I snuck a quick scan of the classroom. No one was watching. I flipped the paper over again. After stealing another glance at the teacher, I flipped it one last time, completing the ritual twelve times. I could feel my hands shaking out of fear that a friend would notice my behavior. I was safe, for now. But my fear continued throughout the day. My eyes watched the clock tick to eleven, the time of day that always sent panic coursing through my bones. My responsibility for the week was to be the caboose of the line, meaning I had to close the classroom door. This task petrified my eight-year-old self because I viewed the door as a contaminated reservoir for germs. I lagged behind, peered around the corner ensuring my classmates were gone, and …show more content…
As a result, I became insecure and ashamed of not only my actions but also of who I was. At this point, I did what I was taught to do in school-investigate and turned to the Internet where I diagnosed myself with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. I informed my parents about my novice diagnoses, but in their Indian Culture, mental health is a binary system: either you're crazy or you're sane. My OCD meant that I was crazy. Because of this, they attributed my behavior to the pressure they placed on me and thought that I would naturally grow out of these strange compulsions. My parents refused to even try to comprehend my behavior. Not long after, in middle school, as my compulsions became more obsessive, I lost the only other support I had: my friends. Slowly, my worst fears came true; my friends began noticing my odd behavior and abandoned our friendship. I felt alone, powerless, without a voice as I tried to stay afloat in this internal …show more content…
Throughout the past four years, every thought about giving up and giving in has passed through my mind, but the consequences of these actions always stopped me from taking action. Instead of quitting, I endured through the agony, and eventually, I learned that the grass is in fact greener on the other side. This lesson was not easily learned. In fact, it wasn't until I began to gain real friends who accepted me for my flaws and spoke to my Chemistry teacher who constantly ensured me that my life will get better that I began to learn that everything has a purpose. High school taught me about academics, but it also taught me academics weren't important. Instead, the people with whom you surround yourself and how they affect your life is important. Without this Academy family, I would have never become confident enough to stand up for myself to my parents and seek the help I needed. With the help of my new support system, I preserved through the strenuous therapy and no longer acted on my strange obsessions. Although the feeling of uncertainty and anxiety wasn’t gone forever, I felt free, for the first time. Free from the constant anxiety. Free from the societal
Checking to make sure the stove is turned off, or double checking that the car is locked are all normal things. But a person with obsessive compulsive disorder may participate in these same actions, the only difference is it is much more intense. According to the National Institute of Mental Health those who have obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) have an impulse to check things multiple times, have rituals, thoughts and routines that they repeat over and over (National Institute of Health, 2013). The Center for Disease Control and Prevention further defines OCD, by having both obsessions and compulsions. Obsessions have two aspects to them and include having thoughts, impulses or images that repeatedly happen and are generally unwanted.
What is OCD? OCD stands for obsessive-compulsive disorder. Obsessive-compulsive disorder is a psychological disorder that makes an individual have a great deal of anxiety due to unwanted thoughts. The individual will try to reduce it by engaging in repetitive behaviors or compulsions. OCD is a part of an individual’s everyday life, so it is natural to have some obsessive thoughts. However, when it interferes with your every day lifestyle, then the individual knows that it’s a disorder. An example of the most common OCD that someone may encounter are contamination, accidental harm to others, perfection when it comes to washing, cleaning, or arrangement of things. Obsessive-compulsive disorder symptoms can change over time. It is most common
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder is a serious illness that can change people life in tremendous ways. OCD is when someone constantly focuses on the same thought or does something multiple times to calm them down. Obsessions are known as unwanted, annoying thoughts, images, or urges that causes a severe troublesome feeling. Compulsions is an OCD repetitive behavior someone uses to calm down to make the obsession go away. People with OCD constantly have to wash their hands, do something at a specific time every day, or even opening a door 3 times before coming in or leaving. The cause of this disorder is dependent on biological factors, environmental factors such as experiences and surroundings in childhood and constant patterns built over time.
Melvin Udall is a resourceful, bad-tempered, yet wealthy writer of romantic fiction suffering from obsessive compulsive disorder. Compulsively, he alienates and is rude to the vast majority of the people whom he interacts with. In addition, he goes through his everyday breakfast ritual of eating at the same restaurant, sitting at the same table, and bringing his own disposable utensils. Consequently, Melvin develops a special fascination in Carol Connelly, a server at the restaurant who is the only person who can tolerate his behavior.
Brian is a 26 year old Caucasian male who has previously diagnosed with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) with mixed anxiety and depressed mood and Obsessive-Control Disorder (OCD). Brian, ultimately, also suffers from Major Depressive Disorder (MDD). After ruling out the other mood disorders we agreeably came to the conclusion of MDD. Brian suffers from MDD which is resulting to have significant impairment in his life.
Obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) was once considered a rare disease, but today, it is one of the most prevalent psychological disorders present among society. OCD is described as “intrusive thoughts or images (obsessions), which increase anxiety, and by repetitive or ritualistic actions (compulsions), which decrease anxiety” (Stein, 2002). In the DSM-IV, Obsessive compulsive disorder can be diagnosed through observable behaviours or repetitive mental habits. Symptoms include; the constant washing of hands, and/or fears concerning danger to others or to self – resulting in frequent paranoia. OCD has been linked with lesions in various neurological circuits of the brain due to the consumption of dopamine agonists (for example, cocaine). In order for obsessive compulsive disorder to take clinical significance, dysfunction and distress must follow symptoms. The treatment of OCD was initially developed in the Freudian era, as psychoanalytical treatment was seen as the most effective treatment at the time for mind management. Conversely, recent empirical evidence proved otherwise. Pharmacological therapy and cognitive-behavioural therapy, also known as systematic desensitization are nowadays the most prominent remedies used in treating obsessive compulsive disorder.
