title: Urinary cortisol during exposure in obsessive-compulsive ritualizers.
abstract: Nineteen obsessive-compulsive (OC) ritualizers were exposed to both brief and prolonged neutral and aversive stimuli (the latter evoked a significant urge to ritualize). Urinary cortisol and subjective anxiety were measured over 3 1/2 hours throughout the experiment, and cortisol secretion was compared to a control session the previous day. Both groups showed higher cortisol secretion after exposure compared to the control session. Only the group that received prolonged aversive stimuli, in addition to brief aversive and neutral stimuli, showed significantly higher urinary cortisol levels after the session. Cortisol response correlated with subjective anxiety reports during prolonged aversive stimulation only.
authors: Department of Psychiatry, Institute of Psychiatry, London, Great Britain.
authors: Y G
authors: YG
authors: Kasvikis
authors: M
authors: M
authors: Basoglu
authors: W
authors: W
authors: Monteiro
authors: I M
authors: IM
authors: Marks
authors: P
authors: P
authors: Lelliott
authors: H
authors: H
authors: Noshirvani
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001007:Anxiety / Q000652:urine; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006854:Hydrocortisone / Q000652:urine*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009771:Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder / Q000652:urine*; D010812:Physical Stimulation
chemical_list: D006854:Hydrocortisone