Obsessions are intrusive thoughts. They can be ideas, impulses, images, words, phrases, or song stanzas, but they are disturbing in nature. The rituals or actions associated with the obsessions are called compulsions. People who suffer from OCD Symptoms do not necessarily gain pleasure from their performances, only a temporary relief from anxiety. Each ritual needs to be performed over and over again thus never allowing complete satisfaction.
This disorder seems to cross all ethnicities, races, religions, sexes, economic levels and geographic locations.
OCD effects about 3.3 million adult Americans. It is just as prevalent in men as in women and it attacks people of all ages. OCD can occur at any age, in fact, the need for such comforting rituals often begins in childhood.
OCD Symptoms:
The most common obsessions in adults are:
Examples of compulsions
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Case story :
Becky was a obsessive compulsive hand washer. She had to constantly wash her hands. She would put soap in her hands, rub them around thoroughly, and rinse the soap. She would do this four times for each hand washing ritual. And her hands had to be washed if she touched anything she felt was unsanitary. Becky carried around a can of germicide lotion and a napkin and had to wipe everything in her house that she deemed unclean. Such routines occupied much of her time and prevented her from performing at an optimal level. Due to continuous washing Becky hands had become red and rough.
If you are suffering from Panic/Anxiety attacks, Agorophobia or OCD, Watch this video
It is common for OCD sufferers to constantly check things like the electrical appliances to see if they’ve been turned off, the locks on the doors to see if the doors are locked to touch things and count. Some patients try to avoid walking on the cracks on sidewalks. Some patients repeatedly wash the utensils , clean the house repeatedly.
The patient has lost control over reality, thus becoming compulsive. Even though the patient does not want to be having these thoughts and concerns they seemingly lose control of them and the thoughts and behaviors tend to run rampant in their minds.
Obsessive compulsive disorder should not be confused with obsessive compulsive personality disorder (OCPD). Obsessive compulsive personality disorder is not an illness. It’s a personality type that is significant with properties like orderliness, perfectionism, mental and interpersonal control, excessive devotion to work and rigidity. People who have obsessive compulsive personality are have a higher chance of being affected by obsessive compulsive disorder and this can be cure by one of the best Linden method of treatment technique.
Causes of OCD:
Genetic factors:
Role of genetics is confirmed by studies showing that twins have a higher incidence of the illness. Family history is also known to be important. If a family member has been diagnosed with OCD symptoms, other family members are at a higher risk for also having it.
Imbalances of neurochemicals:
Patients usually have decreased serotonergic activity but increased dopaminergic activity. This explains why selective serotonin uptake inhibitors (SSRI antidepressants) and neuroleptics that work on dopaminergic system have some value in treating obsessive compulsive disorder.
Life experiences play a role in the onset of obsessive compulsive disorder.
Abnormalities in brain function :
Brain function also plays a significant role in OCD. The caudate nucleus, orbital frontal cortex, and cingulate cortex all tend to have unusually high metabolic rates in individuals with OCD. These areas of the brain are further stimulated when symptoms are provoked. Also, they seem to have more normal metabolic rates after successful treatment in an individual with OCD. Serotonin also appears to play a key role in the brain chemistry of OCD (Butcher, et al., 2007)
Brain research through PET scans has also shown that OCD sufferers have a higher level of activity in the frontal lobes of the brain.
Studies show that abnormalities of the frontal lobes, basal ganglia, and cingulum are common in people with OCD. Basal ganglia are involved in routine behaviors, like grooming, and the frontal lobes in organizing behaviors and in planning.
The cingulum consists of fibrous bands that assist in communicating the brain’s behavioral and emotional messages.
Altered brainwave activity:
Scientists who study OCD has discovered that OCD patients display brain-wave activity that differ from those of people without OCD. Brain-imaging studies of OCD has also been performed, showing abnormal neuro chemical activity in regions known to play an important role in certain neurological disorders that has associations with the serotonin levels in the brain.
Diagnosis & Treatment:
In order to be diagnosed as having OCD the person must suffer from obsessions that result in compulsive behavior. This means they must experience recurrent or persistent thoughts that are intrusive enough to cause significant distress and anxiety.
They must act upon these fears by taking some action such as repetitive behavior or avoidance to prevent the threatening situation from occurring.
Best and effective treatments for OCD can be in the form of therapy or medications or both. Cognitive behavior therapy has shown to be of great help for patients suffering with OCD.
