Phileas Fogg: Obsessive Compulsive Disorder

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.

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.

Often OCD is described as a disease of doubt (Ken and Jacob 1). Things are constantly running through the minds of OCD patients. Is the door locked? Is the stove shut off? When researching OCD, three important things to cover are the discovery of OCD, the diagnosis, and overcoming OCD.

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

Based upon the video, Leanne most likely has an obsessive-compulsive disorder 300.3 (F42.2). When I watched the video, I instantly noticed that she is fidgeting her fingers and shaking her legs, during her interview. She has self-diagnosed herself with this disorder. Leanne mentioned that she started seeing signs when she was about 14 or 15 years old. She has recurrent and persistent urges. She would do things in a particular order. The compulsion would start out small and be unbothersome, like packing her school bag a certain way, to then, being bothersome and taking up more time out of her day. It had gotten worse to the point when it started to stop her from going out. She cannot leave the house without checking multiple times if the house is locked. She would end up return home and turn the door handle to assure her that the door is locked. She went back and forth multiple times, in which she repeated turned the door noob. In the video, I

"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

Bob displays many symptoms of being an obsessive compulsive disorder owner. At the very beginning of the movie Bob is repeating to himself that, "I feel good. I feel great. I feel wonderful" multiple times. Bob is also trying to leave his apartment but he cannot because he is scared of the outside, he paces back multiple times before leaving just his own apartment, to leave the apartment building Bob uses a tissue to touch the door knob and also uses a tissue to shake his psychiatrist's hand. These are great examples of obsessive compulsive disorder. Obsessive compulsive disorder has many symptoms and one of them is a fear of germs. Within just the first ten minutes of this movie you can tell he has obsessive compulsive disorder.

Obsessive Compulsive disorder is considered a generalized anxiety disorder because, people with the disorder commonly have severe anxiety when there oppressions and compulsions are afflicting there mind. This disorder has also been associated with Impulse control disorder but because OCD is not considered an impulse or abuse and addiction. Whereas, OCD is consider an uncontrollable urge.

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

Obsessive-compulsive disorder is a frequent, lifelong, and crippling disorder that is present in several medical settings. However it is under-recognised and undertreated, and for many years, obsessive-compulsive neurosis had been seen as a disorder that provided an important outlook on the workings of the unconscious mind. Today, “obsessive-compulsive disorder is viewed as a good example of a neuropsychiatric disorder, mediated by pathology in specific neuronal circuits, and responsive to specific pharmacotherapeutic and psychotherapeutic interventions”. In the future we hope to expect a more precise picture of the origins of the disorder, with the use of data collected from neuroanatomical, neurochemical, neuropathological, neurogenetic,

I have always been fascinated with behavioral disorders, especially OCD. I learned about OCD a few years ago when I was reading a medical journal. At first, it seemed like something very odd. The idea that otherwise normal people can do such strange things, and not be able to control themselves was fascinating. I wanted to know more about this topic, which is why I chose to write my paper on it. I thought that by knowing more about the subject, I will be able to better understand how these people's lives can be literally taken over by their constant worries and anxiety. Also, I think a lot of people exhibit these behaviors and aren't even aware that they may have a severe problem, and more importantly, that they can be getting

Obsessive compulsion disorder (OCD) is an anxiety disorder described by irrational thoughts and fears (obsessions) that lead you to do repetitive tasks (compulsions) (Obsessive Compulsion Disorder, 2013). When a person has obsessive-compulsive disorder, they may realize that their obsessions aren't accurate, and they may try to overlook them but that only increases their suffering and worry. Eventually, you feel driven to perform compulsive acts to ease your stressful feelings. Obsessive-compulsive disorder is often driven by a reason, cause, or fear for example, a fear of germs. To calm the feeling of this fear, a person may compulsively wash their hands until they're sore and chapped. Despite their efforts, thoughts of obsessive-compulsive behavior keep coming back. This leads to more ritualistic behavior and a brutal cycle of obsessive-compulsive disorder. OCD is the fourth most common mental disorder, and is diagnosed nearly as often as asthma and diabetes (Who We Are, 2012). In the United States, one in 50 adults suffers from OCD. Obsessive compulsive disorder affects children, adolescents, and adults. About one third to one half of adults with OCD report a childhood onset of the disorder, they felt these anxieties but were not diagnosed or felt no need to be diagnosed until the compulsions over whelmed them (Who We Are, 2012). The phrase obsessive compulsive has been used to describe excessively meticulous, perfectionistic, absorbed, or otherwise fixated person. While

It started with a chill, each vertebrae vibrating one by one up my spine. Then the heat, my face flush and palms clammy. I could never keep up with my breathing, for it seemed as though each time I breathed out, I needed more air almost immediately. Soon, my mind was flooded with unsettling images, a new one appearing nearly every second, each worse than the last. Everything that I found comfort in was now an enemy. When will this end? My body could not keep up with the trembles and I could not resist the urge to scream. Was this room always so small? My eyes grew indecisive, darting across the room, until the capillaries within them bulged so greatly that I clenched my eyelids shut. Then, a long, deep breath.

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.

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.