How to Manage Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD)-Facts

What is Obsessive Disorder?

Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is a mental disorder characterized by intrusive, repetitive thoughts or images that a person can’t shake and excessive efforts to avoid those thoughts or images. People with OCD may feel like they need to perform certain rituals (such as hand-washing) over and over again, or they may feel the need to check that all the doors and windows are locked.

OCD is one of the most common mental disorders, affecting about 2.3% of the population. It’s also one of the most treatable, with effective treatments available.

Symptoms of OCD may include: an overwhelming attraction to one person’s obsessive thoughts feeling the need to “protect” the person you’re in love with, possessive thoughts actions, extreme jealousy over other interpersonal interactions and low self-esteem. Sometimes they physically harm themselves or that person also, which turns into crime and mental illness.

People with family members who suffer from OCD might be predisposed to the illness. Also, as an anxiety disorder, experts believe that OCD might also be linked to levels of serotonin in the brain and stress or illness may trigger its symptoms.

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If you think you have OCD, you will need to see a trained mental health professional, such as a psychiatrist or psychologist, to get a diagnosis.

OCD is a disorder that has a neurobiological basis. It equally affects men, women, and children of all races, ethnicities and socioeconomic backgrounds. According to the World Health Organization, OCD is one of the top 20 causes of illness-related disability, worldwide, for individuals between 15 and 44 years of age.

People with OCD may try to help themselves by avoiding situations that trigger their obsessions, or they may use alcohol or drugs to calm themselves.

Obsessive-compulsive disorder is a mental illness. It’s made up of two parts: obsessions and compulsions. People may experience obsessions, compulsions, or both, and they cause a lot of distress.

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The causes of OCD are not known accurately. But family and twin studies have pointed out few links which have an influence. Earlier, they considered that OCD arises because of the low serotonin levels. However, recent studies show that there is a problem with the neural pathways which connect the judgment and planning part of the brain to another part which controls the messages concerning movement of the body.

Here These Facts of Research on Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. That will help to manage OCD : –

