Cognitive Strategies in Patients with Mixed Anxiety-Depression and Obsessive-Compulsive Disorders

Intrusive thoughts are characteristic of emotional and anxiety disorders. This study aimed to compare strategies that pati- ents and nonpatients use to control the intrusive thoughts. Two groups of patients with Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD, 11 males and 14 females, mean age 29) and Mixed Anxiety-Depression Disorder (MADD; 10 males and 15 females, mean age 27), and a group of non patients (12 males and 13 females, mean age 28) were selected. Participants answered the Thought Control Questionnaire (Wells & Davies, 1994)and Beck Anxiety and Depression Inventories (Beck, Epstein, Brown, & Steer, 1988; Beck, Rush, Shaw, & Emery, 1979). The findings showed that OCD and MADD patients mostly used punishment and worry strategies. The non patient group used more distraction and social control strategies. No significant differences between groups were found in terms of utilizing the reappraisal strategy.