The Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder

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The Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder What is Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder? I’m sure that most everyone

has seen different news shows or talk shows where you see the person

washing their hands until they bleed, or go back and forth into the

house to double, triple, quadruple check something. A person may walk

around their house making sure everything is “in its place” and not

stop until a level of perfect is reached but often perfection in their

eyes is never achieved. Magazines and books need to be parallel to

the table they are on and of course the table must be parallel with

the rest of the furniture in the room. These are just a few examples

of behaviors that are demonstrated when a person has OCD. If you are

facing this illness, you may feel alone but in reality, nearly 1 in 50

adults in the United States currently has OCD and twice that number

have had it at some point in their lives (OC Foundation). The OC

Foundation also has listed many common obsessions and common

compulsions to give you an idea of what symptoms these individuals

have:

Common Obsessions Common Compulsions

1. Contamination fears of germs, dirt, ECT. Washing

2. Imagining having harmed self or others

Repeating

3. Imagining losing control of aggressive urges Checking

4. Intrusive sexual thoughts or urges

Touching

5. Excessive religious or moral doubt Counting

6. Forbidden thoughts ...

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survive the day in class. Keeping the doors of communication open

with the student’s parents is also important. They can help you to

understand what areas the individual has more specific problems with

and informed of any dramatic change in the family or individual life.

The most important thing you can do as an educator for students with

OCD is the same as your other students, show them that you care.

WORKS CITED

Bickel, E. (1984) Living with Compulsive Behaviors, Zondervan

Publishing House

Sebastian, R. (1993) The Encyclopedia of Health: Compulsive Behavior,

Chelsea House Publishers

Tallis, F. (1995) Obsessive Compulsive Disorder: A Cognitive and

Neuropsychological Perspective, John Wiley and Sons Llt.

“Choices” November/December 2004, Scholastic publications

http://www.ocfoundation.org

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