mechanism

Perfectionism: accentuate the positive aspects of self and hide the negative

Therapist: transference/counter-transference corrective emotional experience Accept ambivalence

Contemporary Psychoanalytic Therapy (cont.)

Unconscious meaning attached to symptoms Example:

cleaning obsessed son

Conclusions

Psychoanalytic treatment can benefit certain individuals with OCD, including those whose symptoms may be physical manifestations of unconscious conflict.

May be a suitable alternative for individuals who are not benefitting from traditional treatment options.