OCD – Disorder Of The Mind

Of all of the relatively common mental health ailments that exist in society, Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, commonly known as OCD, is one of the most frustrating to both the sufferer and those around them. Classified by the APA (American Psychiatric Association) as an “anxiety disorder,” it might be described as an exaggerated ongoing reaction to stress.

Anxiety itself is a normal and healthy human reaction to stress, for example; worrying about a test at school, a deadline at work, walking alone at night, etc. and normally disappears when the stressor disappears. Normal anxiety causes the human body to secrete adrenaline into the bloodstream and serves to make an individual more cautious or aware of danger, or to help an individual react to a challenge (test, deadlines, etc). However, for some people this anxiety continues and grows without external stressors. This disorder shows itself in the forms of what are called “obsessions” and/or “compulsions.”

Simply put, an obsession is an exaggerated or excessive fear or worry about real possibilities in the environment; illness, germs, being hurt, etc. while a compulsion is an exaggerated or excessive reaction to those fears; excessive hand-washing, showering, cleaning, counting, checking doors or stoves and countless others. Compulsions can also show themselves as behaviors that are time-consuming and perfectionistic, for example arranging and straightening pictures, adjusting fringe on throw rugs, etc. These compulsions, referred to as “ritualistic” behaviors, can and will increase and eventually completely take over the life of the victim of OCD.

Compulsions are considered to be a “self-soothing” reaction that results in a temporary decline in anxiety. A common example of this might be; a person who is obsessed with germs washing his hands a hundred or more times a day. Each time this person washes his hands, he briefly feel good about his hands being germ-free, but this lasts only until he touch something else that he believe, in light of his obsession, is contaminated. A more advanced scenario of a person who is obsessed with germs is for that person feeling the need, in addition to washing his hands, of cleaning the entire bathroom after using the toilet. Once again, this activity supplies a brief respite from his fear of contamination but doesn’t last long.

The abnormal level of anxiety that leads to OCD seems to run in families and tends to begin in childhood or teenage years. Medical researchers believe that it may be the result of a “malfunction” in the synapses (connections) in the brain and may be “congenital” (inborn) and/or a reaction to long-term stresses. Normally this type of ailment is treated with a combination of counseling and medications prescribed by a psychiatrist. Counseling, or talk therapy, serves to educate the patient about the “disease” of OCD and helps the patient to recognize the origins of the disease, the effects that OCD has on their own life and the lives of the people around them, and what “triggers” episodes. Prescribed medications, generally antidepressant and/or anti-anxiety drugs, can lower anxiety levels and make it easier for the patient to learn to forgo the “rituals” that they have used to lower anxiety. Depending on the individual, and the underlying reason for their anxiety, medication therapy may be short-term, or on-going.