IS HYPERAROUSAL ESSENTIAL TO OBSESSIVE-COMPULSIVE DISORDER - DIMINISHED PHYSIOLOGICAL FLEXIBILITY, BUT NOT HYPERAROUSAL, CHARACTERIZES PATIENTS WITH OBSESSIVE-COMPULSIVE DISORDER
R. Hoehnsaric et al., IS HYPERAROUSAL ESSENTIAL TO OBSESSIVE-COMPULSIVE DISORDER - DIMINISHED PHYSIOLOGICAL FLEXIBILITY, BUT NOT HYPERAROUSAL, CHARACTERIZES PATIENTS WITH OBSESSIVE-COMPULSIVE DISORDER, Archives of general psychiatry, 52(8), 1995, pp. 688-693
Objective: To examine the hypothesis that the pathologic features of o
bsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) are facilitated by abnormal levels
of arousal, we compared patients with OCD with controls on self-report
s and psychophysiologic measures. Methods: Twenty-three patients with
OCD were compared with 21 controls on rating scales and on psychophysi
ologic measures (ie, heart interbeat interval, skin conductance, respi
ration, blood pressure, and electromyographic activity) during rest an
d during two psychologically stressful tasks. Results: Patients rated
themselves higher on psychic and somatic anxiety scales. Mean physiolo
gic activities were not elevated at rest. During tasks, changes in ele
ctrodermal, cardiovascular (except blood pressure), and muscle activit
ies were smaller in patients with OCD, indicating decreased physiologi
c flexibility. Conclusions: Hyperarousal, measured peripherally, is no
t an essential pathologic feature of OCD. Decreased physiologic flexib
ility indicates an anxiety-related, but not OCD-specific, impairment o
f psychophysiologic reactivity to one's environment.