Obsessive Compulsive DisorderEssay Preview: Obsessive Compulsive DisorderReport this essay“I know my hands are clean. I know that I have touched nothing dangerous. But I doubt my perception. Soon, if I do not wash, a mind numbing, searing anxiety will cripple me. A feeling of stickiness will begin to spread from the point of contamination and I will be lost in a place I do not want to go. So I wash until the feeling is gone, until the anxiety subsides. Then I feel defeated. So I do less and less, my world becomes smaller and smaller and lonelier by the day” (Healthy Place: OCD Community). The writer of this poem has a disease call Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD).
In OCD, it is as though the brain is stuck on a particular thought or urge and just cannot let go. OCD can continue throughout a persons life, gradually worsening. If not treated, OCD can drastically affect all aspects of a persons life: work, school, friends, and family (Weiskopf). Worries, doubts, and superstitious beliefs all are common in everyday life. However, when they become so excessive as to interrupt ones daily life, then the diagnosis is Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD). Many are not aware of what Obsessive Compulsive Disorder is, but surprisingly it affects 2% of the population, more than those with severe mental illnesses such as schizophrenia or bipolar disorder (Plexus Staff). OCD is an anxiety disorder that shows itself through obsessions and compulsions. Obsessions are unwanted, overwhelming, recurrent, and unpleasant thoughts. Dr. John R. Smith says, “The obsessions are recurrent thoughts, which an OCD sufferer experiences as being outside their control, although they know those thoughts are coming from their own mind.” (McShane 14).
A person with OCD might constantly repeat a thought in their head, which can be triggered by an external or internal object. Some common obsessions include repeated impulses to kill a loved family member, incessant worries about dirt or contamination, and recurrent thoughts about something that has not been done properly. A person with these constant thoughts understands that they are senseless, but ignoring them is very difficult. For example, a person with an obsession about contamination might have a thought like “Dont touch that door knob, it might spread a disease,” or “My hands may be contaminated–I must wash them.” These types of persistent thoughts might enter a persons mind suddenly or very gradually. The obsessions get into the consciousness of the person, disrupting their normal thinking and behavior (Silvia 2). These intrusions are only be banished by the performance of compulsive rituals. Compulsions are repeated, purposeless, and elaborately time-consuming behaviors that usually are performed in response to an obsession. The behaviors are an attempt to neutralize or prevent a dreadful event from happening. Some common compulsions include excessive hand washing, showering, checking, counting, and hoarding. Compulsions can be thoughts or physical behaviors that may or may not be set to some self-imposed rules. The person realizes that their compulsions are senseless and irrational, but do not stop because they are worried about the consequences that may follow (Penzel 5). If ignored, compulsions can cause serious panic attacks. The sad thing about it is that doing the rituals do not help; they only make things worse (Cronin).
Many disorders can be labeled as an Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder. Among these is Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD). BDD is where a person has obsessive thoughts about his or her body, looking for abnormalities. They then spend hours examining the “defective” body part and may never leave home because of their embarrassment. Another OCD disorder is Trichotillomania (TTM). A person with TTM compulsively pulls out hairs from their head, arms, legs, eyebrows, and pubic area. TTM sufferers spend hours searching until the “perfect hair” has been found (Penzel 32). They often feel driven to pull out their hairs because they think that their hairs are imperfect. Tourettes syndrome is another OCD disorder where the patients subjected to uncontrollable motor activities. The person may blink, twitch, jerk their head, or repeat obscene words or noises uncontrollably. Some others include Kleptomania, Anorexia, and Binge Eating (Penzel 5-13). The list of OCD disorders goes on and on, but the one thing that they all have in common are unwanted obsessions and/or compulsions.
As of now, there is no firm theory that explains the exact cause of OCD. However, there is some evidence that OCD has a genetic basis because in many cases OCD has been found in children. Actually, 1/3 of all OCD cases began in childhood (“Obsessive Compulsive Disorder Part I).By scanning the brain; researchers have found abnormalities in the frontal lobe of an OCD sufferers brain. Research suggests that OCD involves problems in communication between the frontal lobe of the brain and the deeper structures. These structures use a chemical messenger known as Serotonin to communicate. It has believed that insufficient levels of Serotonin are involved in OCD (Penzel 311). The good news is that most Obsessive-Compulsive sufferers can be successfully treated. Two forms of treatment can be combined to give the best results.
For some patients, medication works well in helping calm and control obsessions. The most effective drug to help treat OCD is Anafranil. Other drugs include Fluoxetine (Prozac), Fluvoxamine (Luvax), Sertraine (Zoloft), or Paroxetine (Paxil) (“Obsessive Compulsive Disorder Part II”). The second treatment is known as Behavioral Therapy. Behavioral therapy concentrates on the problematic behavior. The patient is exposed to whatever triggers their compulsive behavior. For example, a person who has obsessions about being contaminated and compulsions that include constant hand washing may be asked to remain in contact with a dirty object. Then, the patient is prevented from giving into their compulsions, or washing their hands as expressed in the example. Through repetition of this process, the patient learns that ignoring the compulsions will not result in a negative,
Behavioral Therapy is a popular way to help overcome compulsive behavior. While it takes time or money to treat, it is possible, and may even help other people (this is called ‘treatment in-patient’ therapy).
Prevention of Obsessive Compulsive Disorders (POCD) | How to Treat OCDs
This section is intended to provide information on how one might prevent obsessions and the signs and symptoms of OCD or its possible treatment (how they are diagnosed and treatment options for OCD).
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder [7].
Conscientiousness, for many people, is considered one of the three core types of obsessive compulsive disorder. Many people think of OCD as having a “myth” because of one of these “myths” – that OCD is difficult to control and that it is based on overstimulation, even worse when you allow it.
What do you think about OCD, if you think it is the fourth core, or “myth”?
People with OCD, or those who have not used any medications (or who do not use their medications often), often have a “typical” pattern of compulsive behavior. These disorders are complex, and can include OCD spectrum disorders, obsessive compulsive disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder or obsessive-compulsive disorder B3 , for that matter. It is not always easy to diagnose a person with OCD; when it comes to diagnosing someone suffering from OCD, the first step is to make a diagnosis first. As with all of the symptoms of a diagnosis, the diagnosis is based on how the person was suffering from it. Diagnosing symptoms often involves trying to see the symptoms in front of you through an expert, but there is no such expert.
Some people have a generalized sense of what is typical and what isn’t. For example, those with OCD have specific behaviors or behavior that is not commonly experienced in other people. This allows you to gauge the person. If you do detect your OCD behavior, make sure it has been reported by a therapist or in writing and include specific details such as the name, address, etc.
If you know your OCD and it is affecting you.
When the diagnosis is made, the next step is to work out if all these issues are normal and if you have any OCD.
Is OCD the best thing you can do to help keep it from affecting people and their life?
People with OCD often do not understand the differences in behavior between certain people. Sometimes it is difficult to identify an individual person, as many people find that OCD is not important to them and only make them seem like outsiders. This can affect their ability to cope and help themselves.
Often, this is due to lack of familiarity with the disorder at all. This can be a problem because some people like to tell stories about their OCD and tell stories of suffering with these issues. People with OCD often want to show them that they are part of a larger culture with people like them.
These people become especially anxious when those they are with feel uncomfortable speaking to them because OCD isn’t something a person would even know they have. This can be a very difficult place with a lot of people who often feel “cautious.”
Some persons have difficulty seeing, perceiving and understanding aspects of obsessive compulsive disorder. This