Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD)

Obsessive-Compulsive disorder is a type of severe anxiety disorder that impacts an individual’s entire life and way of functioning. Obsessions are considered intrusive and recurrent thoughts or impulses that cannot be removed through reasoning. Compulsions are the repetitive and ritualistic behaviors and actions that associate with the obsessions. These compulsions are to be performed according to specific rules or methods and are thought to prevent or reduce stress and feared situations. Both compulsions and obsessions cause disabling levels of anxiety. The individual affected is often able to recognize the behavior as excessive and irrational, but is unable to control or stop the behaviors without intervention.

Pooh demonstrates two different disorders: Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), and Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD). This poor little brown bear “embodies the concept of comorbidity” (Shea, 2000). It is also thought that Pooh may exhibit certain traits of impulsivity. This can be demonstrated by his relentless attempts to obtain honey. Most notably, his poorly thought out attempt to get honey from a bee tree by disguising himself as a raincloud (Milne, 1926; Milne 1928; Reitherman, 1977). While this could be thought of as impulsivity, it would also be viewed as his cognitive impairment, in combination with his obsessive fixation with honey.

The movie, “As Good As It Gets”, portrays the symptoms of OCD quite accurately. Heredity plays a major role in the etiology of OCD. The main character, Melvin described his father as a reclusive man who never left the house for 11 years. His father was also physically abusive, striking Melvin on the hands as he practiced piano. His childhood set the stage for struggles with OCD. According to the DSM- 5, Melvin displayed the obsessive and compulsive symptoms of OCD. His obsessions included, washing his hands, disposing of soaps and gloves after use, avoidance of human contact and protection from touch with gloves and avoidance of public spaces and buildings where he could be contaminated. Examples of his compulsions were the perfect ordered possessions in his apartment, the 3 times he turns each lock when entering his apartment and turning the lights on and off five

Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, or OCD, is a mental health disorder have causes one to have overly aggressive obsessions and compulsions. Most 2.3% of the population between ages 18-54 suffer from OCD (“What Is OCD?”6). Many people think this is a common disorder, only because they think they have an idea of what is really is. The main questions people have are what it is, and how is it treated. There is also a big debate on whether OCD is a mental health issue or just a way of life.

Obsessive compulsive disorder or OCD, is characterized as having symptoms of uncontrollable obsessions that lead the individual to experience symptoms of anxiety. The patient then experiences compulsions in attempt to relieve the anxiety. People with OCD experience repeat behaviors or thoughts that interfere with completing basic daily activities and tasks. The disorders symptoms debilitate the patient’s

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 (OCD) is known to be an anxiety disorder that causes repetitiveness that are uncontrollable and performed by an individual. The thoughts and behaviors are usually irrational but an individual may feel unable to resist them. Some examples of OCD are washing of hands and locking the door over and over again.

Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) has been recognized as a pattern of disordered behavior for several centuries, although it was often related to religious ideas and possession by the devil until the early nineteenth century, when doctors began to define the evident behaviors in terms of mental illness (Menzies & De Silva, 2003). Even still, a diagnosis of OCD was largely considered a life sentence as it was believed treatment resistant until the mid-to-late 1960’s (Foa, 2010).

SSRIs have fewer side effects and treat the disorder just as equally as other antidepressants. SSRIs have validated research for the best outcome for the symptoms with OCD such as body dysmorphic disorder and with trichotillomania (Sue, D., Sue, D.W., Sue, D., Sue, S., 2014, p.115). Other antidepressants such as clomipramine, fluvoxamine, fluoxetine, paroxetine, and sertraline can be used to help treat OCD. It takes weeks to months after starting the medication to see a difference in the disorder (Mayo Clinic, 2013). Medications should be talked with a doctor/physician before consuming any type of medications. Any antidepressant that was listed, have provided a reduced frequency and severity in both obsessions and compulsions in more than half of the case studies used. However, the stop of taking medication often led to a relapse (Psychology Today, 2015). The use of medication does cooperate well with Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT). Completing a course of CBT further enhances the client and reduce the risks of a

