There are some nice award-winning films that have portrayed different facets of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) by illustrating the plight of the patients due to the disorder, such as "The Aviator" (2004) and "As Good as It Gets" (1997). However, these movies highlighted only the superficial definition of OCD, putting emphasis on being neat, organized and perfectionist. However, OCD is much more than it could be dramatized in these flicks.
Once thought to be a rare condition, OCD is a condition affecting around 1 percent of the adult American population, bắc kinh as per the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH). Of this, half has been diagnosed with severe OCD, signaling higher prevalence than before.
OCD is a chronic anxiety disorder that triggers undesirable, insuppressible and reoccurring thoughts distinguished as obsessions and behaviors classified as compulsions. A person suffering from it yields to such obsessions and compulsions to ward off and manage anxiety. Individuals with OCD often possess a range of symptoms of obsessions, compulsions or a combination of both that can interfere with one's study, work or personal life.
OCD patients' common obsessions and compulsions
To manage their symptoms, people with the problem of OCD often experience reoccurring and unwanted thoughts and impulses that can be classified as obsession. Since anxiety is the root cause of both obsession and compulsion, it is essential to manage this problem. Some of the common obsessions witnessed are as follows:
- Fear of being contaminated by germs or uncleanliness.
- Undesirable thoughts pertaining to taboos, bắc kinh such as sex, religion, etc.
- Excessive focus on making things symmetrical or mathematically coherent.
- Being petrified and powerless because of aggressive thoughts.
Compulsions are frequently occurring behaviors that are triggered by the obsessive thoughts. Some common facts about the kind of compulsions witnessed by an OCD patient are as follows:
- Centered around obsessions.
- Assist in temporarily relieving stress, but the intensification of anxiety triggers compulsions again.
- Repetitive checking on things (e.g. checking multiple times to know whether the door is bolted or the lights are switched off or not).
- Compulsive counting.
Since people around an individual with OCD are aware of their eccentricities that can augment his or her anxiety, du lịch bắc kinh they may come to believe that their obsessions and compulsions should be controlled. However, they are unable to contain the symptoms in most cases.
Obsessions and compulsions not always equate to OCD
The symptoms experienced by individuals with OCD may also be felt among the general population at a milder level. Hence, it is generally not enough to diagnose OCD on the basis of repetitive behavior and compulsions. It is essential to double-check the following symptoms to accurately diagnose OCD among patients:
- Inability to control thoughts and behaviors, regardless of the intensity.
- Spending at least one hour per day on tending to unnecessary thoughts and behaviors.
- Reduced joy or deriving no pleasure from the following up on the thoughts and compulsions, even though anxiety abates for a short time.
- Experiencing numerous problems in living a normal life and facing obstruction in daily life due to uncontrollable thoughts and behaviors.
Individuals with OCD sometimes experience involuntary motor response called tic disorder. It includes responses that may be repetitive, short and abrupt in nature, such as shoulder shrugging, jerking of limbs or head, twitching of facial muscles, and excessive blinking or other eye movements. In addition, they may also frequently sniff, clear their throat and make grunting noises.
Establish an anxiety-free life
The symptoms of OCD may abate or alleviate over time. Some individuals living with OCD may self-medicate themselves using drugs or alcohol to calm their nerves or control their anxiety, which aggravate the condition and lead to dual diagnosis. Talk therapy and medications prescribed by a practitioner help control the symptoms and even cure the problem. Though anxiety disorders are treatable conditions, only a small portion of individuals with the problem avail mental health services.
