The mystery of obsessive-compulsive disorder

The mystery of obsessive-compulsive disorder

Why would anyone suffer from intrusive and unwanted thoughts or obsessions they can’t get out of their head?  Here are some examples of such scenarios – you are getting ready to leave your house but then you have to go through every room to make sure you turned off all the lights – three times.  Or maybe you have to compulsively wash your hands numerous times a day or your closet has to be arranged with your shirts in rainbow order with the exact same amount of space between each one.  This compulsion to repeatedly perform ritualistic behaviors and routines are often used to ease their anxiety.

Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is a common long-term anxiety disorder affecting around 5 million or 1 in 40 adults in the United States.   Obsession refers to people having repeated feelings, thoughts, and ideas.  Compulsive or compulsion is what makes a person feel driven to do something.  The classic signs have to do with unwanted repetitive behaviors that if are not performed can cause extreme discomfort to a person with OCD.  Individuals with severe cases of OCD can dramatically interfere with a person’s daily life causing an extreme amount of distress.

Most people with OCD are aware that their obsessions and compulsions are irrational, yet they feel powerless to stop them.  Some spend hours at a time consumed with debilitating thoughts and performing complicated rituals.

Different types of OCD

OCD has different categories that include:

·      Intrusive thoughts – can include reoccurring images in their minds that are disturbing or awful.

·      Constant checking – this includes a fear that something will happen if they stop checking.

·      Fear of contamination – obsession with things being spotless or germ free.

·      Hoarding – someone who becomes emotionally attached to items with the thought of throwing anything away causing great distress.

Signs of OCD

The signs of OCD include both obsessive and compulsive behaviors. Signs of obsession include:

·      Fear of contamination

·      Repeated unwanted ideas

·      Aggressive impulses

·      Persistent sexual thoughts

·      Images of hurting someone you love or cause harm to others or thoughts of themselves being harmed

Signs of compulsion include:

·      Constant checking, counting or checking the stove or door locks

·      Repeated cleaning of one or more items

·      Repeatedly washing your hands

·      Arranging items to face a certain way

Oftentimes, people who deal with OCD tend to be very anxious and emotional.  They can also display other symptoms not associated with OCD such as depression, excessive worry or tension, or a constant feeling that things are not right.

Causes of OCD

At this time it is not fully understood what exactly causes OCD.   Medical professionals tend to believe there is a genetic component that brings on the disorder as research as shown that the OCD tends to run in families.  It could also be caused by habits a person may have developed during childhood that carries on into adulthood.

Help for OCD sufferers

Even though OCD tends to be long-term condition, it is treatable.  There are several forms of therapy that can help a person with OCD.  This is good news as many with the disorder often experience negative effects from it such as the inability to function in society, difficulties at school or work, or problems maintaining friendships or romantic relationships.  They can also experience depression, constant anxiety and a higher risk of substance abuse to deal with their disorder.

Here are some methods those with OCD can use to reduce the impact of the disorder:

·      Cognitive behavioral therapy

This is a type of psychotherapy or talking therapy aimed to help manage obsessions and compulsions by altering the way a person thinks and behaves.  This type of therapy has been shown to be highly effective as it can improve mood and functioning often without resorting to medications.  Cognitive behavioral therapy teaches a person how to recognize, observe, and monitor thoughts with the goal to help them to challenge their irrational beliefs and to find practical ways to improve their state of mind on a daily basis.

·      Medications

If cognitive behavioral therapy by itself does not quite fully help a person with OCD, then medications may be used in conjunction with the therapy

There are several types of medications that may be prescribed for OCD – often they tend to be selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs).  The reason is that research has suggested that people with OCD may have abnormalities or an imbalance in a brain chemical called serotonin which may be causing OCD symptoms.

SSRIs work by slowing down serotonin from nerve cells by message transporters.  This causes serotonin to stay in the spaces between cells longer increasing the likelihood of the next nerve cell receiving the message correctly. 

·      Deep brain stimulation

There is an experimental neurosurgical treatment called deep brain stimulation that delivers electric impulses to stimulate specific areas of the brain via electrodes placed in the brain.

It is believed to work by using high-frequency pulses to restore normal activity to areas of the brain that have become impaired.  Because this does involve brain surgery, there can always be potential serious health risks to consider and therefore is not a treatment for just anyone with OCD.  In addition the long-term side effects and risks of deep brain stimulation are not known at this time.