OBSESSIVE COMPULSIVE DISORDER

Obsessive Compulsive Disorder

Obsessive Compulsive Disorder

Obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) was considered until recently as a rare psychiatric disorder that is unresponsive to treatment. It is now recognized as a common problem that affects two percent of the population. OCD is a disorder belonging to the group of disorders of anxiety characterized by:

Obsessions

They are ideas, thoughts, images or impulses recurrent and persistent that is not experienced as voluntarily produced, but rather as thoughts that invades consciousness and is experienced as senseless or repugnant.

Compulsions

They are repetitive behaviors, and apparently are finalists, performed according to certain rules in a stereotypical way. The act is performed with a subjective sense of compulsion, together with a desire to resist the compulsion, at least initially.

Background It was previously believed that OCD was caused by family problems or behaviors during childhood. We consider now the trouble is rather a neurological basis. Current research focuses on brain functioning and impact of personal factors on the development of the disease. OCD can occur in people of any age but usually appears before age 40. Studies have shown that the first signs were appearing in adolescence or childhood. Men and women are affected equally.

Family data

The family members need to understand that a person cannot stop abruptly. They need tools and strategies. The treatment of choice is cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT). CBT is used when the person decides it is ready for that and with his permission. With the help of a therapist, a sequence of meetings and ritual prevention is described and combined with new ways to interpret thoughts. (Ciechanowski, Katon, 2007).

Symptoms

Some common obsessions

Dirt and germs (bacteria, viruses, fungi, parasites)

Fear of having hateful thoughts about religion or sexuality

Contamination

The need for symmetry (put items online or in a certain ...