Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD)

Like most mental illnesses, this disorder is not exclusive to affecting individuals of a certain age group, race or socioeconomic status. According to the National Institute of Mental Health, OCD affects about 2.2 million American adults and about one-third of adults with the disorder developed symptoms as children. Unfortunately, there are several obstacles and misunderstandings that have lead the majority to think that this disorder is rarely found in children or adolescents. There is a stigma about mental health and seeking proper treatment as well as misdiagnosis. Children that present with OCD symptoms may be diagnosed with conduct disorder, ADHD, or depression. Even then it depends on the parents or caretakers ability to recognize the problem and the

There are a wide range of OCD symptoms, but unfortunately, research has showed that there is a long waiting process between the time when an individual begins with OCD symptoms and when they get first-time treatment. With an early diagnosis and treatment, the maximum benefit to the patient will be. Therapies, exercises, balanced-healthy nutrition and others will improved life style and reduce anxiety and fears to help in managing some aspects of an obsessive-compulsive

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

Pharmacological treatment is based on the evidence that serotonin is a key chemical involved in obsessive compulsive disorder. Studies have proven that serotonin based antidepressants have been evidently effective.

OCD is a brain disorder that may be caused by incorrect information processing. The three areas in the brain that are looked at are the Orbitofrontal cortex ,which is located in the prefrontal cortex above the eye, the caudate nucleus located near the basal ganglia, and the anterior cingulate cortex located in the front of the corpus callosum. Kring et al., (2014 ) states, the activity in these three places increase when people with OCD are shown objects that provoke symptoms. Other factors such as genetic, behavioral, environmental, and cognitive factors can trigger the disorder in an individual . It is not known which specific gene is inherited, but if a family member has OCD, their is a chance a child can have it. "Children who have family members with OCD have a greater chance of developing OCD early in life". (psychguides.com) One might have been conditioned as a young child to fear or become obsess by learning from ones' parent, which is the behavioral factor . The environmental factor can be caused because of a traumatic experience such as getting an illness like the flu. This type of traumatic experience can trigger OCD in a person in order to prevent from getting the illness again. The cognitive factor can cause individuals not knowing when to stop their obsessive thoughts and behaviors. According to Kring et al., (2014), people with OCD suffer in having a deficit in knowing when to stop their thoughts and behavior. They fail to gain the internal sense of completion , which it is defined as

This disorder is highly distressing, causing a person to repeat things in their head, and feel the need to rid them by performing compulsions, or by behaving in a strange and uncomfortable way. These compulsions may be in the form of doubting oneself and double checking things, washing themselves constantly, creating superstitions, hording, something else, or a combination of all these things. OCD is unpreventable in any way, shape, or form. Obsessive Compulsive Disorder is typically said to have no cure when detected, but is often able to be treated with the use of therapy, and possibly the use of medication. The issue with these medications is they often have no effect, if not a negative one, and there is no way to ensure what the outcome of taking a prescription will be. Fortunately, research is now finding a new cause for Obsessive Compulsive Disorder and linking the cause of it with a possible cure. This cure would be completely effective and cause a patient to be relieved of their uncomfortable symptoms forever. The idea of this could give hope to those with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder today that they will someday no longer have to deal with the anxiety it creates. Until a cure is found, those who have this mental illness and work toward maintaining it through therapy, medication, or a combination of the two, can in almost all cases live relatively

While not considered a psychotic illness like schizophrenia, OCD can be very debilitating to its sufferers and can affect them nearly as dramatically. Since OCD is considered a neurotic disorder, there are three criteria that define it accordingly: first, the person knows and understands his or her disorder (that is, they know that have it, whereas patients with psychotic disorders generally do not); second, OCD is considered relatively minor compared to other psychological disorders; and lastly, most people with OCD are still able to function in their day-to-day life.

People with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder suffer from a wide variety of obsessions but, most people follow similar symptoms. Their symptoms included an obsessive continual thoughts that keeps recurring causing the person anxiety. People with OCD feel that they have not control of the obsession and compulsions. Then the compulsive act come into play to help ease the anxiety temporarily. Some common obsessions fearing germs, constantly checking locked doors and

“For many years, OCD was thought to be rare. 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. OCD affects men and women equally” (familydoctor.org, 2008, how common section, para.1). OCD has increased throughout the past years of study. “Although OCD was once considered a rare condition, recent research suggests that as many as 1% of the population under 18 shows signs of this disorder” (Rynn, 2008, OCD section, para. 2). According to Mental Health, “Estimates of prevalence range from 0.2 to 0.8 percent in children, and up to 2% of adolescents (Flament et al., 1998)” (Mental Health, 2001, OCD section, para.1)). According to Anxiety Disorders, “As many as one in 100 children may suffer from OCD. The peak for diagnosis of OCD in children is ten years old, although it can strike children as young as two or three. Boys are more likely to develop OCD before puberty, while girls tend to develop it during adolescence, when the numbers become even. OCD tends to occur in families (Anxiety Disorder, 2008). “Community studies of children and adolescents have estimated a lifetime prevalence of 1%-2.3% and a 1-year prevalence of 0.7%. Research indicates that prevalence rates of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder are similar in many different cultures around the world” (DSM, 2000,

makes your anxiety spike from zero to sixty in half a second, to the point your body needs to

Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) is defined by the DSM-V as having the presence of obsessions, compulsions, or both. Unwanted urges, images, and thoughts that cause anxiety are considered obsessions (2013, p. 235). In response to these obsessions, people with OCD carry out repetitive behaviors or mental acts called compulsions. A person with this disorder tries to block out these unpleasurable urges with behaviors such as counting, washing their hands, and repeating words (2013, p. 237). There is no cure for OCD, however there are treatments. Behavioral therapy and SSRIs can be used as treatments, but

While they share superficial similarities, impulse control problems, such as substance abuse, pathological gambling, or compulsive sexual activities are probably not related to OCD in any substantial way. Depression and OCD often occur together in adults, and less commonly, in children and adolescents. However, unless depression is also present, people with OCD are not generally sad or lacking in pleasure, and people who are depressed, but do not have OCD rarely have the kinds of intrusive thoughts that are characteristic of OCD. Although stress can make OCD worse, most people with OCD report that the symptoms can come and go on their own. Individuals with OCD may have substance-abuse problems, sometimes as a result of attempts to self-medicate. Specific treatment for the substance abuse is usually also needed.

Obsessions are unwanted ideas or impulses that repeatedly well up in the mind of a person with OCD. These are thoughts and ideas that the sufferer cannot stop thinking about. A sufferer will almost always obsess over something which he or she is most afraid of. Common ideas include persistent fears that harm may come to self or a loved one, an unreasonable concern with becoming contaminated, or an excessive need to do things correctly or perfectly. Again and again, the individual experiences a disturbing thought, such as, "My hands may be contaminated -- I must wash them" or "I may have left the gas on" or "I am going to injure my child." These thoughts tend to be intrusive, unpleasant, and produce a high degree of anxiety. Sometimes the obsessions are of a violent or a sexual nature, or concern illness. People with OCD who obsess over hurting themselves or others are actually less likely to do so than the average person. Obsessions are typically automatic, frequent, distressing, and difficult to control or put an end to by themselves. With these reoccurring obsessions continuously being played in the sufferers mind, they start performing repetitive acts that reassure them that their hands aren’t dirty, or the gas for the stove is turned of. This response to their obsession is called a compulsion.

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.

Many people may think they have OCD simply because they have to have something in a certain order. While this may be a symptom of OCD, they usually don’t spend their whole day doing it over and over again. People who suffer from the disorder take their obsessions