OCD Disorder
What is OCD?
Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) features a pattern of unwanted thoughts and fears (obsessions) that lead you to do repetitive behaviors (compulsions)
Obsessions are unwanted, intrusive thoughts, images, or urges that trigger intensely distressing feelings. Compulsions are behaviors an individual engages in to attempt to get rid of the obsessions and/or decrease distress
Symptoms of OCD
Obsession Symptoms
- Fear of contamination or dirt
- Doubting and having difficulty tolerating uncertainty
- Needing things orderly and symmetrical
- Aggressive or horrific thoughts about losing control and harming yourself or others
- Unwanted thoughts, including aggression, or sexual or religious subjects
Compulsion Symptoms
- Washing and cleaning
- Checking
- Orderliness
- Following a strict routine
- Demanding reassurance
What is the cause of OCD?
Doctors aren’t sure why some people have OCD. Stress can make symptoms worse.It’s a bit more common in women than in men. Symptoms often appear in teens or young adults.
Sometimes, a child might have OCD after a streptococcal infection. This is called pediatric autoimmune neuropsychiatric disorders associated with streptococcal infections, or PANDAS.
Experts believe OCD is caused by an abnormality in the brain’s circuitry. Brain scans show brain activity is different in people with OCD. There’s probably a genetic component too, especially when OCD begins in childhood. Of all adults with OCD, 1/3 to 1/2 say their illness started in childhood or adolescence.
What are the risk factors of OCD?
OCD risk factors include:
- A parent, sibling, or child with OCD
- Physical differences in certain parts of your brain
- Depression, anxiety, or tics
- Experience with trauma
- A history of physical or sexual abuse as a child
What are the Complications?
- Trouble in relationships as loved ones find the patient’s symptoms difficult to deal with.
- Inability to go to work or school, or to engage in social activities.
- Suicidal behaviour or thoughts.
- Dermatitis from continual hand washing and other health issues.
- Inadequate quality of life.
How to prevent OCD?
There’s no sure way to prevent obsessive-compulsive disorder. However, getting treatment as soon as possible may help prevent OCD from worsening and disrupting activities and your daily routine.
What are the types of OCD?
Organization
Contamination
Intrusive Thoughts
Ruminations
Checking
How is OCD diagnosed?
There are several steps that a doctor may use in order to diagnose the condition:
physical examination
This is often done in order to rule out any other mental health issues that may be the cause of the symptoms. This also checks for any complications that could be related.
Laboratory test
The doctor may check that the patient’s thyroid is functioning correctly, he or she may also screen for the presence of drugs and alcohol and also conduct a blood test to check the patient’s CBC (complete blood count).
A psychological evaluation
The doctor or mental health professional may ask the patient to discuss their thoughts, symptoms and feelings. This allows the doctor to evaluate the patterns of behavior. Should the patient allow for it, friends and family may also be called in for a group session.
Diagnostic criteria specifically for OCD
The doctor may make use of the criteria published by the American Psychiatric Association, these criteria are known as the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5).
What is the treatment for OCD?
Psychotherapy
Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) can help change your thinking patterns. In a form called exposure and response prevention, your doctor will put you in a situation designed to create anxiety or set off compulsions. You’ll learn to lessen and then stop your OCD thoughts or actions.
Relaxation
Simple things like meditation, yoga, and massage can help with stressful OCD symptoms.
Medication
Psychiatric drugs called selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors help many people control obsessions and compulsions. They might take 2 to 4 months to start working. Common ones include citalopram (Celexa), clomipramine (Anafranil), escitalopram (Lexapro), fluoxetine (Prozac), fluvoxamine, paroxetine (Paxil), and sertraline (Zoloft). If you still have symptoms, your doctor might give you antipsychotic drugs like aripiprazole (Abilify) or risperidone (Risperdal).
Neuromodulation
In rare cases, when therapy and medication aren’t making enough of a difference, your doctor might talk to you about devices that change the electrical activity in a certain area of your brain. One kind, transcranial magnetic stimulation, is FDA-approved for OCD treatment. It uses magnetic fields to stimulate nerve cells. A more complicated procedure, deep brain stimulation, uses electrodes that are implanted in your head.
FAQs
1
How do I know if I'm OCD?
If you have OCD, you’ll usually experience frequent obsessive thoughts and compulsive behaviors. An obsession is an unwanted and unpleasant thought, image or urge that repeatedly enters your mind, causing feelings of anxiety, disgust or unease.
2
What is an OCD person like?
People with OCD may have symptoms of obsessions, compulsions, or both. These symptoms can interfere with all aspects of life, such as work, school, and personal relationships. Obsessions are repeated thoughts, urges, or mental images that cause anxiety. Common symptoms include: Fear of germs or contamination.
3
Is a person with OCD normal?
Obsessive-compulsive thinking is completely normal, with about 94 percent of the population experiencing some kind of unwanted or intrusive thought at some point.
4
Can OCD go away?
Unfortunately, OCD doesn’t just go away. There is no “cure” for the condition. Thoughts are intrusive by nature, and it’s not possible to eliminate them entirely. However, people with OCD can learn to acknowledge their obsessions and find relief without acting on their compulsions.
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