1. OCD affects men and women equally.
2. On average, people are diagnosed with OCD when they are 19-years-old.
3. Perfectionism – a need to get everything to feel right during OCD personality traits.
4. Common obsessions include fears of contamination by germs, dirt or chemicals, flooding the house, causing a fire, or being burgled.
5. It is not uncommon for a person with OCD to also have clinical depression, panic attacks, or both.
6. Researchers have found that people with OCD often score very highly for particular personality traits. These include: Neuroticism, Impulsivity, Responsibility, Indecisiveness and Perfectionism.
7. Despite a lack of serotonin is a key factor in OCD, researchers found that depletion of serotonin also occurs in people who have recently fallen in love. But this may explain the obsessive component associated with early stages of love.
8. Intrusive thoughts or obsessions as psychologists call them affecting everyone. But some people can’t get rid of them as easily as the rest of us.
9. Did you know that most people develop symptoms of OCD when they were children? The symptoms may begin to appear when they are barely 7 years old. During childhood, more of boys get affected with OCD but when seen in adults, women tend to lead the way in having OCD.
10. People with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) suffer intensely from recurrent, unwanted thoughts (obsessions) or rituals (compulsions), which they feel they cannot control.
11. The act of attributing a causal relationship between unrelated actions and events is called “Magical thinking”, for example, “If I don’t brush my teeth today my dog will die”, and is considered a form of OCD.
12. A type of therapy called cognitive-behavioural therapy (or ‘CBT’) is shown to be effective for helping people with OCD.
13. Research has shown that their brains are wired differently than the brains of people without OCD, and as such OCD strongly influences their thoughts and actions.
14. Obsessive-compulsives are tortured by these thoughts, which they find profoundly disgusting and distressing.
15. Obsessions are persistent and uncontrollable thoughts, impulses, or images that are intrusive, unwanted and disturbing.
16. In the U.S., 1 in 40 adults and 1 in 100 children face OCD.
17. OCD is treatable and people who suffer from it can live a normal life.
18. Men and women develop OCD at similar rates, and it has been observed in all age groups, from school-aged children to older adults.
19. On average, people are diagnosed with OCD when they are 19-years-old.
20. About 2.3 percent of people will suffer from OCD at some point during their lifetime.
21. With proper treatment, it is very possible for people with OCD to lead full and productive lives.
22. People who suffer from obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) are plagued by intrusive thoughts that they can’t banish from their mind, no matter how hard they try.
23. Evidence suggests that OCD runs in some families and may be genetically inherited.
24. Obsessive-compulsive disorder can be very challenging and hard to explain to other people. You may feel embarrassed, ashamed, or guilty about your experiences.
25. People who experience OCD usually know that obsessions and compulsions don’t make sense, but they still feel like they can’t control them. Obsessions and compulsions can also change over time.
26. OCD is not a personality quirk or a character trait — it is a very real mental health condition that affects about 2 to 3 million adults, and half a million youth, in the US alone.
27. Some OCD sufferers are so afraid of being misunderstood by others that they become very skillful at hiding their symptoms, and can appear entirely normal. In other cases, symptoms can be so severe that sufferers receive disability compensation.
28. The difference between healthy and obsessive love is that with the latter, those feelings of infatuation become extreme, expanding to the point of becoming obsessions. Obsessive love and jealousy that is delusional is a symptom of mental health problems and is a symptom that occurs in about 0.1% of adults.
29. OLD is a one type of OCD. Obsessive love disorder” (OLD) refers to a condition where you become obsessed with one person you think you may be in love with. You might feel the need to protect your loved one obsessively, or even become controlling of them as if they were a possession.
30. Intrusive thoughts, or obsessions, as psychologists call them, affect everyone. But some people can’t get rid of them as easily as the rest of us.
31. Did you know that family members of OCD patients are at higher risk in getting other disorders? Some of such disorders are Trichotillomania (pulling hair), Hypochondriasis (excessively worrying about your health), eating disorders, Tourette’s Syndrome or Body Dysmorphic Disorder.
32. Rituals such as handwashing, counting, checking, or cleaning are often performed with the hope of preventing obsessive thoughts or making them go away.
33. Some compulsive actions are cleaning hands repeatedly, keeping things in order, counting, praying excessively due to religious fear, etc. Remember Lady Macbeth? After murdering the King, she gets into a habit of washing her hands again and again. It can be seen that she is trying to wash off her sin by washing her hands.
34. The person is fully aware of his behavior, but he can’t stop himself from following a pattern and doing things repeatedly. Obsessions and Compulsions are seen in this disorder.
35. Responsibility – an exaggerated sense of responsibility for their actions during OCD personality traits.
36. Obsessions are unwanted and repetitive thoughts, urges, or images that don’t go away. They cause a lot of anxiety.
37. OCD can affect anyone. Researchers don’t know exactly what causes OCD, but there are likely many factors involved, such as family history, biology, and life experiences.
38. Impulsive – a tendency to engage in activities that bring instant gratification during OCD personality traits.
39. Medication for OCD should be tried 10-12 weeks before judging effectiveness.
40. Daniel Radcliffe, Cameron Diaz, Leonardo DiCaprio, Megan Fox and Justin Timberlake are all celebrities who have lived with OCD.
41. There is a form of OCD that manifests as intrusive thoughts and fears of molesting children. These thoughts cause extreme distress, and the diagnosis of pedophilia has absolutely nothing to do with the diagnosis of OCD.
