Self-Help Information: Obsessive Compulsive Disorder
Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD), one of the anxiety disorders, is a potentially
disabling condition that can persist throughout a person’s life. The
individual who suffers from OCD becomes trapped in a pattern of
repetitive thoughts and behaviors that are senseless and distressing
but extremely difficult to overcome.
OCD occurs in a spectrum from mild to severe, but if severe and
left
untreated, can destroy a person’s capacity to function at work,
school, or even in the home.
How Common is OCD?
For many years, mental health professionals
thought of OCD as a rare disease because only a small minority of
their patients had the condition. The disorder often went
unrecognized because many of those afflicted with OCD, in efforts to
keep their repetitive thoughts and behaviors secret, failed to seek
treatment. However, a survey conducted in the early 1980’s by the
National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) showed that OCD affects
more than 2 percent of the population. Although OCD symptoms
typically begin during the teenage years or early adulthood, recent
research shows that some children develop the illness at earlier
ages, even during the preschool years.
Key Features of OCD
Obsessions
These are unwanted ideas or impulses that
repeatedly well up in the mind of the person with OCD. Persistent
fears that harm may come to self or a loved one, an unreasonable
concern with becoming contaminated, or an excessive need to do
things correctly or perfectly, are common. Again and again, the
individual experiences a disturbing thought, such as, "My hands may
be contaminated – I must wash them"; "I may have left the stove on";
or "I am going to injure my child." These thoughts are intrusive,
unpleasant, and produce a high degree of anxiety. Sometimes the
obsessions are of a violent or a sexual nature or concern illness.
Compulsions
In response to their obsessions, most people
with OCD resort to repetitive behaviors called compulsions. The most
common of these are washing and checking. Other compulsive behaviors
include counting (often while performing another compulsive action
such as hand washing), repeating, hoarding, and endlessly
rearranging objects in an effort to keep them in precise alignment
with each other. Mental problems, such as mentally repeating
phrases, list making, or checking are also common. These behaviors
generally are intended to ward off harm to the person with OCD or
others. Some people with OCD have regimented rituals while others
have rituals that are complex and changing. Performing rituals may
give the person with OCD some relief from anxiety, but it is only
temporary.
Most people with OCD struggle to banish their
unwanted, obsessive thoughts and to prevent themselves from engaging
in compulsive behaviors. Many are able to keep their
obsessive-compulsive symptoms under control during the hours when
they are at work or attending school. But over the months or years,
resistance may weaken, and when this happens, OCD may become so
severe that time-consuming rituals take over the sufferer’s lives,
making it impossible for them to continue activities outside the
home.
What Causes OCD?
The old belief that OCD was the result of life
experiences has been weakened before the growing evidence that
biological factors are a primary contributor to the disorder. The
fact that OCD patients respond well to specific medications that
affect the neurotransmitter serotonin suggests the disorder has a
neurobiological basis. For that reason, OCD is no longer attributed
only to attitudes a patient learned in childhood – for example, an
inordinate emphasis on cleanliness, or a belief that certain
thoughts are dangerous or unacceptable. Instead, the search for
causes now focuses on the interaction of neurobiological factors and
environmental influences, as well as cognitive processes.
Do I Have OCD?
A person with OCD has obsessive and compulsive
behaviors that are extreme enough to interfere with everyday life.
People with OCD should not be confused with a much larger group of
individuals who are sometimes called "compulsive" because they hold
themselves to a high standard of performance and are perfectionistic
and very organized in their work and even in recreational
activities. This type of "compulsiveness" often serves a valuable
purpose, contributing to a person’s self-esteem and success on the
job. In that respect, it differs from the life-wrecking obsessions
and rituals of the person with OCD.
Treatment of OCD
Clinical and animal research sponsored by NIMH
and other scientific organizations has provided information leading
to both pharmacologic and behavioral treatments that can benefit the
person with OCD. One patient may benefit significantly form behavior
therapy, while another will benefit from pharmacotherapy. Others may
use both medication and behavior therapy. Others may begin with
medication to gain control over their symptoms and then continue
with behavior therapy. Which therapy to use should be decided by the
individual patient in consultation with his or her therapist.
(The above information was condensed from a
public domain brochure produced by the National Institute of Mental
Health. For the full text of the brochure, visit the NIMH website at
www.nimh.nih.gov).
Recommended Books to Read
Overcoming Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder
–
Client Manual.
Gail S. Steketee, Oakland, CA: New Harbinger, 1998.
Confronting the Bully of OCD: Winning Back Our Freedom
One Day at a Time.
Linda Maran, Brooklyn, NY: Fifteenth Street Publishing,
2004. This book is written by a lay person who has
lived with OCD for twenty-nine years. She shares her
struggles and recent triumphs in conquering the
"bully" of OCD. Through the telling of one woman’s
story, this book is meant to encourage others with
OCD to fight back and learn how to live satisfying
and productive lives.
Brain Lock: A Four-Step Self-Treatment Method
to Change Your Brain Chemistry. Jeffery M. Schwartz, New
York: Regan
Books, 1996. This book focuses on a cognitive
treatment for OCD developed at UCLA. The four-step
process (re-label, reattribute, refocus and revalue)
focuses on changing cognitions or thinking.
Scattered throughout the book are brief case
histories, which illuminate the many presentations
of OCD, and demonstrates ways different individuals
overcame the disorder by using the four-step
process.
Tormenting Thoughts and Secret Rituals: The
Hidden Epidemic of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder. Ian
Osborn, New York:
Pantheon, 1998. Written by a psychiatrist who
struggles with OCD, this book describes the history,
symptoms, and treatment of OCD through case
histories of both the author’s patients and famous
historical figures. Written for both the
professional and lay public, this book provides the
reader with a broad understanding of the disorder
and treatment options.
Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder: A Guide.
Obsessive Compulsive Information Center, Madison Institute
of Medicine, 1998. This pamphlet
describes the symptoms and causes of OCD. It then
describes the treatment options, with an emphasis on
medication.
Need Additional Help?
Washington State University College of Veterinary Medicine
Counseling and Wellness Services offer free individual counseling for these
and related issues for veterinary students (WSU Veterinary Students ONLY).
For more information or to schedule an appointment call or e-mail:
Carolyn Wyatt PhD
ADBF 1035
335-0774
cwyatt@vetmed.wsu.edu
NOTE: The information contained in these self help
documents is not to be used as a substitute for professional care. Neither
the authors, Washington State University nor the College of Veterinary
Medicine assume liability for injury incurred by following the information
presented in these self-help documents
Last Edited: Mar 07, 2007 2:53 PM
