The Cognitive Behavioral Model (OCD)

The cognitive behavioral model is well regarded as an explanation for the onset, maintenance, and the basis of treatment of many disorders such as OCD. OCD is defined as an anxiety disorder in which obsessions and compulsions are excessive, or distressing. The behavioral model states that all behaviors are learned, this can explain the onset of disorders such as OCD through classical conditioning. Symptoms of OCD are primarily obsessions and compulsions, which are thoughts and behaviors, which are the primary feature of the cognitive model. The disorder is maintained through operant conditioning. Those with OCD engage in compulsion which are negatively reinforced, thus rewarding and allowing the behavior to continue. Treatment is very effective however, using the same principle that maintains behaviors treatments have been created that allow patients to make new connections to those stimuli.
Obsessive compulsive behaviors are learned just like most behaviors, this is explained by the behavioral model as classical conditioning. Classical conditioning occurs when a person pairs a response with a previously neutral stimuli. In the case of OCD these associations are not limited to just the initial stimuli ("The

Role of Fear Conditioning in OCD", 2014). This could be pairing certain objects being associated to illness. If a person at a young age sees their aunt with cancer in a chair they might associate that chair with illness, however they might also develop an association of illness with any furniture their aunt touches. This may lead to further obsessions of contamination with compulsions to clean their hand multiple times per day.
The cognitive model focuses on thoughts and behaviors as an explanation for psychological abnormality.

Primary symptoms of OCD are obsessions which are intrusive thoughts, and compulsions which are behaviors those with OCD engage in. These intrusive thoughts that occur more frequently than in those not affected by the disorder(Comer, 2004). Compulsions are a way for those who suffer to ease anxiety that can result from obsessive thoughts. Those with OCD might also feel more responsible than those without it, for example someone with OCD might believe it is there job to keep the house secure. These patients may suffer from obsessions that their house is at risk of being broken into, so the compulsion that results might be checking locks multiple

repetitively.
The persistence of OCD is a result of the learned behavior being reinforced, this process is known as operant conditioning. Operant conditioning occurs when behaviors are reinforced or extinguished through reward or punishment. Obsessions increase anxiety and engaging in subsequent compulsions reduces anxiety, through this process compulsions are negatively reinforced. Another factor in the maintenance of OCD is disruptive behaviors are allowed to persist. If nothing is changed the patient will continue engaging in the compulsions.
Using the knowledge of how OCD is maintained effective treatments have been developed. The cognitive behavior model uses inhibitory learning to alter the response to the conditioned stimuli. This inhibitory learning exposes patients to a stimuli allowing them to associate that stimuli without the feared outcome. Exposure with ritual prevention has proven to be an efficient treatment, in one study it was found to be highly effective in ten out of fifteen patients, and somewhat effective in the rest (Mancebo, Eisen, Sibrava, Dyck & Rasmussen, 2011).
OCD is categorized as a disorder of thoughts and behaviors, thus the cognitive behavioral model effectively conceptualizes the disorder. The cognitive behavioral model accounts for the onset, symptoms, factors that maintain the disorder, and creates an efficient treatments. Previous treatments for the disorder were much less effective due to being baseless or requiring medication for the rest of the patients life. Treatment under the psychodynamic model required overcoming their underlying conflicts (Comer, 2004). Treatments using cognitive behavioral therapy are effective long term, as compared to drug treatment where symptoms return once the drug has been removed. In one that followed fifteen patients through exposure with ritual prevention therapy only two had relapsed after five years (Foa, 2010).