Obsessive Girlhood Chapter Summary

Everything that I had felt in the past year summarized by three words, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, or OCD. The psychiatrist seemed unperturbed as she told me, as though this was common. It felt comforting originally, knowing that I wasn’t the only one who’s felt this way, but that feeling swiftly turned into despondency. Those three letters have become my identity, I am no longer Emma. On many occasions, I have met people who lack understanding when it comes to this disorder. Their faces burned into my memory as they speak, “Oh, Emma, that’s no big deal! I’m a little OCD too,” or “Emma, everyone has a touch of OCD,” or “I totally relate, I’m so OCD about my school supplies, I like it when my folders are in rainbow order.” Each time the word used incorrectly, the more normalized it becomes and the less help I receive. This is because if everyone has a “touch of OCD,” then why is it so crucial for me to be assisted? Why should I have to remain isolated in guidance when it happens to everyone? OCD has been portrayed by the media in a way that is incredibly inaccurate and

This essay will introduce some similarities and differences between both symptoms and experiences of six different authors who have been personally affected by obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD).  Since OCD is not very well understood by many members of the public ("Escape"), I hope that the experiences of the authors that I researched will be able to paint a vivid picture of what life with OCD is like.

Salzman (2000) describes the journey of Sister John, a nun at the Carmelite convent in Los Angeles. She experiences headaches that develop into deep spiritual episodes, which her doctor later informs her, are the symptoms of her recurring seizures. Sister John has temporal-lobe epilepsy and her doctor explains that it, “tend[s] to be more psychological” (Salzman, 2000, p.68). Sister John’s spiritual episodes were presumably caused by her medical condition.

The assigned article of this week is about Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder titled Two-Way Mirror: Facing a Daughter’s O.C.D by Beth Boyle Machlan. To clarify the definition of OCD, there are two main features of the disorder: one is obsessions meaning “persistent and intrusive thoughts, ideas, impulses, or images”, another is compulsions which include “repetitive, purposeful, and intentional behaviors or mental acts that are performed in response to an obsession or according to rules that must be applied rigidly” (lecture). In the article, there is a girl named Lucy who may have OCD, and the article seems wrote by her mother. Lucy’s mom has been suffer from depression and bipolar, and Lucy has a history of Tic disorder (article). The story basically depicted in detail about Lucy’s first session with the doctor, Clark, regarding her OCD.

Sonya is likely experiencing obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). It is the disorder that exhibits recurrent obsessions and/or compulsions (Nevid pg. 189). Obsessions are recurrent and intrusive thoughts (189). In this case study,Sonya admitted that she was a lifelong worrier. She also states that she repeatedly in a state of anxiousness or worriness (frets) about her family’s health, her future, and finances ( 189). Compulsions are repetitive behaviors that the person feels compelled to perform ( 189). Sonya has exhibit some compulsions in her perfectionistic tendencies. In Sonya childhood, she reviewed her homework assignments multiple times for “careless mistakes”. She even stated that she spent three times as long on homework than other children. In high school, she was very preoccupied in her appearance. She would iron her clothes the night before class. The next morning, she would check for wrinkles. If she find a wrinkle, she would iron her clothes again. Perfectionist’s beliefs involves exaggerating the consequences of submitting less than perfect work. They might feel compelled to redo their works until every detail is flawless (190). For example, Sonya states that

This case study was particularly fascinating in following the life of Karen Rusa and her obsessive compulsion disorder. It is interesting to study her childhood, present life, on-set symptoms she was experiencing, and the treatment she underwent. Though Karen withstood various trials that her OCD and depression effected greatly, I believe she received the best treatment to help her recover.

Obsessive compulsive disorder commonly (OCD) can be defined as an anxiety disorder differentiated by acts of compulsiveness or continual thoughts of obsession. Persistent thoughts, images, and desires are characteristics of obsessions. These thoughts, images, and desires are not typically willed into one’s mind as they are often senseless, illogical, aggressive, taboo, etc. Compulsive acts are unrealistic and repetitive behaviors. The fear of contamination with germs, dirt, or grease is the most common obsession, which leads to thoroughgoing or compulsive cleansing rituals. Religion, sex,

A therapist can help construct a reality that incorporates the values and morals of religions and the idea of a less than perfect life. By embracing the narrative, the individual can reconcile the guilt felt by not completing the tenets perfectly and create a world view that highlights the goodness and strength of the person. The idea of perfectionism in religion and the constructs of guilt and shame hinder the individual and can create depression, anxiety and conflict in relationships. Ziola and Jose were clients that experienced internal conflict due to religious ideals they were unable to obtain. Enclosed is the story of their brief experience of therapy to address their

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

“In people with (OCD) obsessive- compulsive disorder, there is an excessive need for orderliness and attention to detail, perfectionism, as well as overly rigid ways of relating to others (Nevid and Rathus 293).” Martin is a very demanding individual and has an obsession to have everything in order. For examples, towels have to be evenly spaced with the same length on the towel rack and canned foods have to face label forward, as well as neatly stacked in the cabinet. Martin’s overall main crisis is his obsession with his wife, Laura, is he cannot live without her and he won’t let her live without him. He

As time has progressed, light has been shed on the causes and symptoms of mental disorders. Like many mental disorders, obsessive-compulsive disorder was once linked to dissociation with religious beliefs. In the seventeenth century OCD was seen as a symptom of being isolated from religion and religious practices. It wasn’t until the nineteenth century that obsessive-compulsive disorder began to be recognized as a mental disorder unrelated to religion. The route to this recognition began as stated by Koran (2007) by distinguishing obsessions from delusions and compulsions from impulsions. The source of the disorder, however, was still a matter to be argued on. The idea that OCD was a result of any level of insanity was disregarded after the mid-eighteen hundreds. For the most part, French psychiatrists believed it was a result of an emotional distress and “volitional” defects but not before placing it in a very broad spectrum of many other phobias we see today. German Psychiatrists, on the other hand, associated OCD with an issue on the intellectual level and as Magnan (1835-1916) put it, OCD was the “psychosis of degeneration.”

From the first scene to the last, she shows her obsessive-compulsive personality disorder. As defined by Rathus, this disorder is categorized by the person’s “inflexibility and fixation on rules,

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.

Overall, David Sedaris’ essay exemplifies the harsh reality what a person living with OCD has to deal with. Throughout the “Plague of Tics” I found Sedaris’ actions and emotions mirrored much of my own which evoked much sympathy from me. Some people may not be able to relate or understand and may view the way he

I interview a mother, Cathy and a seventeen year old girl, Kate. The health issue we chose to discuss was Kate’s Obsessive-Compulsive disorder (OCD).