Obsessive Compulsive Disorders: A Case Study

OCD or Obsessive Compulsive Disorder is the unwanted recurrent thoughts, actions, or impulses and repetitive behaviors and actions that a person feels driven to perform (Obsessive Compulsive Anonymous World Services, 1999). People suffering from OCD perform a variation of strange rituals everyday uncontrollably. There are different types of compulsive behavior people with OCD display. For example, hoarders fear that something bad will happen if they throw anything away or give anything away. They compulsively hoard things that they don not need or use. These victims of OCD can become obsessed with not only performing actions, but with keeping objects and possessions.

Obsessive compulsive disorder, or ODC when shortened, is an anxiety disorder in which the sufferer has many unwanted obsessions often with many repetitive compulsions. The National Institute of Mental Health says “People with OCD may be plagued by persistent, unwelcome thoughts or images, or by the urgent need to engage in certain rituals.” People suffering from this disorder are frequently washing their hands and keeping things in order. While the exact cause of this disorder is still unknown to scientists. This disorder is believed to have its roots in psychological problems often developed during childhood. Obsessive compulsive disorder is a problem that can be found almost all places around the globe and can be found in almost

Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) is a pattern of recurring obsessions and compulsions that are severe enough to be time consuming and interfere with a person’s daily functioning. They must cause marked distress (such as pain or physical harm to the person) or significant impairment. Usually, they take more than

Obsessive-compulsive disorder is a mental disorder which it symptoms are having routines, or thoughts repeatedly with no ability to avoid the fear and stop them. Some people are aware of those habits, and they realize that those rituals do not make sense, but there is no an easy way to get out of them. Counting all the clothes, shoes, magazines and lie in in a straight line are illustrations when obsessive-compulsive symptoms arrive.

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:

OCD can begin at any age from preschool age to adult, usually by age 40. Unfortunately, OCD is often unrecognized and a person with OCD can see three or four doctors can spend a decade seeking treatment before being properly diagnosed. It has been found that takes about 17 years from time that symptoms first appear to receiving proper

OCD is the acronym for obsessive-compulsive disorder (What is OCD?). OCD is a mental disorder that is not common, due to the fact that only 1.0% of the population has been diagnosed with OCD (Facts & Statist). “A person with OCD has obsessive and compulsive behaviors that are extreme enough to interfere with everyday life” (What is OCD?). These obsessions and

Obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) is a debilitating neuropsychiatric disorder with a lifetime prevalence of 2 to 3 percent and is estimated to be the 10th leading cause of disability in the world. Patients with OCD experience recurrent, intrusive thoughts (obsessions) and/or repetitive, stereotyped behaviors (compulsions) that last for at least one hour per day and significantly interfere with the individual 's normal level of functioning. The intrusive obsessional thoughts

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

To briefly help understand and know what both obsessions and compulsions are, examples of real situations and factors are beneficial. Obsessing and being obsessed are commonly used everyday words. However, obsession is even more serious. Obsession considers repeated thoughts, urges, or mental images that cause anxiety. The most common symptoms of obsession include fear of germs or contamination; unwanted thoughts sexually related, religious, and harmful; aggressive thoughts towards others or self; loss of control; and having possessions in a perfect order. Furthermore, compulsions are repetitive behaviors a person with OCD feels the urge to respond to in response to an obsessive thought. The common examples of compulsions include excessive cleaning and washing their hands; ordering and arranging objects in a particular way; repeatedly checking on their surroundings; or counting. Not all habits are relatively compulsions. However, a person with OCD generally cannot control his or her thoughts or behaviors, even when those thoughts or behaviors are recognized as being excessive. People with OCD tend to spend at least an hour a day on thoughts or behaviors; they do not show pleasure when performing the behaviors or habits, but they feel relief from the anxiety the thoughts have caused; and they experience important problems in their daily lives due to the thoughts or behaviors. There are individuals with OCD that also have a tic

"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)

Because victims of OCD realize their obsessive thoughts and behaviors are senseless and unnecessary, they may try to hide their problem. They fear people will think they are "crazy" or silly, and they may feel that they're all alone. Of course, nothing could be further from the truth. OCD affects as many as 2 percent of all Americans. Research indicates that, like depression and bipolar disorder, OCD is caused by an imbalance of the neurotransmitter called serotonin. This brain chemical, one of many that

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.

According to Comer, people with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) "are beset by obsessions, perform compulsions, or both. Compulsions are often a response to a person's obsessive thoughts." A person is truly OCD if their obsessions or compulsions reach an unreasonable level, which affects their everyday life.

Knowing what OCD is the first step in understanding the psychology of the disorder. According to the National Institute of Mental Health, “Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder is a common, chronic and long-lasting disorder in which a person has uncontrollable, reoccurring thoughts (obsessions) and behaviors (compulsions) that he or she feels the urge to repeat over and over” (NIMH). The obsessive part of OCD is intrusive, repetitive thoughts the cause anxiety, and the compulsion part is the need to perform an act or ritual repeatedly. The obsession causes anxiety and the compulsion relieves the anxiety.