Comparing OCD and Panic Disorder

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Created on Sunday, 15 January 2006 00:00
Written by Ben Johnson, Ph.D., ABPP

Though a full description of the issues would take more time, there are strong similarities between the phenomenology of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder and Panic Disorder. Individuals with panic disorder develop an intense sensitivity to bodily sensations. Though these bodily reactions (such as a rapid heart beat or sweating) are part of an adaptive response to a perception of danger, patients often fear that these sensations are the sign of a medical or mental health catastrophe. Therapy often involves helping individuals learn not to fight their anxious sensations, so that they can really experience that these sensations are not dangerous.

In OCD, patients have upsetting, intrusive thoughts that bother them greatly (e.g., of being contaminated or of being responsible for a horrible mistake). Though having such thoughts is actually quite common, individuals with OCD often fear that their thoughts are a sign of a serious problem and should be taken quite seriously. Some individuals, for instance, fear that their thoughts of causing harm to a loved one are a sign that they might act violently and need to take great precautions to prevent themselves from doing so. However, such inviduals typically have no history of violence and find the idea quite abhorrent.

So, whereas panic disorder involves a catastrophic reaction to feared bodily sensations, OCD involves a catastrophic reaction to feared thoughts. Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT) has been shown to be very effective in helping patients to accept their physical sensations (such as being short of breath) and their anxious thoughts without struggling against them. Once this struggle is dropped, individuals are able to move in the direction of recovery from these anxiety disorders.