Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder Research Paper

Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) is a mental condition causing a person to have unwanted and repeated thoughts, or obsessions, which cause them to feel compelled to do something to

Obsessive-Compulsive disorder is defined in my textbook as a disorder of repetitive, uncontrollable, thoughts or urges that are followed up by repetitive behaviors or mental acts that the person feels compelled to perform. The thing people are often unaware of when talking about obsessive compulsive disorder is that obsessions and compulsions are two totally separate things that happen with this disorder. The obsessions are the thoughts in this disorder defined in the book as intrusive and recurring thoughts, images, or impulses that are persistent and uncontrollable they often feel irrational to the person experiencing them. The compulsions are the behaviors that occur in this disorder defined in the textbook as repetitive, clearly excessive

available. Due to the fact that it is believed that serotonin levels play a role in OCD, medications called selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) these are medications more commonly known as anti-depressants and

A person with obsessive-compulsive disorder may choose between two main treatments: medications and psychotherapy. Though you can choose which one of them suits your needs best, a combination of the two is often found to be most effective in dealing with OCD symptoms.

Many American suffer from mental disorders in fact “about one in four adults — suffer from a diagnosable mental disorder in a given year.” One disorder that is typically seems to be misunderstood and overgeneralized by the general public is obsessive-compulsive disorder. Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, otherwise known as OCD is defined as “a type of anxiety disorder characterized by recurrent obsessions, compulsions, or both” (Textbook 574).This disorder is one the most costly, disabling, prevalent of the anxiety disorders (article) It is typically associated with persistent thoughts and ideas such as contamination, aggressive impulses, sexual content, and somatic concerns (health and body), these thoughts can be classified as obsessions. Obsessions are not something the person wants at all typically they are intrusive and uncontrollable and generally go against how they actually feel. Another part of this disorder is the compulsions, which are repeated behavior to neutralize or stabilize the obsessions. To be diagnosed with OCD one must know the behavior is irrational, the behavior must cause impairment to daily life and take up at least an hour per day or more of the person’s time. Some the more typical examples of OCD would consist of a person that one’s hands are filthy even if they have washed them 15 times in the last hour or having to check and make sure that you locked your home repeatedly before you leave. The lifetime prevalence for it is 2 to 3 percent. Onset for

Obsessive compulsive disorder, or OCD, is a common disorder that can continue for a long time affecting the brain and a person’s behavior. The disorder causes uncontrollable severe anxiety and reoccurring thoughts in the form of obsessions and compulsions which takes up a lot of a person’s time. The obsessions and compulsions cause the person to feel urges to repeat over and over. This creates endless sequences of repetitive thoughts and behaviors that can damage some lives. OCD usually allows little time for other activities because the person is so focused on an obsession and compulsion, resulting in a lower value of life.

OCD is distinguished by two prominent and pervasive behaviors: obsessions and compulsions. Obsessions are defined by the presence of recurrent and persistent thoughts, urges, or images, which are unwelcome and invasive (American Psychological Association, 2013). Compulsions are manifested by “repetitive behaviors or mental acts that an individual feels driven to perform in response to an obsession or according to rules that must be applied rigidly” (APA, 2013, p. 235).

Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (the fourth most prevalent psychiatric disorder), is an illness marked by the presence of either one or both of the criteria for having obsessive thoughts and repeating compulsive behaviors in order to repress the anxiety that the thoughts provoke. Since first being observed in the17th century, major developments have occurred in the diagnosis and treatment arenas of the illness. Furthermore, “obsessive-compulsive disorder is associated with substantial direct and indirect costs, which are compounded by an absence of recognition, and by under diagnosis and inappropriate treatment” (Stein, 2002). With continued research and development of new technological advancements such as brain imaging,

Obsessive compulsive disorder is an anxiety disorder in the brain which is distinguished by unaccommodating thoughts and fears termed as obsessions. These obsessions are categorized into two groups described as aggression which entails the fear of harming others and contamination which is the fear of being dirty in relation to sex, religion and exactness. These obsessions can later lead one to commit repetitive behaviors which are termed as compulsions. Compulsions are customs that people believe will reduce their risk of the obsessions coming true, or at least reduce the anxiety they produce. There are various types of compulsion such as washing and cleaning, counting, checking,demanding reassurances, following a strict routine and orderliness.

Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, known as OCD, is considered a constant fear or worrying aspect (obsessions) that includes the frequent repetition of behaviors to reduce anxiety (compulsions). Some of the common symptoms include excessive washing or cleaning, repeated actions such as opening and closing the door or even the light switch a number of times before entering or leaving a room. Intelligence is not an issue as more people with OCD tend to possess an above average IQ. Obsessive compulsive disorder affects children and adolescents, as well as adults (one third to one half of adults with OCD report a childhood onset of the disorder). Treatment for OCD involves the use of behavioral therapy as this involves increasing exposure to what

Psychotherapy: exposure and response preventions, most effective treatment for OCD, exposes client to feared objects or obsessions gradually until client can be around object and not feel the

Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is a prevalent disorder in the population affecting 1 to 17% of the population (Silverman, Ginsburg, & Kurtines, 1995). It is characterized by repetition of thoughts that cause significant distress to the individual along with compulsory behavior, whether overt or covert intended to alleviate the feelings of distress (American Psychiatric Association [APA], 2000). Obsessive-compulsive disorder is not only debilitating to the diagnosed individual but it affects the diagnosed individual’s family members as well (Silverman, Ginsburg, & Kurtines, 1995). Due to the disorder’s impactful nature on the family, treatment often entails that of family members (Silverman et al., 1995). Keeping in mind the prevalence

Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) is a disorder, which causes an individual to have intrusive thoughts of a frightening or disturbing nature, which in turn may cause a person to do things repeatedly. It is characterized by obsessive thoughts and/ or compulsive behaviors that significantly interfere with normal life. Obsessions are unwanted, recurrent, and disturbing thoughts, which the person cannot suppress, and which can cause overwhelming anxiety. They are not voluntarily produced, but are experienced as events that invade a person 's consciousness. The person neither wants nor welcomes them instead they usually resist them and will try to get rid of them (Desilva and Rachman, 1992, pg. 8). Compulsions are repetitive, ritualized behaviors that compulsive rituals can occupy many hours of each day (# 1OCD). The activity is not connected in a logical or realistic way with what is intended to achieve or it may be clearly excessive. The person recognizes the senselessness or irrationality of the behavior and does not derive any pleasure from carrying it out although it provides a release of tension or a feeling of relief in the short term (Desilva and Rachman, 1992, pg. 9). OCD usually begins in adolescence or young adulthood and is seen in as many as 1 in 200 children and adolescents.

Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder can be distressing and can cause dysfunction in people’s everyday lives. People all around the world suffer from Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder no matter their gender, race, or culture. Children, teens, and adults could potentially gain OCD depending on the stressful situations that occur in their lives. People who suffer from this disorder often have uncontrollable thoughts of worry and anxiety that lead to actions and behaviors that become repetitive habits. The actions normally occur when people think that the worst possible things might happen to them. So in order to attempt to suppress the fearful thoughts people may perform different habits over and over again throughout each day in order to gain a

Psychotherapy in conjunction with medication has been proven to be the most effective. The most common form of treatment is psychotropic medications and cognitive behavior therapy (CBT). Together they have shown a decrease in obsessive symptoms and participants retained their improvement after the CBT sessions ended (Borue, Sharma, Hudak, 2015, Carlson et al., 2013). Suggesting that the medication helps with the extinction of the maladaptive thoughts and behaviors. Evidence suggests that this approach works to help those with OCD by working on two main aspects of the disorder; unscrambling the irrational thoughts and gradual exposure to the feared object or idea until the patient is desensitized to or can tolerate their anxiety without engaging in compulsive rituals. A modest proportion of patients will achieve freedom from significant symptoms (Borue, Sharma, Hudak, 2015, Carlson et al., 2013).