Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD)

Obsessions are unwanted, repetitive and intrusive thoughts, ideas and images which invade people’s minds and once they make themselves “at home” they just refuse to leave, becoming more and more frequent and intense.

Compulsions, from the other hand, are repetitive behaviors and actions that the same people adopt with hopes of stopping or preventing the obsessions, although by performing these acts (rituals) nothing positive is actually achieved. In fact compulsions are not just the “products” of obsessions but at the same time they are their “food”. Once the person’s mind gives in and starts to obey the obsessive directions coming from their brain by performing the “required, appropriate” actions, he/she becomes the organizer and the executor of the nasty “games”, in a bizarre, never ending cycle.

Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, or OCD, is characterized by obsessions interrupting the flow of normal, rational thinking and forcing its victims into believing that if they perform some specific actions or rituals over and over again they will feel calmer and their anxiety will go away. The sufferers of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder are aware of the fact that their actions and behaviors are strange and far from normal but they just cannot stop them. Harder an obsessed person tries to resist, their anxiety levels rise and obsessive thoughts become stronger and more bizarre.

In some cases obsessions are of aggressive, violent or sexual nature and often they go completely against sufferers’ morals and beliefs. Obsessive Compulsive Disorder victims might think that they are going crazy and they are scared of loosing control and doing something bad and unforgivable or even seriously harming someone. Fortunately, that almost never happens and the only people who might be in danger are the sufferers themselves.

Obsessions are by no means limited to aggressive or violent thoughts. Some OCD victims have obsession with counting. They count their steps, light posts along their way, letters in a word, words in a paragraph and similar. Others are constantly worried about the security issues, order, symmetry, hygiene, overall appearance etc.

As results Obsessive Compulsive Disorder sufferers develop specific compulsions (rituals) to “deal” with such situations. They start washing their hands countless times or for very long periods, clean their homes over and over again, use generous amounts of detergent, soap or anti bacterial solution and rewash everything after the item was touched by someone else. Others will keep on checking if their doors are locked properly, is the key left in the “right” position, if their stove, iron and the rest of home appliances are switched off. OCD sufferers who are obsessed with order, symmetry or their appearance will spend hours arranging their books, cups, glasses into a straight line for instance or they will stay for ages in front of a mirror changing clothes trying to find the “perfect match”.

Compulsions are not always visible. Victims of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder might count or pray in their minds or just imagine, for instance, writing with their finger over the text in a book, magazine or over the TV screen. When performing the rituals which can be seen by other people, the OCD sufferers are usually very careful and they always try their best to make sure that nobody is watching. Majority of them are ashamed of their actions and getting “caught” doing them might be a huge embarrassment and make their anxiety even worse.

A lot of perfectly healthy people have their own rituals which are very similar or exactly the same as above described. However, they never go to such extremes and those rituals do not have any significant bad effects on the overall performance of their daily tasks and activities. People suffering from Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, on the other hand, cannot function normally. They are aware of their condition most of the time. They frantically try to overcome it but the obsessive thoughts just keep coming back.

Obsessive Compulsive Disorder should not be mistaken for an “Obsessive Personality” problem. People who have obsessive personality are just perfectionists and usually high achievers. They are obsessed by rules, order and control but the majority of them actually enjoy what they do and at the end they are proud of their work and final results. OCD sufferers hate their rituals and they are desperate to stop them but they cannot.

As with all other anxiety disorders, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder is best treated while caught in the early stage. The preferred treatment usually begins with either Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT) alone or with a combination of Cognitive Behavior Therapy and medication (Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors). Whether or not medication is used depends on the age of the patient and on the severity of the disorder. In mild cases and when the patient is very young it is the most likely that only psychotherapy (CBT) will be used at the beginning of the treatment.

Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD)