Biomaterial Database

Do "flashbacks" represent obsessional imagery? 1994

J F Lipinski, and H G Pope

Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder Clinic, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston.

We describe three patients, all meeting DSM-III-R criteria for obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), whose vivid, intrusive obsessional images had been diagnosed by previous treatment personnel as "flashbacks" of repressed childhood trauma. All three patients had been urged to engage in psychotherapy to "uncover" their putative repressed memories. However, serotonin reuptake antagonists produced prompt remission of the images and the associated obsessional and compulsive symptoms in all cases. It may be that in some patients, so-called flashbacks instead represent the very common obsessional images of OCD.

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D008297	Male		Males
D008875	Middle Aged	An adult aged 45 - 64 years.	Middle Age
D009771	Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder	An anxiety disorder characterized by recurrent, persistent obsessions or compulsions. Obsessions are the intrusive ideas, thoughts, or images that are experienced as senseless or repugnant. Compulsions are repetitive and seemingly purposeful behavior which the individual generally recognizes as senseless and from which the individual does not derive pleasure although it may provide a release from tension.	Anankastic Personality,Neurosis, Obsessive-Compulsive,Anankastic Personalities,Disorder, Obsessive-Compulsive,Disorders, Obsessive-Compulsive,Neuroses, Obsessive-Compulsive,Neurosis, Obsessive Compulsive,Obsessive Compulsive Disorder,Obsessive-Compulsive Disorders,Obsessive-Compulsive Neuroses,Obsessive-Compulsive Neurosis,Personalities, Anankastic,Personality, Anankastic
D012094	Repression, Psychology	The active mental process of keeping out and ejecting, banishing from consciousness, ideas or impulses that are unacceptable to it.	Delayed Memory,False Memory Syndrome,Repressed Memory,Repression,Delayed Memories,False Memory Syndromes,Memories, Delayed,Memories, Repressed,Memory Syndrome, False,Memory, Delayed,Memory, Repressed,Psychology Repression,Syndrome, False Memory
D002997	Clomipramine	A tricyclic antidepressant similar to IMIPRAMINE that selectively inhibits the uptake of serotonin in the brain. It is readily absorbed from the gastrointestinal tract and demethylated in the liver to form its primary active metabolite, desmethylclomipramine.	Chlorimipramine,Anafranil,Chlomipramine,Clomipramine Hydrochloride,Clomipramine Maleate (1:1),Clomipramine Monohydrochloride,Hydiphen,Hydrochloride, Clomipramine,Monohydrochloride, Clomipramine
D003937	Diagnosis, Differential	Determination of which one of two or more diseases or conditions a patient is suffering from by systematically comparing and contrasting results of diagnostic measures.	Diagnoses, Differential,Differential Diagnoses,Differential Diagnosis
D005260	Female		Females
D005473	Fluoxetine	The first highly specific serotonin uptake inhibitor. It is used as an antidepressant and often has a more acceptable side-effects profile than traditional antidepressants.	Fluoxetin,Fluoxetine Hydrochloride,Lilly-110140,N-Methyl-gamma-(4-(trifluoromethyl)phenoxy)benzenepropanamine,Prozac,Sarafem,Lilly 110140,Lilly110140
D006801	Humans	Members of the species Homo sapiens.	Homo sapiens,Man (Taxonomy),Human,Man, Modern,Modern Man
D000328	Adult	A person having attained full growth or maturity. Adults are of 19 through 44 years of age. For a person between 19 and 24 years of age, YOUNG ADULT is available.	Adults