Thought Process-Oriented Complications

When instructed to write a 3-5 page paper over a psychological disorder I wondered to myself what disorder could I do to interest me enough to take so much time to look into. What one disorder would I have to force myself to research and write about that would not be completely painful? This is when I decided to write my paper over the Borderline Personality Disorder, the disorder Mrs. Kline refers to as the crazy girlfriend disorder which fits the disorder a lot better. This disorder grabbed my attention because I’m interested in what causes one to become so obsessive in such a short time span. In this research paper I will inform you about what can cause this disorder, what symptoms and actions are made by the ones affected by this disorder, and the treatment that reduces the symptoms.

Like stated in “A Plague of Tics” by David Sedaris, “A person had to do these things because nothing was worse than the anguish of not doing them.” A “normal” individual might argue, “Why not just stop focusing on that and stay positive instead?” To a “normal” individual that might seem realistic but it’s not so for someone like me. We all experience an innumerable amount of thoughts throughout the day, but the issue arises when one thought becomes recurring and more and more prominent in your thoughts. In a combination of anxious thoughts and my OCD, I can find myself entertaining the same thought for hours on end. This fixation on my anxious worries is what often at times causes me to choose stressing over sleeping. I’ve found myself thinking about one thing at 10pm and have that thought carry over until 4am when I can finally convince myself it’s just an unrealistic worry. What was that thought? It was whether I had bubbled my ID number in correctly on my scantron. Looking back I know that it’s ridiculous because I always check my scantron multiple times before I hand it in just to make sure I didn't make a mistake. Even after checking my scantron five times I still feel the urge to check again so I have to force myself to hand it in and trust myself. In the moment these things don't seem irrational. The over-focusing on thoughts and the rechecking of things seem like logical conclusions just to make sure I didn’t mess up. I mean everyone makes mistakes right? It’s sometimes hard to draw the line where it becomes obsessive. Like in the essay, I too find myself succumbing to my OCD because ignoring it would cause even more distress than I already am

Obsessive compulsive disorder is a disease that many people know of, but few people know about. Many people associate repeated washing of hands, or flicking of switches, and even cleanliness with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD), however there are many more symptoms, and there are also explanations for those symptoms. In this paper, I will describe what obsessive compulsive disorder is, explain some of the effects of it, and explain why it happens. I will also attempt to prove that while medication doesn’t cure OCD, it vastly improves one’s quality of life. Furthermore I intend to show that behavior therapy (cognitive based therapy) is another useful tool in helping a person to overcome their OCD.

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.

Francis, a married, Caucasian male, requested psychological assessment for thoughts that he describes as “recurrent, automatic” ideations of dangerous occurrences befalling his wife and daughter when he is not present, and therefore, cannot save them. Francis explained that he is fully aware that his family is not in danger, that his thoughts are not based on reality, and he describes these thoughts as “silly.” He explained that his concerns are temporarily abated when he contacts his wife for confirmation that they are safe. Francis contacts his wife and daughter hourly, by telephone, when he is away from home. The contact process involves Francis’ wife briefly picking up the phone and hanging up to signal Francis that they are safe. He explained that he has had these problems for years; however, they were exacerbated by his

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.”

Obsessive-Compulsive disorder is a type of severe anxiety disorder that impacts an individual’s entire life and way of functioning. Obsessions are considered intrusive and recurrent thoughts or impulses that cannot be removed through reasoning. Compulsions are the repetitive and ritualistic behaviors and actions that associate with the obsessions. These compulsions are to be performed according to specific rules or methods and are thought to prevent or reduce stress and feared situations. Both compulsions and obsessions cause disabling levels of anxiety. The individual affected is often able to recognize the behavior as excessive and irrational, but is unable to control or stop the behaviors without intervention.

