O presente trabalho tem como objetivo avaliar as contribuições da perspectiva evolucionista para a compreensão dos processos psicológicos humanos, e em particular para o entendimento das psicopatologias, com especial atenção para o transtorno obsessivo-compulsivo, resgatando também algumas proposições levantadas em um trabalho anterior a partir da investigação de estereotipias comportamentais apresentadas por animais em cativeiro, na busca de possíveis contribuições para a compreensão de seu análogo nos humanos. Para cumprir este objetivo, são descritos os níveis de análise característicos da aplicação da abordagem evolucionista, sendo discutida a noção de patologia, e mais especificamente psicopatologia, numa perspectiva evolucionista. Dentro do campo da psicologia evolucionista, são discutidos os conceitos de modularidade da mente, sistemas funcionais e ambiente de adaptação evolutiva. É realizada então a exploração de uma psicopatologia humana específica, o transtorno obsessivo-compulsivo, ou TOC, descrevendo sua fenomenologia e destacando a classificação das diferentes categorias de sintomas, que servirão como um parâmetro para o levantamento de hipóteses evolucionistas. É discutida a presença de comportamentos compulsivos e ritualizados fora do contexto da psicopatologia, levantando a questão de um possível continuum entre estes fenômenos, da vida cotidiana ao transtorno obsessivo-compulsivo. Segue-se um levantamento dos principais estudos epidemiológicos, visando à caracterização da manifestação deste transtorno ao redor do mundo, com atenção ao seu caráter homogêneo, às particularidades e às diferenças entre gêneros. São levantados os dados mais consensuais a respeito da psicobiologia do TOC, como a participação de doenças infecciosas na manifestação de sintomas obsessivo-compulsivos. Buscando recuperar a perspectiva filogenética na abordagem da neurociência, é discutido modelo do cérebro triuno de Paul MacLean. São apresentados os modelos animais utilizados na investigação do TOC, iniciando-se a aproximação com a etologia, sendo retomados alguns de seus conceitos fundamentais, que têm sido usados freqüentemente na abordagem do transtorno obsessivo-compulsivo, como padrão fixo ou modal de ação, atividade deslocada, estereotipia comportamental, e ritualização. São discutidas por fim as principais hipóteses evolucionistas sobre o transtorno obsessivo-compulsivo, com destaque para os modelos que apresentam idéias similares: o modelo de simulação de cenários de risco, o modelo de prevenção de situações de risco, e o sistema motivacional de segurança. Tais modelos sugerem que o desenvolvimento do TOC envolve uma alteração em um sistema funcional voltado para a prevenção de riscos. O predomínio de sintomas de caráter social, sobretudo aqueles ligados a adequação a normas e regras, sugere também o envolvimento de um sistema funcional específico, indicando a importância das pressões seletivas que conduziram ao desenvolvimento de um \"cérebro social\", a partir de adaptações que favoreceram o estabelecimento de relações sociais complexas. / The purpose of the present investigation is to evaluate the contributions of evolutionary perspective for the understanding of the human psychological processes, particularly the human psychopathologies, specially focused on the obsessive-compulsive disorder, also rescuing some propositions of a previous work which investigated behavioral stereotypies, presented by animals in captivity, in the search of possible contributions for the understanding of its similar in the humans, the OCD. To accomplish this aim, the characteristic levels of analysis used by the evolutionary approach are described, and then are applied to discuss the idea of pathology, and more specifically, psychopathology. Inside the evolutionary psychology field, the concepts of modularity of the mind, functional systems and environment of evolutionary adaptedness are also presented. Then it is explored a specific human psychopathology, the obsessive compulsive disorder, or OCD, by describing its phenomenology and the classification of the different categories of symptoms, that will serve as a parameter for the evolutionary hypotheses. It is discussed the presence of compulsive and ritualized behaviors out of the context of the psychopathology, pointing to a possible continuum among these phenomena, from the daily rife to the obsessive-compulsive disorder. A description of the main epidemiological studies is accomplished, seeking to the characterization of this disorder around the world, with attention to its homogeneous character, to the particularities and the differences between genders. We proceed pointing the most consensual data regarding the psychobiology of OCD, as the possible involvement of infectious diseases in the manifestation of obsessive-compulsive symptoms. Looking for recovering the phylogenetic perspective in the approach of the neuroscience, the Paul MacLean\'s triune brain is discussed. The animal models used in the investigation of OCD are presented, beginning to come close to the ethology field, being retaken some of their fundamental concepts, that have frequently been used in the approach of the obsessive-compulsive disorder, as fixed or modal action pattern, displacement activity, behavioral stereotypy, and ritualization. Then we finally discuss the main evolutionary hypotheses on the obsessive-compulsive disorder, highlighting the models that present similar ideas: the model of simulation of risk scenarios, the model of prevention of risk situations, and the security motivacional system. Such models suggest that the development of OCD involves an alteration in a functional system aimed for the prevention of risks. The prevalence of symptoms of social character, specially those related to acceptance of norms and rules, also suggests the involvement of a specific functional system, indicating the importance of the selective pressures that led to the development of a \"social brain\", starting from adaptations that favored the establishment of complex social relationships.

