Obsessive Compulsive Disorder

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Obsessive Compulsive Disorder Always washing your hands? Or perhaps you are always counting things or checking things. Are these actions taking over your life or constantly occupying your mind? Perhaps you have obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD). It was once thought that OCD was rare; however, recently it has been found that 2-3% (or 7 million Americans) of people have OCD. People with OCD are usually diagnosed by between the ages of 20 and 30, and about 75% of those who will develop OCD will show symptoms by age 30. (1) This leads to a couple questions that need to be answered: What is OCD? What causes it, and what is the most effective treatment? These questions will be answered throughout the paper. OCD is an anxiety disorder that is described as someone with obsessive thoughts and/or compulsive behavior. People with OCD are caught up in repetitive behavior and thoughts that they cannot stop. Obsession is defined as unwanted, recurrent, and disturbing thoughts that a person cannot stop. These thoughts are unable to be suppressed and can result in severe anxiety. Compulsions are the result of the obsession. These are repetitive, ritualized behaviors that are done to alleviate the anxiety caused by the obsession. (2) The most common obsessions are fear of contamination, fear of causing harm to another, fear of making a mistake, fear of behaving in a socially unacceptable manner, need for symmetry or exactness, and excessive doubt. The most common compulsions are cleaning/washing, checking, arranging/organizing, collecting/hoarding, and counting/repeating. (3) Some people with OCD have rituals that help relieve the anxiety; however, that relief is only temporary. (4) Most patients (at least 80%) with OCD have both obs... ... middle of paper ... ...ork and relationships. It has been found that the cause of OCD is either due to brain abnormalities or a chemical imbalance. There are various types of treatments out there to treat OCD. The important thing is that OCD is diagnosed and treated early so that people can get the help that they need so that they do not have to suffer long. References 1) http://health.yahoo.com/health/dc/000929/0.html 2) http://www.1-obsessive-compulsive-disorder.com/what-is-ocd.html 3) http://www.1-obsessive-compulsive-disorder.com/obsessions.html 4) http://www.nimh.nih.gov/publicat/ocd.cfm#ocd1 5) http://www.ocfoundation.org/ocf1010a.htm 6) http://www.mentalhealthchannel.net/ocd/ 7) http://www2.health-center.com/mentalhealth/obsessivecompu/cause_of_ocd/default.htm 8) http://www.psychguides.com/oche.html 9) http://www.ocfoundation.org/ocf1030a.htm

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