Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder Research Paper

Studies have found that drugs such as clomipramine, fluoxetine, and fluvoxamine help between 50 and 80% of patients. The downfall to this type of treatment is that once the patient comes off of the medication the obsessions and compulsions return. This treatment only covers the symptoms of this disorder. Since there are downfalls to each treatment, cognitive, behavioral, and biological therapies are often used in combination. Obsessive-compulsive disorder can last for years or even be life long depending on how successful the treatment is.

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:

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.

Researchers have also linked specific genes in peoples DNA with those who suffer from OCD. These genes are considered risk genes and it is believed that these genes give people predispositions to certain OCD like behaviors. While no one specific gene causes OCD many different ones can contribute. Studies are still being conducted to determine how OCD could be treated better than it is today. Scientists have begun working with the idea that you DNA can be manipulated even after you are born. If a breakthrough were to come around it might be possible to solve countless mental and physical disorders including OCD. Some day it might even become possible to identify OCD genes in zygotes and eliminate said genes before the child is born. One of the biggest developments in OCD treatment occurred when an OCD patient’s cingulum was partially severed. Afterward it was found that his tendencies to act on his OCD were greatly lessened. Genetics is still a relatively new field and not to many breakthroughs have occurred. It may just happen that a few years down the road from now we determine that genetics are the sole reason for OCD. Until then OCD will always be involved in the debate between nature and nurture.

Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) is an anxiety disorder that is the fourth most common mental illness in the U.S. (8). OCD affects five million Americans, or one in five people (3). This is a serious mental disorder that causes people to think and act certain things repetitively in order to calm the anxiety produced by a certain fear. Unlike compulsive drinking or gambling, OCD compulsions do not give the person pleasure; rather, the rituals are performed to obtain relief from the discomfort caused by obsessions (2). OCD is more common than schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, or panic disorder, according to the National Institute of Mental Health (6). This disorder can be therapeutically treated, but not cured.

Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, also known as OCD, is a psychiatric anxiety disorder that is characterized by recurrent, unwanted thoughts along with repetitive behaviors. These unwanted thoughts are called obsessions and the repetitive behaviors are called compulsions. Repetitive behaviors such as hand washing, checking, counting, and cleaning are usually performed with the hope of making these obsessive thoughts go away or even preventing them. These repetitive behaviors are often referred to as ‘rituals’. People with OCD perform these rituals to help deal with the anxiety that the obsessions cause. These rituals only provide temporary relief for the person and usually end up controlling their life. About one in every fifty adults have

His findings were supported by Thomsen (1994) who found that the brain structure of 24 patients from OCD-like familial structures did not differ substantially from patients with severe mental illnesses. Even though the Adams and Thomsen studies raise a fair point, of all the studies done on the correlation of OCD and families, a majority of them support genetic transmission (Nestadt et al, 2010). Therefore, OCD is more likely to be caused by heredity and genetics than family structures.

"Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) is characterized by obsessions or compulsions". ( Kring, Johnson, Davison,& Neal 2014) The obsession individuals with OCD experiences are excessive and it affects individuals with functioning normally in their everyday life. According to Kring et al., (2014 ) obsessions are intrusive and recurring thoughts, images, or impulses that are persistent and uncontrollable and often appear irrational to the person experiencing them. Compulsions are when someone has to do the same repetitive behavior in order to relieve distress of what is in their thoughts. People with this disorder also feel anxious and have other anxiety disorders. "Though OCD was considered a type of

“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,

The purpose of the study was to assess the effect of additional memantine in a double-blind, random, and placebo-controlled study of the treatment of patients who suffered from OCD.

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

OCD is caused because of the lack of communication between the striatum, the habit center of the brain, and the neocortex (Medical Daily). Scientists have tried to activate cortical cells in rats that are lacking a gene that makes them similar to an OCD patient, and the results are incredible. After they activated the cells the rats started to act like normal rats, before they would constantly groom and wash themselves and wouldn’t sleep or eat next to the other rats. “The research suggests that the cure for the compulsive behavior resulted from a downstream activation of neurons, which inhibit the reaction to the compulsive behavior signals.” said Ann Graybiel, an Institute Professor at MIT.

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.

Risk factor and implications to look at when making this diagnosis is the usual onset of OCD is 19.5 years old while 25%n of cases starts by 14 years old. Temperamental factors are to be considered as OCD has been linked to higher negative emotionality and behavioral inhibition in childhood. As Lady Macbeth mentions, her family has always been neat and clean and she has been concerned with cleanliness since young. Also, a counselor must look for environmental factors such as sexual abuse or traumatic events as these pose a higher risk for developing OCD. Genetics also have a great influence in the onset of OCD as individuals are two times more likely to develop the disorder if first degree relatives suffer from it.