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Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder or OCD – the term is self-explanatory as it is a combination of two distinctive symptoms or behaviors, i.e., obsessions and compulsions.
It is absolutely normal to double-check occasionally if your doors are properly locked or your stove or you have turned the iron off. It is even ok to have violent, unpleasant thoughts or feel that your body or hands have got contaminated with germs.
However, if you have OCD, you may experience obsessive thoughts and act compulsively, which will interfere with your daily life.
Do you know that almost one percent of the US population suffers from Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder?
What is OCD?
Let us dive deeper into this mental health issue. Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder is a mental illness characterized by unwanted, uncontrollable thoughts and rituals. It is a compulsion to perform certain repetitive behaviors.
If you suffer from OCD, you may recognize that you have irrational obsessions and compulsions for certain thoughts and actions. However, no matter how hard you try, you are unable to resist or break free from this vicious cycle.
OCD causes your brain to get stuck on a specific urge or thought. It is like the queue-top stuck on a record.
For instance, you may find yourself checking your doors twenty times before going to bed, or checking your stove repeatedly to ensure it is really turned off. Similarly, you may wash your hands until your mind tells you that you have scrubbed away all the germs.
Although you do not achieve any pleasure of this routine, it may offer you momentary relief from your bout of anxiety caused by obsessive thoughts.
You probably have tried avoiding situations that trigger your OCD or even self-mediated. It may even seem that you cannot get rid of this mind pestering mental health issue. There are several ways you can break free of your obsessions and compulsions and regain control of your mind and body.
Types of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder
There are various obsessions and compulsions you can suffer from, some of the most renowned ones are:
- Your obsession with fear of germs contamination – which initiates your compulsion with washing and cleaning.
- Your obsession with perfectionism or symmetry – which triggers your compulsion of re-doing or re-ordering.
According to Dr. Jill Stoddard, OCD also includes unwanted or intrusive sexual thoughts and fear of self-harm or harming others. You may even act impulsively, such as randomly swearing during moments of silence.
Some of the compulsions involve counting, checking, repeating, praying compulsively, or for a prolonged period than you should. They may even involve avoiding certain objects or actions.
Most OCD sufferers fall into one of the following categories.
Washers
Scared of contaminations and usually clean and wash hands compulsively.
Checkers
Repetitively checking door locks, stoves, and other items in the house, associated with possible harm or danger.
Sinners and Doubters
These individuals are too scared that if they do not do everything perfectly or the right way, they will get punished, or something bad will happen to them.
Arrangers and Counters
These people are badly obsessed with symmetry and order. If you are one of these, you may be superstitious about certain colors, numbers, and arrangements.
Hoarders
Hoarders have an irrational fear of something bad happening to them in case they throw away anything. They compulsive hoard objects they do not even use or need.
These people also suffer from other mental health disorders such as PTSD, depression, Kleptomania, skin picking, ADHS, compulsive buying, and tic disorders.
Causes for OCD
No one has been able to pinpoint the exact cause of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder. However, researchers believe certain areas of your brain may be responsible.
It is the abnormality of your brain where some areas do not respond well to serotonin, which is a chemical used by nerve cells for communication.
Even genetics is a contributing factor to your OCD as well. If your parents or any of your siblings suffer from OCD, there are 25 percent chances that you or another immediate family member may have it as well.
Risk Factors
Symptoms of OCD may often get worse due to stress related to work, school, relationships, or life-altering events.
You may develop OCD with other mental health issues such as ADHD, Tourette syndrome, major depression, social anxiety disorder, and eating disorders.
Course of Treatment
The first step towards treating your Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder is recognizing that you suffer from it. In order to be sure, it is best to get a diagnosis from a professional mental health expert such as a psychologist or a psychiatrist.
However, do not over-analyze your existing habits and behaviors as it is completely normal to worry about things.
The alarming situation should be when you spend hours worrying each day. In short, if you believe that your obsessions and compulsions are impeding your mental and physical abilities to lead a normal life, you most likely have OCD.
A combination of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and medication is the most effective course of treatment for OCD. According to the International OCD Foundation, almost 70 percent of OCD sufferers displayed signs of improvement.
That said – Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) is the most effective form of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for the treatment of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder. The therapy involves triggering OCD thoughts in OCD sufferers and challenging them to resist the compulsion to respond.
Additionally, medication has proven to reduce symptoms of OCD by almost 40 to 60 percent. Antidepressants such as serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SRIs) are also associated with increased serotonin levels in your brain. Scientists do not know why, but these drugs help with OCD symptoms.
OCD is Real
On closing thoughts, you must remember that your treatment may not eradicate all your obsessions and compulsions. However, it will help reduce the severity of the episodes, giving you the freedom to live your daily life without much hindrance.
Most importantly, although most people reject OCD as a pseudo term for bad habits, it is not. OCD is real and can be self-harming. There have been cases where people have literally peeled their skins of and bled due to fear of skin contamination by germs or committing suicide because they could not stop their brain from thinking.