42. Some Common compulsions that include: 1)Cleaning – repeatedly washing hands or wiping household surfaces for hours on end. 2)Checking – repeatedly questioning whether light switches are turned off, or appliances are unplugged etc.
43. No laboratory test exists that can identify OCD. Mental health professionals frequently use diagnostic interviews to determine the presence of OCD as well as other tools that measure the severity of obsessions and compulsions, the most common of which is the Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale (Y-BOCS).
44. OCD symptoms are divided between obsessions: recurrent and persistent thoughts, urges, or impulses, and compulsions: repetitive behaviors or mental acts that the individual feels driven to perform in response to an obsession.
45. There is growing evidence that OCD represents abnormal functioning of brain circuitry, probably involving a part of the brain called the striatum. OCD is not caused by family problems or attitudes learned in childhood, such as an inordinate emphasis on cleanliness, or a belief that certain thoughts are dangerous or unacceptable.
46. Cats under stress may develop an OCD-like habit of excessive grooming to the point they start to bald. Some even hide the habit from their owners.
47. Movies and television programs sometimes feature characters who are supposed to have OCD. Unfortunately, films and TV shows often mistake or exaggerate Obsessive Compulsive Disorder symptoms or play it for laughs. People with OCD know it’s no laughing matter.
48. The person suffering from OCD will behave as if he is compelled to do things in an order, and that too repeatedly. It is not that they do it willingly, but they do face a lot of anxiety and stress if they don’t follow the order in which they usually do things.
49. Many of us carry out daily rituals consisting of a series of tasks that we might otherwise forget. For example, checking that all the doors and windows are locked before we go to bed at night is a routine that guards against burglary. But in OCD, these rituals spiral out of control.
50. Having OCD is not simply an overreaction to the stresses of life. While stressful situations can make things worse for people with OCD, they do not cause OCD. People with OCD face severe, often debilitating anxiety over any number of things, called “obsessions.” This level of extreme worry and fear can be so overwhelming that it gets in the way of their ability to function.
51. There are certain environmental factors which lead to OCD. Some of them are relationship issues, abuse, changes in living condition or changes in school or at workplace.
52. Compulsions are actions meant to reduce anxiety caused by obsessions. Compulsions may be behaviors like washing, cleaning, or ordering things in a certain way. Other actions are not obvious to others.
53. Persons having OCD often cleverly hide their OCD successfully from family and friends and co-workers.
54. OCD is often portrayed as extreme cleanliness or annoying perfectionism, but the reality is much more complex. True OCD is characterized by frightening obsessions, time-consuming compulsions, and high levels of anxiety – it is a lifelong disorder that’s causes are not fully understood.
55. There are slight differences in the subcortical and cortical regions of the brain between OCD patients and normal people. This is not conclusive and there are many researches going on in this field.
56. Signs of OCD can be more difficult to manage during times of stress—and even happy occasions can be stressful. Recognize that a loved one may need extra supports, and try to plan ahead.
57. A loved one who experiences OCD usually understands that their experiences don’t make sense. Trying to argue with obsessions or compulsions doesn’t help anyone.
58. Many people who struggle with OCD experience embarrassment or unwarranted shame and suffer in silence. Few people with OCD actually seek treatment for their debilitating experiences.
59. An obsessive-compulsive person might check their doors and Windows 50 to 100 times when an obsession with security gets stuck in their head. Obsessive-compulsives are completely powerless to control their compulsions.
60. OCD sufferers are driven to carry out complex rituals known as compulsions, which are triggered by obsessions.
61. OCD is characterized by obsessions and compulsions, but the ways in which OCD symptoms manifest vary from person to person.
62. OCD affects between 1 and 3 percent of all adults, 80 percent of whom show symptoms before the age of 18. It affects both genders relatively equally, and studies have shown no correlation with race. Symptoms of OCD and ADHD can overlap.
63. Some people with OCD suffer from “sensorimotor obsessions”, the hyperawareness of and focus on bodily processes or sensations such as the act of breathing, blinking, swallowing, or their own heartbeat.
64. There are two unrelated types of obsessive-compulsive disorder, which people mix up. One is a personality disorder, the other is an anxiety disorder.
65. Antidepressants are the most common medication for OCD. Antianxiety medications (benzodiazepines) may be less effective for OCD, so they are not usually the first option to try.
66. Some studies suggest that OCD is linked to an imbalance of serotonin in the brain, as well as deficiencies in the basal ganglia and prefrontal cortex. Misfiring in this area of the brain can lead to rigid thought patterns and repetitive behaviors.
67. Most OCD compulsions are logically related to their obsession. For instance, sufferers carry out cleaning rituals in order to rid themselves of contaminants.
68. The symptoms of OCD changes over time. For example: a person may be excessively worried about cleanliness (fear of contamination) but after some time, he may hoard things even though the things are completely useless.
69. Streptococcus (a type of bacteria) is also linked to OCD. If infections (only few of them) caused by these bacteria are not treated properly and if they keep on recurring, then the person is at a greater risk of getting OCD.
70. You don’t have to display compulsive or ritualistic behavior (e.g. excessive hand-washing) to be diagnosed with obsessive-compulsive disorder. Up to 60% of OCD cases don’t display compulsive behavior and are affected primarily by obsessive thoughts that become disruptive to their lives.

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