In the field of Psychology there are a number of psychological disorders as well categories in which these disorders are placed. Psychological disorders are categorized in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders; the manual is now in its fifth edition, which is known as the DSM-5. In the DSM-5, Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder is categorized with other compulsive disorders. Obsessive-Compulsive disorder, also known as OCD, is a condition “marked by persistent, uncontrollable intrusions of unwanted thoughts or obsessions and urges to engage in senseless rituals called compulsions” (Weiten, 2015). Some examples of these obsessions or urges include persistent hand washing, counting, and extensive checking such as if doors are locked or ovens are turned off. In OCD some of the actions performed by those who suffer from the disorder become very intrusive and become a factor that interrupts their daily lives and may cause problems at home, work, in relationships and more (Baldridge, 2016). The number of individuals who suffer from this disorder ranges form 2 to 3 percent of the population (Weiten, 2015). People typically begin suffering from OCD between late childhood and early adulthood (Baldridge, 2016). The onset of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder often occurs following a stressful life event (Baldridge, 2016). In order to meet the criteria for Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder the compulsions and obsessions must cause distress and cause an

OCD is characterized by repetitive, unwanted, intrusive thoughts, and irrational, excessive urges to do certain actions. Affected individuals may be aware that their thoughts do not make sense, but are still unable to stop them. Obsessions may include thoughts about harming someone, doubts about if small actions were done correctly, like turning off a stove or locking a door, unpleasant sexual images, or fears of saying inappropriate things in public. Compulsions are usually

OCD is characterized by unreasonable thoughts and fears that lead the client to do repetitive or compulsive behaviors. Clients may only have obsessions or compulsions and still be diagnosed with OCD. The client may not be aware that his/her obsessions are not reasonable or he/she may try to ignore them or stop them all together. In doing this it will increase his/her distress or anxiety. The client may feel driven to perform compulsive acts in an effort to decrease the stressful feelings. Client’s obsessions are often centered around specific themes, such as the fear of being contaminated by germs, he/she may feel the urge to wash their hands until they become sore and/or chapped.

To begin with, the causes of OCD are various. Biological factor are closely related with this mental disease. More specifically, there is circuit in the brain which is responsible for some aspects of our behavior like sexuality, aggression etc. When this specific circuit is active these desires ae appeared and pushed the person to act in a specific way, with a particular behavior, according to this desire. For instance, if you go to the bathroom then you ill wash your hands. If you suffer from OCD, the brain will not be able to stop the impulses of the circuit so you will feel unable to stop the specific action (washing the hands).

Imagine if most of your day were spent thinking thoughts like—Did I wash my hand properly? Will this food make me ill if I eat it? Did I lock the door? — and have to reassure yourself by washing your hand 80 or more times, not eating at all because you fear of getting food poisoning, and/or having to check the door to see if it is locked 50 or more times before going to bed. These type of thoughts and behaviors are seen as abnormal or crazy to most people who have not dealt with mental illness. However, for sufferers of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) these thoughts and behaviors persist throughout their daily lives. OCD is an illness that presents obsessive thoughts and repeating the compulsive behavior in order to repress an anxiety attack provoked by worries and fear brought on by the obsessive thoughts. The American Psychiatric Association (APA) describes OCD as a recurrent “obsessions, compulsions, or both, the severity of which is significant enough to cause distress or impairment in social, occupational, or other important areas of functioning” (Townshed, 2014, pp. 469).

Obsessive-compulsive disorder, or OCD, involves anxious thoughts or rituals one feels and can't control. . For many years, OCD was thought to be rare. The actual number of people with OCD was hidden, because people would hide their problem to avoid embarrassment. Some recent studies show that as many as 3 million Americans ages 18 to 54 may have OCD at any one time. This is about 2.3% of the people in this age group. It strikes men and women in approximately equal numbers and usually first appears in childhood, adolescence, or early adulthood. One-third of adults with OCD report having experienced their first symptoms as children. The course of the disease is variable. Symptoms may come