Everything You Need to Know About Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder – ListDen

Many of your friends might be in the habit of saying the common phrase “I have OCD.” But actually, they are just curious about certain things. Have you ever washed your hands five times before eating something or did you keep thinking about a particular appliance that you believe to be not clean enough? Do you stay awake and have the urge to clean your entire apartment and you get dreams of cleaning, repairing and taking care of a particular thing or maybe yourself? This is what Obsessive-compulsive disorder is!

 

In obsessive-compulsive disorder, the person has recurring, unwanted thoughts that disturb them constantly with ideas and bodily sensations that forces them to do a particular task repeatedly. If certain tasks like cleaning, washing and repairing don’t interfere in daily life business, then you are completely fine. If your obsession for doing a particular thing is growing daily and inevitably, then you are suffering from OCD.

 

What are the Symptoms of OCD?

 

OCD leads to persistent thoughts and impulsive behaviour which causes emotions like anxiety and disgust to overflow. It drives you closer mentally to specific tasks that a person urges to perform. The most common symptoms of OCD are mentioned below-

 

  • Cleanliness- Constant fear of germs and contamination leads to washing hands and specific areas of the house.
  • Order- Obsession with order and symmetry; for instance, alignment of books, re-arranging objects and so on.
  • Counting- People with this disorder repeatedly check their belongings like the number of books they have, cups in the kitchen, clothes in the cupboard and so on.
  • Safety- These people have a constant fear of their safety; they follow the rules as if breaking them would kill them.

 

Apart from getting obsessed with the stuff, it could be related to your body too. Your body may stimulate and get motor tics such as eye-blinking, facial grimacing, shoulder shrugging, moving your tongue and so on.

 

What are the Causes of OCD?

 

Usually, the causes of OCD are unknown, but many doctors upon research have come up with some of the reasons like genetics, changes in the structure and functions of the brain’s frontal cortex. Sometimes, a person develops OCD depending upon the environment he/she resides in. It can be hierarchal as well; for instance, if parents have it, then children can get it too at a later stage.

 

Is OCD Curable?

 

Many specialists perform OCD treatment which includes meditation, medication, psychotherapy, or a combination of all. Many doctors and psychiatrists offer OCD treatments which include a series of actions that help in the management of symptoms, and the patient is subjected to changes by modifying the thinking pattern. This helps in bringing ease in the patient’s life, and he/she can fight against constant urge and anxiety to repeat things.

 

Medicines to treat OCD may consist of psychiatric and antipsychotic drugs. At the same time, the therapy may include Cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT) in which the thinking pattern of the patient is changed using visual imagination, routinely task and teamwork.

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