FREE ESSAY ON OBSESSIVE COMPULSIVE DISORDER

OBSESSIVE COMPULSIVE DISORDER

The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual defines obsessions and compulsions as follows;
Obsessions are persistent ideas, thoughts, impulses, or images that are experienced as
intrusive and inappropriate and that cause marked anxiety or distress. Compulsions are
repetitive behaviors (e.g., hand washing, ordering, checking) or mental acts (e.g.,
praying, counting, repeating words silently) the goal of which is to prevent or reduce
anxiety or distress, not to provide pleasure or gratification. The Symptoms associated
with OCD are severe and easily recognizable. One generally accepted causes of OCD is
stress. Stress is a term used by many, is somewhat misunderstood, and often used to
describe a negative condition or emotional state. People experience various forms of
stress at home, work, in social settings, and when engaged in activities to simply have
fun, such as playing sports. 
There are several generally accepted subdivisions of OC's. Amongst them are Washers,
Checkers, Cleaners, Hoarders, Repeaters, Orderers, and Pure Obsessives. Washers are those
OC's that generally have a fear of germs, dirt, or contamination from substances like
bodily fluids, dirt, dust, bacteria, viruses, excretions, and the like. Washers that are
compulsive can spend hours washing themselves, or parts of their body, to the exclusion
of all else, trying to rid themselves of contamination. They may also avoid contact with
things to avoid being contaminated. Cleaners are those OC's that feel that other things
are contaminated or dirty, and spend much time cleaning their surroundings. For instance,
a cleaner might spend hours dusting their home, and then go back and start again as soon
as they have finished, because dust has settled in the meantime. Checkers have a problem
remembering or being sure that they have or have not done something, and therefore go
back to check whether they have or not. For instance, a woman may get up 10 to 15 times a
night to make sure all windows and doors are still locked, although they were every other
time. Hoarders collect things...almost anything. They usually cannot even stand to throw
away garbage, and often will let it just sit around them. An inability to get rid of
things is the significant symptom of this class of OC. Repeaters are OC's that feel
compelled to do things a right number of times. This may serve to protect them from some
imagined danger, or prevent possible harm to themselves. Repeaters generally fear that if
they do not do things the right number of times, something bad will happen, although some
may just have to do things just right for no apparent reason. Orderers have to have
things organized absolutely the right way. An orderer might be reluctant to let anyone
touch their possessions, fearing they will be misarranged. Orderers might spend hours
just aligning a piece of paper on a desktop, or straightening a bookshelf. The last type
is the Pure Obsessive, which is also the most difficult OC to treat. These OC's suffer
from obsessive thoughts of a disturbing nature, generally. An example might be a person
who constantly obsesses over whether they will hurt their child, even though they know
they wouldn't...they can't stop worrying that they might. 
About 2.3% of the U.S. population (3.3 million Americans) has OCD in a given year. OCD
affects men and women equally. OCD typically begins during adolescence or early
childhood; at least one-third of these cases of adult OCD began in childhood. There are
many different treatments for OCD. Treatments for OCD have been developed through
research supported by the NIMH and other research institutions. These treatments, which
combine medications and behavioral therapy, are often effective. Several medications have
been proven effective in helping people with OCD such as, clomipramine, fluoxetine,
fluvoxamine, and paroxetine. A number of other medications are currently being studied. A
type of behavioral therapy known as exposure and response prevention is very useful for
treating OCD. Treatment proven most effective: The treatment I found to be most
effective, after reading all the studies I read was the behavioral therapy. In this
approach, a person is deliberately and voluntarily exposed to whatever triggers the
obsessive thoughts and then, is taught techniques to avoid performing, the compulsive
tasks and to deal with the obsessions. Studies of behavioral therapy for OCD have found
it to be very effective treatment to those who complete it. For the treatment to be
successful, it is important that the therapist be fully trained to provide this specific
form of therapy. It is also helpful that the patient be highly motivated, be positive and
have a determined attitude.