Cognitive approaches to obsessive-compulsive disorder

Abstract

In his reply to Salkovskis and Freeston (2001), O'Kearney (2001) has focused on two issues, namely motivation and the role of emotion, that he believes were not addressed by the cognitive theory of obsessions. It would now seem that cognitive theory does address these issues, but not in the way that he would like. Further, there seems to be some misunderstanding about the nature and applications of cognitive models. We look forward to the emergence of more comprehensive psychological theories of obsessive-compulsive disorder, theories that make testable predictions. The way is and was always open for those who wish to progress.