Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) implies a mental illness that induces anxiety. People suffering from OCD have unmanageable obsessions (fears, thoughts, or urges). They try to diminish anxiety with recurring actions, called compulsions. OCD causes agony and interferes with usual life.
- OCD obsessions: People suffering from OCD have repetitive and stressful fears or urges they can’t direct. These obsessive thoughts induce extreme anxiety.
- OCD compulsions: To control obsessions and fretfulness, people with OCD turn to particular behaviors, rituals, or routines. They do so frequently. Compulsions just help momentarily, though. The obsessions soon reappear, prompting a return to the compulsions. This loop leads to an invariable cycle of anxiety.
Scientists don’t understand accurately what causes OCD. Specific factors or events may amplify a person’s chances of developing the condition, or cause an occurrence of OCD:
- Alterations in living situation for instance moving, getting married or divorced or beginning a new school or job.
- Loss of a loved one or other emotional disturbance.
- History of abuse.
- Low levels of serotonin, a natural substance in the brain that maintains mental balance.
- Troubles at work or school.
- Troubles with a significant relationship.
Obsessions are redundant, intrusive thoughts that induce extreme apprehension.
Examples comprise:
- Fear of dirt or germs.
- Fear of committing a mistake.
- Fear of being humiliated in public.
- Feelings of hesitation or hatred.
- Need for order, tidiness, symmetry, or faultlessness.
- Need for regular reassurance.
- Sexual thoughts that society might deem unacceptable.
Compulsions are acts someone takes in an endeavor to get rid of obsessions or apprehension.
Examples comprise:
- Arranging things in an extremely specific way, for instance, items on your dresser.
- Checking specific things frequently, for instance, a lock or the stove.
- Gathering or hoarding things that contain no personal or financial value.
- Counting repetitively or saying certain words or prayers whilst doing other tasks.
- Eating food in a particular order.
- Performing a chore a specific number of times, for instance always flipping a light switch seven times.
Treatments available for obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD)
An expert who is specially trained in mental illness can tender several strategies:
- Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT): Cognitive-behavioral therapy is a kind of psychotherapy. You will converse with a therapist, who will help you scrutinize and comprehend your thoughts and emotions. Over numerous sessions, CBT can aid in stopping negative habits, possibly replacing them with healthier ways to handle them.
- Medications: Drugs known as serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SRIs), selective SRIs (SSRIs) and tricyclic antidepressants might help. They boost levels of serotonin. Examples comprise clomipramine, fluoxetine, and sertraline.
- Exposure and response prevention (EX/RP): Via this therapy, you do the thing that induces anxiety. The healthcare provider then averts you from responding with a compulsion. For instance, the provider might ask you to touch dirty objects but then prevent you from washing your hands.
At Ishkama, we encouragingly endeavor to help people suffering from OCD with a wide variety of treatments and techniques. We help to eradicate or manage troubling symptoms so an individual can function better and can boost well-being and healing. Join us now!