Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) is a disorder that illustrates disturbing thoughts that causes restlessness, making a person severely anxious, with fear, and worries through repetitive and rhythmic behaviors to cope and minimize the anxiety felt combined with thoughts and obsessions or compulsions. They usually do repetitive actions and behaviors such as hand washing, being extremely clean, and do habitual checking. When they do these rituals, it provides them temporary relief and not doing it causes the anxiety to heighten.
OCD people usually do things extremely to the point of not stopping at all. The simple task like combing their hair, washing their hands, and even locking the door, could get in the way of their daily living. They get interfered because they keep on repeating these actions that causes waste of time and not completing any task at all. It can even distracting and harmful in a way.
According to research, OCD is the fourth common mental disorder and it is also diagnosed most frequently compared to asthma and diabetes mellitus. OCD people don’t want to have this kind of disorder. Most them are aware that what they’re doing are most of the time have no sense at all. However, they can’t stop or ignore the action because they have to feed their obsessions that are persisting.
Being in obsessions state, an OCD usually has persistent recurrent urges, thoughts, and even flashes of images that are usually disturbing and not appropriate. These urges and thoughts often cause severe anxiety and depression to an OCD person. They can somehow distinguish that these thoughts, urges, and images are frequently the product of their imagination and not really based on reality, however, they can’t control it.
On the other hand, compulsion is doing repetitive actions and behaviors wherein the OCD person can’t stop the urge in executing or doing the obsession that are recurring in their mind. They act upon it in a compulsive way in order to feel better on the anxiety that they feel. But sad to say, it is only temporary, and this keeps on repeating in their thoughts.
There have been medications and therapies to help an OCD. Make sure to check and to consult your doctor or mental health professional in dealing with OCD. Early detection could make a huge difference on the child. Behavioral therapies are also given by different support groups. So engaging the OCD patient on this support groups and therapies can benefit them a lot.
This information was provided by Dr. John E. Neyman Jr. from Renewed Life Christian Counseling. He is experienced in helping people that are struggling with OCD. Dr. Neyman Jr. has posted a number of articles on Together We Flourish. Click here to read more