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Psychobiology of Anxiety Disorders and Obsessive-Compulsive Spectrum Disorders

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  07 November 2014

Dan J. Stein
Dan J. Stein*
Affiliation:
Dr. Stein is professor and chair of the Department of Psychiatry at the, University of Cape Townin, South Africaand professor of psychiatry at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York City
*
P.O. Box 19063, Tygerberg 7505, South Africa. Tel: 27-21-404-2164; Fax:, 27-21-448-8158; E-mail:, dan.stein@uct.ac.za
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Abstract

Obsessive-compulsive disorder is currently classified as an anxiety disorder. However, there is growing interest in the concept of an obsessive-compulsive spectrum of disorders (OCSDs). The relationship between anxiety disorders and OCSDs has been questioned. The psychobiology of anxiety disorders and OCSDs is briefly reviewed in this article. While there appear to be several distinct contrasts in the underlying psychobiology of these conditions, there is also evidence of overlapping mechanisms. In addition, there are crucial gaps in our current database, confounding nosological decision-making. Conceptualizing various anxiety disorders and putative OCSDs as lying within a broader spectrum of emotional disorders may be useful. However, clinicians must also recognize that individual anxiety and obsessive-compulsive spectrum conditions, including disorders characterized by body-focused repetitive behaviors, have distinct psychobiological underpinnings and require different treatment approaches.

Type
Research Article
Information
CNS Spectrums , Volume 13 , Issue S14 , 2008 , pp. 23 - 28
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2008

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