An essential element in the diagnosis of obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) is the presence of unwanted, intrusive thoughts (obsessions) which induce significant anxiety symptoms. The anxiety then prompts you to engage in repetitive, ritualistic behaviors (compulsions) which serve to reduce your anxiety over the short term. So the diagnosis of OCD requires the presence of both […]
Diagnosing Anxiety Disorders
Hello, I’m Dr. Carlo Carandang, and I’m a psychiatrist. Today, I will talk about diagnosing anxiety disorders. Anxiety disorders are diagnosed by doctors, which include family physicians, psychiatrists, and PhD-level psychologists. Here is a flow chart that doctors should be using when they are evaluating you for anxiety disorder: As an example, let’s say you […]