INTRODUCTION: Initial examination of treatment worries suggest they may represent an important construct; however, previously used measures were limited by their specificity, scale format, and lack of parent report. Therefore the present study sought to examine the initial outcomes and psychometrics of newly developed corresponding measures of treatment worries in youth (Treatment Worries Questionnaire – Child; TWQ-C) and their parents (Treatment Worries Questionnaire – Parent; TWQ-P). METHODS: Participants were 94 youth (7-17-years old) and parent dyads presenting for psychosocial treatment of an anxiety disorder. Prior to initiation of treatment, dyads completed the TWQ-C and TWQ-P along with a host of additional child and parent report measures, and three clinician-rated measures. RESULTS: Treatment worries were endorsed in the mild-moderate range by youth and the TWQ-C demonstrated good-excellent internal consistency and test-retest reliability, a strong three-factor structure, and consistent convergent and divergent relationships. Treatment worries were endorsed in the low mild range by parents and the TWQ-P demonstrated fair-good internal consistency and test-retest reliability, a less empirically, but theoretically, supported four-factor structure, and consistent divergent relationships, but variable (by factor) convergent relationships. DISCUSSION: The results of the present study provide information on the concept of treatment worries and support the use of the TWQ-C and TWQ-P as broad assessments of the concept in a variety of populations. Low endorsement of worries among parents likely relates to the nature of the present sample (treatment-seeking) and may have contributed significantly to the less ideal psychometrics of the TWQ-P in comparison to the TWQ-C. Future investigation of treatment worries using the TWQ-C and TWQ-P in a variety of samples is warranted.

The purpose of this qualitative, exploratory study was to develop a deeper understanding of educational and other social experiences and relationships of post-secondary students who were clinically diagnosed with primary obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). The researcher also investigated their strengths, weaknesses, coping strategies, and quality of life through mental and physical health. The majority of people with OCD have obsessions and compulsions that last greater than an hour each day or severely impact daily life. Obsessions are irritating feelings or mental pictures that individuals try to block or mitigate with irrational physical or mental compulsions, often appearing as excessive hand washing in reaction to a contamination obsession. Participants comprised seven university students who completed three self-report questionnaires and two semi-structured interviews with the researcher. Five participants submitted self-report journals. These data were examined using interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA).The present study advanced previous research as it documented extensive lifelong characteristics, experiences, and relationships from these students. It yielded salient findings related to their OCD functional impairment and quality of life. Further, it showed that as students, their intellectual integration seemed to play a greater role in academic persistence than did their social integration. In addition, participants’ university policy and practice recommendations were congruent with a similar study from about a decade ago indicating that perhaps few or none of the past recommendations were implemented for the benefit of such students. Present recommendations should be implemented accordingly.

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Acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) has been used with promising results for adults with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). There are currently no published studies utilizing ACT for pediatric OCD. An investigative pilot study utilizing a nonconcurrent multiple baseline design examined the extent of treatment effects when ACT is employed for pediatric OCD. Three children under the age of 12 were enrolled in a nine-session ACT treatment protocol. The primary dependent variable was number of obsessive cognitions as recorded by participants within a participant-observer framework. Treatment response was also evaluated using the Children’s Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale (CY-BOCS). Results indicated that two of three participants successfully responded to treatment as evidenced by significant reductions in selfobserved frequency of obsessive cognitions. Results further indicated large reductions for all participants on the CY-BOCS with a mean score decrease of 47.26%. Implications and future directions were considered. The research yielded results that indicated that ACT may be useful in the treatment of pediatric OCD and that further research is warranted.

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The 5-HT agonist drug mCPP contributed to a 5-HT hypothesis of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), but the effects of the drug in human and animal studies have been inconsistent. The objective of this thesis was to shed light on the behavioural and neurobiological effects of mCPP using the quinpirole sensitization rat model of OCD and in a reciprocal manner, to use the drug to further reveal behavioural and neurobiological components of the animal model. The utility in using the quinpirole model is that the process of analysis by experimentation can be employed to observe effects of the drug on three separate behavioural components identified to underlie the model compulsive behaviour: vigor, focus and satiety. Four original studies were designed to address this objective, and the findings yielded novel contributions to the literature. We suggest that mCPP attenuates compulsive checking by attenuating the exacerbated vigor and satiety characteristic of compulsive behavior, but this effect may not have been captured in previous clinical studies because OCD was measured as a unitary phenomenon across different symptom subtypes. We also reveal that separate systems underlie the development and performance of compulsive behaviour in the animal model, and mCPP reduces its performance but not its development. Hence, the animal model findings suggest that mCPP can attenuate performance of OCD behavior but the drug does not reverse the pathology of OCD or arrest the pathogenesis of OCD. Neurobiologically, we hypothesize that the underlying mechanism mediating the response to mCPP is mediated downstream of the nucleus accumbens core (NAc), at the substantia nigra pars reticulata, based on the finding that the effects of mCPP on vigor and satiety are present in NAc lesioned animals. Finally, although findings of this thesis indicate that 5-HT2A/C receptors do not mediate the response to mCPP, an oppositional role for DA and 5-HT on the model of compulsive behaviour is proposed, consistent with a security motivation theory of OCD. Overall, this thesis shed new light on the effects of mCPP on OCD, and reveals novel neurobiological and behavioural correlates of the quinpirole model. / Thesis / Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

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