What is OCD ?

What is OCD?

Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder is one of the more widely known types of anxiety disorders, but in actuality, few people understand how it works. People with Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, or OCD, aren?t crazy. They simply have persistent behaviors that upset their daily lives. OCD ranges from very mild to severe, and some have even suggested that everyone has OCD, but it is simply a matter of controlling your thoughts and actions so that you can live a normal life.

OCD, as its name implies, has two main components?the obsession and the compulsion.

What are Obsessions?

The obsession is usually a fear or desire, such as the fear to contamination or the desire to be perfect. A person with OCD can have obsessions about anything like cleaniness, illness or injury. Their brain does not move forward but are repeating the same thing. The difference is that the obsessive thoughts come from anxiety.

The person how has OCD, can have obsessions about

Dirt

Illness ( either their own or others )

Unlucky numbers

Unlucky words

Making mistakes

Not being sure

Doing or thinking something bad will happen

What are Compulsions?

The compulsion is the repetitive behavior that is a result of the obsession. For example, someone with the fear that a loved one will die may feel a compulsion to always count everything to a certain number. They irresistibly feel as though their loved one will somehow die if they do not count to this number. Obsessions and compulsions can sometimes be relieved with rituals, which may help to temporarily relieve the stress.

Plenty of people have certain rituals like, tapping the pen 3 times before they start an examination. Perhaps we do have some lucky numbers and unlucky numbers also. But OCD compulsions are much beyond luck.

OCD can be categorized as:-

• Washers ? they generally have cleaning for hand washing compulsion
• Checkers ?they associate with harm and danger, repedeatly check things (doors locked, oven turned off, and security alarm off).
• Sinners and Doubters ? They have feeling that nothing is perfect and things will go wrong and they will be punished.
• Counters and Arrangers ? They have a superstitious about certain numbers, or with words etc. They are obsessed with order.

Although many people will joke that they have OCD when they are nit-picky about cleaning or do something odd, OCD is truly no laughing matter. A person who suffers severely from these conditions will probably not be able to work, go to school, live alone, drive, or even go out in public.

OCD is chronic, although many people try to hide their symptoms from others and stop the compulsions at the very least. Most people with OCD understand that they are being irrational, but they just can?t help it.

What causes OCD to develop in the first place?

? While many originally thought it was due to childhood environmental conditions, it is now reported that a specific neurological problem may be the cause. More than one factor is probably at work here and although there are treatments, there are no known cures to OCD.

? OCD runs in the families.

? The way mind handles the messages about fear and doubt. It has to with the chemicals that carry the messages to the brain with help of the nerve cells. If these gets ?blocked ?, then OCD can develop.

? Some therapists are studying the connection with the OCD and body?s immune system response to the strep infection (Strep throat is a disease caused by tiny egg-shape bacteria called group A?streptococci. These bacteria cause 15%-20% of all sore throats and are found in your throat and on your skin.)

Treatment for OCD

OCD can be treated in 2 ways:-

Medicine: – these medicines make the person calmer and make the obsessions and compulsions less intense. They also help to tone down the worries and fears of the patients suffering from OCD.

Behavioral therapy: The ?talk therapy ?, most commonly known as the Cognitive behavioral therapy also works, with or without the medicine. There are special therapists who ask certain questions related to the fear and the obsession the patients have and then helps them to overcome fear, deal with anxiety, resist compulsion and slowly and gradually overcome OCD.

Getting help, however, is very important. With medication, behavioral therapy, and counseling, patients with OCD can truly start to lead somewhat normal lives one again. Talking to your doctor about your OCD concerns is the first step to controlling your life and health. At the very least, talk to a friend. He or she may be able to help you take the right steps toward treating your OCD.? This disorder can be devastating, but with a little hard work, one can overcome OCD.