title: A diary study of the phenomenology and persistence of compulsions.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Research on the persistence of compulsions has found that, when making the decision to stop a compulsion, people with OCD weigh sensory and memory information as more important than external criteria. At the same time, research has also found that repetition of behaviour has a deleterious effect on memory, sensory and cognitive confidence. These findings have important treatment implications but they are almost exclusively laboratory based. This study sought to examine compulsions as they occur in vivo using a structured diary format.
  
  
  METHODS
  22 People with a principal diagnosis of OCD completed measures of memory, sensory and cognitive confidence and used a structured diary to report on three compulsive episodes a day for three days.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Despite repetition, a sense of certainty or the "right" feeling was achieved in over half of the compulsive episodes. The outcome of compulsive episodes was not influenced by distress over the obsession, nor was distress associated with negative beliefs about obsessions. Episodes in which certainly was not achieved were characterized by greater repetitions, greater memory, cognitive and sensory doubt and less certainty that the compulsion had been done properly.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The sample size was modest, checking compulsions were over-represented and data were based on retrospective self-report, albeit 2-h on average.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Consistent with laboratory studies, repetition has insidious effects on the persistence of compulsions. However, compulsions yielded a sense of certainty half the time, despite repetitions.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, ON N2G 3L1, Canada; Foothills Medical Centre, PCU 21 & 22, APP, 1403 29 Street NW, Calgary, AB T2N 2T9, Canada. Electronic address: bianca.bucarelli@albertahealthservices.ca.
authors.forename: Bianca
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Bucarelli
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, ON N2G 3L1, Canada. Electronic address: christine.purdon@uwaterloo.ca.
authors.forename: Christine
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Purdon
mesh_terms: D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007859:Learning Disabilities / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology*; D008297:Male; D008499:Medical Records; D008569:Memory Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology*; D008609:Mental Status Schedule; D009771:Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology*; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
keywords: Compulsions; Obsessive–compulsive disorder; Phenomenology