The Truth about OCD
Do you know of someone who washes his hands at least 10 times before sitting down to eat? How about a person who checks on the door knob for a hundred of times before finally leaving for work? Chances are these people have OCD, short for obsessive compulsive behaviour. But ‘compulsion’ alone is not enough to tell whether a person has this condition. There are some other behaviours and risk factors that must be considered.
So what is OCD?
Obsessive compulsive behaviour is a mental health disorder, which according to scientists, results from a chemical imbalance in the brain. The primary features of OCD are recurring obsessions or thoughts which often create an awareness of a threat. These thoughts are invisible to others, and often bring great distress to the sufferer.
People with OCD try to suppress or avoid the thought by neutralizing it with actions. For instance, a sufferer who is very much afraid of germs would repeatedly wash his hands after holding the door knob, thinking it has a lot of bacteria. Because he has obsession about germs, he tries to deal with the situation by persistently washing his hands that it sometimes come to a point when they are almost swollen.
Sufferers of OCD are usually haunted by paranoia and feelings of guilt. And although they know that their behaviours are somehow unreasonable, their understanding of these does not relieve them from the debilitating illness.
OCD affects about 1.2million Britons. And sadly, most of them are afraid to seek professional help. Some won’t even tell their friends and relatives about it. This means that the actual number of OCD sufferers is higher.
Symptoms of OCD may begin in teenage years but in some cases, they become noticeable during childhood.
Are there treatments for OCD?
Luckily, there are. Two of the most popular treatments for OCD are cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) and anti-obsessional medication. Using CBT, a therapist helps the patient understand that their obsessions are caused by anxiety, and not really a real danger or threat. The patient then learns how to react to his thoughts accordingly, using techniques that lower his or her anxiety. CBT often involves exposing the patient to fearful situations without performing a compulsion until his or her fears become controllable.
The anti-obsessional medication on the other hand, involves the use of a prescription drug that alters the serotonin levels in the brain. This can be used along with CBT, as this treatment alone could not help address the causes of the disorder.
Dear Readers,
What other forms of therapy would you recommend for dealing with forms of OCD?
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