Automatic thoughts can be neutral, positive, or negative. We all have our own automatic thoughts as we move through our day-to-day lives and interact with others. In regards to individuals with psychological disorders, the cognitive model looks at how negative thoughts influence the individual’s feelings and behaviors (Beck, 1995). From a CBT lens, it is the negative automatic thoughts that an individual has that perpetuate symptoms of psychological disorders, the occurrence of negative mood, uncomfortable physiological responses, and maladaptive or inappropriate behaviors (Beck, 1995). While we all have moments of experiencing negative automatic thoughts, for those with psychological disorders, and more pervasive difficulties in living, negative thoughts are often experienced in situations that are neutral, producing negative feelings that lead to maladaptive behaviors or responses that would not

Obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) was once considered a rare disease, but today, it is one of the most prevalent psychological disorders present among society. OCD is described as “intrusive thoughts or images (obsessions), which increase anxiety, and by repetitive or ritualistic actions (compulsions), which decrease anxiety” (Stein, 2002). In the DSM-IV, Obsessive compulsive disorder can be diagnosed through observable behaviours or repetitive mental habits. Symptoms include; the constant washing of hands, and/or fears concerning danger to others or to self – resulting in frequent paranoia. OCD has been linked with lesions in various neurological circuits of the brain due to the consumption of dopamine agonists (for example, cocaine). In order for obsessive compulsive disorder to take clinical significance, dysfunction and distress must follow symptoms. The treatment of OCD was initially developed in the Freudian era, as psychoanalytical treatment was seen as the most effective treatment at the time for mind management. Conversely, recent empirical evidence proved otherwise. Pharmacological therapy and cognitive-behavioural therapy, also known as systematic desensitization are nowadays the most prominent remedies used in treating obsessive compulsive disorder.

Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) is a mental disorder that is associated with reoccurring thoughts (obsessions) and uncontrollable thoughts that drives the patients to repeat something over and over again. The Aviator movie is trying to depict this disorder through the character Howard Hughes. The story captures the real-life experience of Hughes who was a successful filmmaker and aeronautic engineer in Hollywood between 1920s and 1940s. He was both rich, talented and notoriously eccentric. Hughes showed symptoms of OCD which were very severe and incapacitating at some points. His conditions deteriorated progressively from bad to worst throughout his lifetime, though in most parts of the film he is depicted as functioning relatively normally. This paper will focus on Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder and how it has been depicted in The Aviator movie through the character Howard Hughes.

OCD is taboo to some people, but it has come a long way since it was first discovered. The disorder was first discovered by Jean-Etienne Dominique Esquirol in the psychiatric literature in 1838 (Fornaro, 2009). When obsessive compulsive disorder was first

There are times when people are plagued with thoughts, behaviors or emotions that will inhibit them from normal behavior. These are known as psychological disorders. These disorders come in many forms but all will have large effects on a person’s life.

" a vicious cycle where the patient keeps on thinking and rethinking about negative issues, develops negative mood. This further leads to dysphoria. Also it can cause major depressive disorder" (Rippere, 1977).

Obsessive Compulsive Disorder and Mysophobia Presented in the Media This paper will address media perception of mental illness in comparison with what is actually known and symptoms associated medically with mental illness. The mental illnesses that will be discussed in greater detail will be obsessive compulsive disorder and an anxiety disorder associated with obsessive compulsive disorder, mysphobia. The piece of media used for comparison is the movie The Aviator released in December of 2004. This movie portrays a thirty year portion of Howard Hughes’s life.

Abnormal and clinical psychology are two branches in the field of psychological studies. In simple words, abnormal psychology can be defined as the study of people who engage in unusual behavior and emotional thoughts. These actions and thoughts are considered abnormal compared to those of other members of society, and they significantly interfere with their functioning in life. Clinical psychology goes hand in hand with abnormal psychology because it is the study that deals with the assessment and treatment of those abnormal actions. Learning about these branches of psychology can help us understand and predict behaviors of people who that are affected by these disorders. It is also essential to advance our knowledge to help assess the people who suffer these illnesses to lead a life of better quality. In this paper, a case study that entails a brief vignette of a 35 year old paralegal named Greg will be analyzed. According to concepts of abnormal and clinical psychology, Greg will be diagnosed with the psychological disorder of obsessive-compulsive disorder (more formally known as OCD) that might have originated in the anal stage of the psychoanalytic theory, for which cognitive behavioral therapy will be used as a possible treatment.