Obsessive Compulsive Disorder
Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is an
illness that traps people in endless
cycles of repetitive thoughts
(obsessions) and behaviors (compulsions). Although
we all have habits and
routines that help us organize our daily lives, people
with OCD develop
patterns of behavior that take up too much time and interfere
with their
daily lives. Obsessions are unwanted and intrusive ideas, images and
impulses
that run through the person's mind over and over again. Sometimes
these
thoughts come only once in a while and are only mildly annoying, but at
other
times the thoughts come constantly and cause great distress. A
compulsion is a
behavior that is performed on purpose in response to an
obsession. People
perform these compulsive behaviors according to "rules"
they make up
themselves to try to control the nervous feelings that come
along with the
obsessive thoughts. Sometimes compulsive behaviors are called
rituals. For
example, a person may have a profound fear of germs and spend
hours washing his
or her hands after using a public toilet. Rituals like this
do make the nervous
feelings go away, but usually only for a short while.
Then fear and discomfort
return, and the person repeats the routine all over
again. Most people with OCD
know that their obsessions and compulsions are
ridiculous and make no sense, but
they can't ignore them. Most people with
OCD experience common obsessions such
as: fear of dirt, germs, or
contamination, fear of harming a family member or
friend, concern with order,
symmetry (balance) and exactness, worry that a task
has been done poorly,
even when the person knows this is not true. Also fear of
thinking evil or
sinful thoughts, and A constant need for reassurance are common
obsessions.
What Causes OCD? OCD may be connected with an imbalance in a brain
chemical
called serotonin. Serotonin serves as a "bridge" in sending
nerve impulses
from one nerve cell to the next, and in regulating repetitive
behaviors. The
great improvement that people have when they take certain
medicines makes
this idea more believable. How can OCD be treated? Behavioral
therapy can be
used to lessen unwanted compulsions. First, people are exposed to
the
situations that produce obsessions and anxiety, and then they are
encouraged
to resist performing the rituals that usually help control the
anxiety. Over
time and with practice, OCD symptoms gradually go away. The
person with OCD must
really want to use this method, though, to be able to
tolerate the high levels
of anxiety that result. Finally, family therapy is a
way to educate the
relatives of a person with OCD about their part in the
recovery process, and how
to deal with their own feelings of frustration and
unhappiness.