Everything You Need To Know About OCD
It's quite normal to double-check everything in your daily life chores. But, if it's becoming a habit
with feelings of fear or leading to violent behavior, it's a sign of OCD Disorder, which is an
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. It's a mental health condition in which a person performs
repetitive behaviors along with frequent unwanted thoughts.
In today's post, we will discuss this disorder in detail, its symptoms, how it can be
diagnosed, and what treatments one must opt for. Continue reading!
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) - A Quick Overview
An obsessive compulsive disorder can be defined as a mental health condition with a
repetitive pattern of unwanted thoughts and fears. Here, these thoughts and fears are known as
Obsessions, and the repetitive thought process is called Compulsion. However, a person feels
distress due to such obsessions and compulsive behaviors. Eventually, coming to a specific
stage, a person finds these compulsive acts as a way to release their stress and relax.
According to the surveys of people with OCD Disorder, even if they try to ignore these repetitive
or unwanted thought patterns, they keep coming back and bring a person to live with this nasty
cycle of OCD.
Well, many people may feel ashamed, frustrated, or uncomfortable about having this mental
disorder. But, a treatment is essential and can be effective to get rid of this mental issue.
What OCD Symptoms a Person may Develop?
Anyone can develop OCD symptoms. As per the research, about 50% of people with OCD's
mental issues begin to develop its signs in childhood and adolescence. Also, experts say that
the average age to start experiencing this disorder is 19 years.
Below, we have mentioned specific obsession and compulsion OCD symptoms. Have a look:
Compulsion-Related Symptoms
Compulsion, which is a mental repetitive act of behavior, gives one limited relief from anxious
feelings. Additionally, a person follows the compulsion ritual for no reason but only to get relief
from the stress. The symptoms include:
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Continuously washing hands till they are not chapped or sore
Following a strict and timely routine with no compromise
Frequent asking for approvals or reassurance
Double-checking again and again
Frequent cleaning of everything due to the fear of germs or contamination
Silently repeating a word, phrase, or prayer
Repetitive counting of a specific pattern
Obsession-Related OCD Symptoms
Obsession, the unwanted thoughts or feelings can be lasting. Even if one tries to ignore such
feelings, they keep coming back, and the urges cause stress or anxious feelings. Also, when
one tries to divert their mind or do other things, these obsessive thoughts or feelings disturb
them. Have a look at the below OCD disorder symptoms:
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Fear of being contaminated by touching things touched by others
Frequent thoughts of harming others or sometimes yourself
Thoughts of losing control
Doubts and thoughts of uncertainty
Needing everything in a specific order or properly organized
Unwanted aggressive thoughts
Excessive concern or extremely particular about "wrongs and rights
Major Causes of Developing Obsessive Compulsive Disorder
There is no medical evidence related to the actual causes of obsessive compulsive disorder,
and according to health experts, the causes are unknown. However, the following factors may
put a person at risk of developing the signs of OCD:
Genetics and Hereditary Causes
Yes, genetic links and hereditary factors can also trigger a person with signs of OCD. If any of
the family members already have OCD or related signs, the signs may affect other people of the
same family through genes. However, medical experts are still researching this cause.
Behavioral Factors
Another risk factor is the change in behavior of a person due to a significant loss, traumatic
event, or a moment of intense stress. Now, if a person gets connected to any object, situation,
or feeling of fear at these moments, they are more likely to develop the signs of repetitive
patterns, thoughts, and other signs of OCD disorder.
Environmental Risk Factors
A lot many people have reported the signs of OCD within the period of 6 months after
experiencing the following situations:
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A traumatic brain injury or illness
Complicated pregnancy phase
Childbirth
A severe illness or major accident
A serious conflict
Stress or depressive moods
Infections in Children
One of the main causes of obsessive compulsive disorder among children is infection from
health issues like Lyme disease, group A streptococcal infections including scarlet fever and
strep throat, or the H1N1 flu virus. Medical experts call this OCD sign pediatric acute-onset
neuropsychiatric syndrome (PANS). In addition, the signs may disappear after 24-72 hours, but
time later, they can come back and trigger the children.
Neurological Conditions
Many medical analyses and studies have shown that people with OCD symptoms have
differences in the subcortical structures and frontal cortex in their brains. In other terms, a
person is also likely to develop OCD due to the neurological conditions affecting similar areas
of one's brain. These areas are Parkinson's disease, epilepsy, and Tourette's syndrome.
Different OCD Types of Mental Health Disorders
There is no proper classification of OCD types of mental health disorders, but according to
varied signs, experts commonly separate the types as given below:
Order and Symmetry
Most people with OCD issues are extremely particular about order and symmetry. They
experience obsession and compulsions associated with proper arrangements, organized
everything, symmetric patterns, specific orders, and counting (evens or odds).
Contamination Fear
One of the most common OCD types of mental health disorders is the fear of contamination or
germs. Often, people with signs of OCD fear germs or getting contaminated. Such people
repeatedly clean surfaces, frequently wash their hands, avoid touching things touched by
others, and hold excessive stress related to the food ingredients.
Intrusive or Unwanted Thoughts
Obsessive, unwanted, or intrusive thoughts about a particular theme, also known as
Rumination, is another type of OCD. This type generally involves topics related to taboos,
violence, religion, or sexuality.
Double-Checking
Yes, if you're wondering that double-checking is a type of mental health disorder, so it is.
However, it becomes a type of OCD when a person excessively attempts double-checking out
of compulsion. It may include repeated checking that electrical appliances are turned off or on,
doors and windows are locked, or frequently ensuring nothing is lost or damaged.
How to Diagnose Obsessive Compulsive Disorder?
For diagnosing obsessive compulsive disorder, medical experts prefer specific criteria based on
the person's developing signs. The diagnoses may include:
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OCD symptoms that are not oriented from the use of any drug, substance, or
medication's side effects.
Checking the presence of both compulsion or obsession signs in a person.
OCD symptoms that can't be better confirmed by another health issue.
What are the Possible OCD Treatments
Since the causes are unknown, Doctors have proven the following OCD treatments that can be
effective for a person developing OCD signs:
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
One of the most recommended psychotherapies is Cognitive Behavioral therapy (CBT). This
therapy can help a person developing OCD issues by changing their way of thinking, feeling,
and behaving. In this, the therapist encourages people with OCD not to be controlled by any
obsession and to find out the actual cognitive distortions relating to the obsession.
Suggested Medications
There is no proper medicine with the surety of treating OCD. But as one of the OCD treatments,
Doctors recommend medications, including antidepressants. These are paroxetine (Paxil),
fluoxetine (Prozac), escitalopram (Lexapro), sertraline (Zoloft), or fluvoxamine (Luvox).
Anxiety-Management Practices
A few anxiety-management practices, including slow breathing exercises, meditation,
hyperventilation control, and relaxation training, can help a person overcome their developing
signs of OCD. The regular performance of these practices can be one of the most helpful OCD
treatments.
Summary..!
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) is one of the challenging mental health disorders as it
impacts a person’s way of living. We hope this post has helped you learn about the different
OCD signs and how it can be diagnosed. It’s important to opt for the most suitable OCD disorder
treatments to get back to the normal lifestyle. So, if you are looking for OCD therapy then
reach out to a counsellor for assistance.