Considering the secrecy surrounding OCD symptoms, it is important for family members to pay attention to early signs of ritualistic behaviors becoming troublesome. When OCD is suspected, a comprehensive clinical evaluation – including detailed interviews with parents and, if possible teachers – is required in order to check the obsessions, sensory phenomenon and compulsions in the case. In younger children, OCD features might appear subtly during play activities or drawing. It is vital to differentiate between obsessive compulsive symptoms and normal childhood behavior, such as the normal practice or actions during playtime, food time or bedtime. In this context, the information about degree of distress, impairment and time consumed performing rituals should provide enough data to decide whether or not treatment is warranted. Moreover, it is also important to assess insight and the family’s perception of the symptoms, as well as how family members deal with the patient.
Often OCD is described as a disease of doubt (Ken and Jacob 1). Things are constantly running through the minds of OCD patients. Is the door locked? Is the stove shut off? When researching OCD, three important things to cover are the discovery of OCD, the diagnosis, and overcoming OCD.
Obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) was once thought to be extremely rare, but recent epidemiological studies have shown it to be the fourth most common psychiatric disorder (after substance abuse, specific phobias, and major depression). OCD is often a chronic disorder that produces significant morbidity when not properly diagnosed and treated. The mainstay of treatment includes cognitive behavioral therapy and medication management. The use of clomipramine in the 1960s and then the introduction of serotonin reuptake inhibitors in the 1980s represented important advances in the pharmacologic treatment of OCD. Despite effective treatment modalities, many patients demonstrate only a partial response or are resistant to available medications. SRI-resistant OCD is one of the few diagnoses in modern psychiatry for which invasive neurosurgical procedures remain part of the established treatment armamentarium. We review current treatment strategies used in the management of OCD symptoms.
When I was sixteen, I was diagnosed with obsessive-compulsive disorder. I remember vividly, one winter day during my junior year of high school I started washing my hands, and, without reason, I could not stop. I scrubbed for minutes, refusing to slow even after my skin cracked and knuckles bled. That week I was diagnosed with obsessive-compulsive disorder. I started seeing a psychiatrist on a regular basis and I started taking medication to help deal with the mental illness. I never realized before the diagnosis how much my schoolwork had been affected by my OCD. There were days where I missed up to ten minutes of class because my hands weren’t properly cleaned after going to the bathroom. Other times I failed to comprehend entire class periods,
I have always been fascinated with behavioral disorders, especially OCD. I learned about OCD a few years ago when I was reading a medical journal. At first, it seemed like something very odd. The idea that otherwise normal people can do such strange things, and not be able to control themselves was fascinating. I wanted to know more about this topic, which is why I chose to write my paper on it. I thought that by knowing more about the subject, I will be able to better understand how these people's lives can be literally taken over by their constant worries and anxiety. Also, I think a lot of people exhibit these behaviors and aren't even aware that they may have a severe problem, and more importantly, that they can be getting
Hi Kuenzi! The article you mentioned about OCD is very relivant in my life. I like to just be a very neat and clean person and people call my OCD because of it. Although I show no excessive behavior, they continue to call me OCD. I think it is wrong for people to use this word so freely when there are people dealing with it as a struggle.
Obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) is a disorder that causes someone to have unwanted and troubling thoughts and repetitive behaviors (Lack, 2012). People may self-diagnose themselves to be obsessive compulsive. But people with obsessive compulsive disorder need to spend at least 1 hour daily on obsessive thoughts and rituals (Ellyson, 2014). This disorder is broken into two parts. The first part is obsessions, thoughts or images, and the second part is compulsions, the repetitive behaviors caused by the obsessions (Brakoulias, 2015). An example of obsessive compulsive disorder would be someone checking the locked door multiple times to reduce anxiety about forgetting to lock the door. On average 5% of the population has subclinical symptoms which are considered to be symptoms that are not disruptive enough to meet criteria to be diagnosed obsessive compulsive (Lack, 2012). Dropping what you’re doing to go back and check if your curling iron is unplugged is an example of a subclinical symptom. This paper will discuss what obsessive compulsive disorder is and provide a brief history. It will also include current treatments, suggestions on how to treat the disorder, and a summary.
Obsessive compulsive disorder is influenced by neurological factors with symptoms such as repeating steps, continuously washing their hands, and having a fear of objects like germs. Although there is no cure, there are treatments such as medication and therapy that can help lessen the patient’s anxiety and discomfort.
There are quite a few mental disorders that one can experience—they include ADHD, anxiety disorders, autism, bipolar disorder, borderline personality disorder, depression, dissociative disorders, eating disorders, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), posttraumatic stress disorder, schizoaffective disorder, and schizophrenia (“Mental Health Conditions”). Out of all of these illnesses, it seems like the most common disorder that people trivialize on social media is depression, but lately OCD has been a rising contender.