What is Obsessive Compulsive Disorder?

Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, OCD, is an anxiety disorder in which a person has recurrent and unwanted thoughts or impulses (obsessions) and an urge or compulsion (repetitive behaviors) to do something to satisfy the discomfort caused by obsession.

Compulsion or Repetitive behaviors such as checking, hand washing, counting, or cleaning are often performed with the hope of avoiding obsessive thoughts . Performing these rituals, provides only temporary satisfaction but if not doing them increases anxiety.

Compulsions help in reducing the anxiety surrounding the obsessions. Around 90% people who have OCD have both obsessions and compulsions. The thoughts and behaviors of a person suffering with OCD are baseless, repetitive, distressing, and sometimes harmful, but they are also difficult to overcome.

Causes of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder:

• A fear of contamination by Germs or dirt.
• Recurrent thoughts or images of death or other horrible events.
• Losing something valuable.
• Illness or injury to himself or someone close.
• Coming across unlucky numbers or words.
• Things being perfect or just right in a certain way.
• Making mistakes or not being sure.
• Doing or thinking something bad.
• Sexual obsessions or unwanted sexual thoughts.
• Harm coming to a loved one because you weren't careful enough.

Symptoms of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder:

• Washing hands, cleaning, grooving or showering repeatedly.
• Examining your body for signs of illness.
• Counting things regularly.
• Touching objects or people.
• Ordering things.
• Praying.
• A need for both sides of the body to feel even.
• Checking things again and again (such as doors, lights, locks).
• Doing things a certain number of times.
• Repeating words silently.
• Arranging things in a very particular or neat way.
• Tying and retying things over and over until they feel just right.

Treatment For Obsessive Compulsive Disorder:

Effective treatments for OCD are available these days, and research is yielding new and improved therapies that can help most people with OCD.

Psychotherapy

Systematic desensitization involves gradually exposing the client to ever-increasing anxiety-provoking stimuli. It should not be attempted until the client has successfully learned relaxation skills. Relaxation techniques and incorporate breathing skills, and muscle relaxation.

F looding allows the patient to face the most anxiety-provoking situation, while using the relaxation skills learned. Flooding is generally not recommended except in rare case.

Thought-saturation , the client is directed to think and rethink of one obsessional thought which they have complained about. Doing this obsession may lose some of its strength.

Thought-stopping , the client learns how to halt obsessive thoughts through proper identification of the obsessional thoughts, and then averting it by doing an opposite, incompatible response so that obsession looses some of its strength.