Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) Essay

According to psych central website’s article, OCD is an anxiety disorder characterized by recurrent and disturbing thoughts (called obsessions) and/or repetitive, ritualized behaviors that the person feels driven to perform (called compulsions).

The following is an overview about Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD), one of the most difficult psychiatric illness to be understood. The way of doing certain behaviors, thoughts or routines repeatedly is the essential condition of a person with OCD. In general, it is known and described by someone who is extremely perfectionist and meticulous. Unfortunately, they do realize those habits and be able to stop doing it. Common behaviors are such as checking locks, doors, stove bottoms, and lights, hand washing, counting things, or having recurrent intrusive thoughts of hurting oneself or somebody else.

OCD follows a pretty typical cycle, in which patients have obsessions that can become triggered, and when they become triggered, the patient feels anxiety. In order to combat that anxiety, they will try to relive it by creating behaviors, called compulsions. The compulsions temporarily provide relief until the obsessions are triggered again. There are a few common types of OCD:

Some psychologists like to argue OCD from the nurture perspective. They believe that the environment around you and your upbringing is what

OCD sufferers can also be subject to hyperscrupulosity, which involves extreme worry and anxiety for the safety of others. Another form of OCD is body dysmorphia. This is a condition where people become excessively focused on some body part which they perceive to be grossly malformed (1). Hypochondriacs -people who have an extreme fear of sickness - fall into this category of OCD. General behaviors that may indicate OCD are: excessive washing, repeating, checking, touching, counting, ordering/arranging, hoarding, or praying (2). OCD patients live in a vicious cycle. They have obsessions about certain things and cause anxiety. To relieve this anxiety, compulsions are performed, and then attention can be paid again to the obsessions that have not truly been alleviated. The difference between OCD sufferers and other people, is the OCD sufferers use up at least an hour of their day thinking or doing these incessant tasks and they interfere with the person's work, social life, and relationships (2).

Imagine feeling like a slave in your own body. Being forced to do ridiculous rituals and having constant compulsions to do things that you know don’t make sense. This is what it is like to live with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD). In the United States alone, over 2 million people suffer from OCD (Parks, 2011) but no one has found the cause of this disorder. It affects people of all races, genders and socioeconomic backgrounds (Parks, 2011). Since it’s discovery and modern conceptualization, there has been an ongoing debate whether OCD is caused by environmental factors or if it is inherited through genetics. However, since both sides of the debate raise a solid argument and there is not enough hard evidence, the source of the disorder

Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is an anxiety disorder characterized by an individual experiencing intrusive thoughts, images, or worries in addition to repetitive, non-functional behaviours that emerge in an effort to suppress anxiety (i.e. compulsions) (American Psychiatric Association, 1994). Symptoms are often time-consuming, and can cause considerable functional impairments, contribute to increased social isolation, persistent distress and stigma. Although average age of onset of OCD has typically been thought to occur in early adulthood (Minichiello et al., 1990), there is increasing evidence that children as early as 10 years old experience it (Geller, 2001). Recently, more attention has been directed toward the identification and treatment of OCD symptoms in children and adolescents (Penn et al., 1992; Rapoport and Inoff-Germain, 2000). Childhood OCD has been found to be associated with severe disruption in social and academic functioning, family dysfunction and co-morbid emotional and behavioural problems (Albano, March, & Piacentini, 1999).

"OCD patients have a pattern of distressing and senseless thoughts or ideas- obsessions- that repeatedly well up in their minds. To quell the distressing thoughts, specific patterns of odd behaviors- compulsions- develop." (Gee & Telew, 1999)

OCD plagues people with intrusive, unwanted thoughts or obsessions, which are rarely pleasant. People who have these obsessions recognize that they are senseless. Still, they are unable to stop them. They may worry about

Worries, doubts, superstitious beliefs- all are common worries of everyday life. However, when they become excessive, or make no sense at all, then a diagnosis is made. In OCD, it is as though the brain gets stuck on a particular thought or urge and just can’t let go, no matter how hard they may try. OCD is a medical brain disorder that causes problems in information processing (Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder Foundation [OCD Foundation], 2000).

The severity of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) is sometimes overlooked. With so many people responding to their own quirks, “it’s my OCD,” or “I’m so OCD,” it is hard to grasp the actual concept of the illness. Rather than a false self-diagnosis, if a person believes he or she is suffering from this disorder, he or she should seek out medical attention to receive a proper diagnosis. On top of this, it is beneficial to become educated to get a further understanding of this condition. OCD is a disorder that can be overcome with specific medications and other practices.

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.

People that have OCD find it hard to lead normal lives. They tend to suffer from recurrent, unwanted thoughts (obsessions) and perform the same rituals (compulsions) that they feel that they cannot control. The rituals or compulsions they have can be anything from washing their hands over and over, to

Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, also known as OCD, is a disorder that affects about two to three percent of the population (UOCD). Knowing what OCD is and who it affects is just step one in understanding the psychology of this disorder. The psychological symptoms of OCD can be quite varied which can make it difficult to diagnose. Understanding the therapy techniques and how people with OCD live their daily lives is one of the most vital part in the psychology of OCD. While the roots of the disorder may be complex, understanding the disorder in everyday life is quite simple.

Scientists know that there are certain genes that cause this disorder, but as of now, they haven’t been able to pinpoint the specific gene. It is believed that OCD is caused as a result of a problem with the chemicals that deliver nerve cells to the brain. When the nerve cells are unable to reach the brain, or there are not enough delivered to the brain, the person can begin to dwell on certain things, leaving them with a feeling of doubt and worry. There are some rare cases, where young children get OCD when they are recovering from Strep Throat. While this is extremely rare, the symptoms appear out of nowhere, and are extremely severe.