Obsessive Compulsive Disorder Awareness – Everything You Need To Know About OCD

25 years old Sudha has been under a lot of distress lately, to be precise, since the last 2 years, since when her problems increased many folds. As far as she can remember, her problems started during her childhood years. Whenever she touched anything or anywhere, she would repeatedly feel her hands were dirty and full of germs. This would constantly disgust her and unless she washed her hand properly with soap and water, that too for 5 minutes straight, her hands won’t be clean to her. But even after so much she would feel her hands are still contaminated and if she didn’t clean them properly she and her family would become sick. So she would go and wash her hands again. This cycle lasted for about 3-4 times. These thoughts and the subsequent washing cycle repeat about 4-5 times daily. Needless to say, this consumes most of her time.

Have you too been feeling just like Sudha, lately? You might be suffering from what is called an Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. Read on to know what it is and what you can do about it.

Obsessive Compulsive Disorder commonly known as OCD, is a psychological condition. OCD is characterized by several issues. It can be caused by troubling, invasive, and compulsive thoughts. These may cause someone to engage in undesired situations. It can also lead to obsessive bodily behaviours, including constantly checking for danger or avoiding germs.

OCD can significantly impact an individual’s well-being and quality of life. OCD is a mental illness characterized by recurrent thoughts, upsetting behaviours, and an obsession or compulsion. OCD sufferers may find it challenging to do daily duties.

OCD affects between 1% and 3% of people worldwide, according to reliable sources. The ages of 18 to 29 are the most prevalent for this illness, and early onset symptoms are usual.

An OCD sufferer may:

• Possess uncontrollably unwanted thoughts, images, or urges.
• Endure intense discomfort, possibly accompanied by fear, disgust, doubt, or the conviction that something must be done a certain way.
• Spending a lot of time dwelling on these obsessions and indulging in compulsions interferes with social, professional, and personal activities.

OCD Causes – What Causes Obsessive Compulsive Disorder?

OCD may be caused by genetic, neurological, behavioural, cognitive, and environmental variables. Here are the major OCD causes you must be aware of: 

• Genetic Causes: The fact that OCD seems to run in families raises the possibility of a genetic component, which scientists are still looking into. Additionally, imaging studies have revealed that OCD sufferers’ brains operate differently.
• Immune – Related Factors: Collective illnesses caused by streptococci, such as strep throat, Lyme disease, and the H1N1 flu virus. This OCD symptom manifestation is sometimes referred to by clinicians as pediatric acute-onset neuropsychiatric syndrome (PANS). PANS symptoms in children appear suddenly and gradually over many days.
• Behavioural Reasons: According to learning-based theories, individuals with OCD who practice routines to lower their perceived risk may be able to overcome their dread of particular things or circumstances.

An intense period of stress, such as a traumatic experience or a significant loss, may trigger the original anxiety.

Once an object or scenario is linked to this dread, the individual starts to avoid it in a way that eventually becomes characteristic of OCD.

4.Cognitive Causes

An alternative view posits that OCD arises from individuals misinterpreting their ideas. Most individuals occasionally have unwanted or bothersome ideas, but for those who suffer from OCD, the significance of these thoughts increases to an excessive degree.

OCD typically appears for the first time after a life-changing event. It can be shifting, moving, life, death, and the birth of a sibling. Stress has no connection to cause OCD. However, stress can worsen the condition. 

Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) Risk Factors

Several variables have been linked to the onset or exacerbation of OCD. Following are some OCD risk factors which may or may not be true in all patients : 

• The patient is more likely to get OCD if they have a family member who suffers from the disorder.
• Events in the patient’s life that are considered stressful, such as a vehicle accident or the death of a loved one, have been known to set off intrusive thoughts, emotional discomfort, and other OCD symptoms.
• The patient may be more susceptible to OCD if they already suffer from other mental illnesses, including anxiety, sadness, or tic disorders like Tourette syndrome. Tourette syndrome may also be identified in certain situations where the patient exhibits a preoccupation with yelling profanity or acting strangely.
• Epilepsy and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) are linked, but epilepsy doesn’t directly cause OCD. However, people with epilepsy are more likely to experience obsessive-compulsive symptoms (OCSs).

OCD Symptoms – What Are The Early Signs?

The prominent symptoms of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder(OCD) are obsession and compulsion. This interferes with a regular lifestyle.

Some common symptoms are-

• The apprehension of filth or pollution
• Fear of germs.
• unwanted ideas, such as ones about violence, sexual desire, or religious topics
• An obsession to be punctual.
• Perfectionism.
• requiring that everything be arranged, symmetrical, or coloured
• Constantly having terrible or violent ideas and worrying about hurting themselves or other close ones.
• Protecting oneself and one’s surroundings
• Uncertainty about one’s perception and recollection

If you find yourself in such a situation, it’s time to seek a psychiatrist’s help.

Obsessions in OCD

Obsessions in OCD are unwanted, intrusive thoughts or visualizations. Experiencing the same on repeat causes anxiety in patients. People with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder simply cannot regulate these thoughts. A lot still can identify this ongoing process as meaningless. 

What are the most common obsessive thoughts?

• Fear of making a mistake.
• Self-doubt.
• Need for constant reassurance.
• Excessive concern with gender identity.
• Worry about causing harm to oneself or loved ones.
• Fear of contracting germs
• Excessive concern with morality.

Compulsions in OCD

Compulsion follows obsessive thoughts, in order to calm down the ongoing anxiety attacks. Patients generally act out of compulsion to get rid of the obsessive thoughts. However, the patient doesn’t enjoy the process. It brings temporary pleasure though. Obsessions soon return triggering the whole process once again.

Compulsions usually take time and hinder valuable work of the day. The action does not have to match the content of the obsessions at all. 

Some examples to help-

• Checking on door locks, switches, and doors.
• Asking for assurance.
• Hoarding and collecting things that have no use to the person.
• Taking showers, washing hands, and cleaning repetitively.
• A strange obsession of requiring everything to be arranged in a very particular way.

Interestingly, compulsion can also include avoiding anything related to obsession. For example, people avoid shaking hands or touching door knobs.

OCD Diagnosis – How OCD Is Diagnosed?

After evaluating the patient’s symptoms and the amount of time the patient spends engaging in their ritualistic behaviours, a physician will make a diagnosis. A physician may employ many OCD diagnosis techniques to identify the illness:

• A physical examination is frequently performed to rule out the possibility that the symptoms are the result of any other mental health conditions. 
• Laboratory tests: A complete blood count (CBC) and other blood tests may be performed to rule out other conditions.
• A psychological evaluation: The physician or mental health specialist may ask the patient to talk about their feelings, ideas, and symptoms. This enables the physician to assess the behavioural trends. A group session may involve friends and family members if the patient consents. It’s sometimes hard to diagnose OCD because symptoms can be like those of obsessive-compulsive personality disorder, anxiety disorders, depression, schizophrenia or other mental health disorders. And it’s possible to have OCD and another mental health disorder. Work with your doctor so that you can get the right diagnosis and treatment.

Here are the fundamentals mentioned in the manual –

• Patients have obsession and compulsion or both.
• The symptoms are not caused by any substance abuse.
• The symptoms are not a cause of any other mental health condition.
• The obsession and compulsion take up a lot of time in the day.
• The obsession and compulsion are hampering the patient’s social life.

Obsessive Compulsive Disorder Treatment

Psychotherapy is the most prevalent treatment for OCD. 

Psychotherapy for OCD patients-

• CBT (Cognitive Behavioral Therapy) –
  The therapist will talk and try to understand the recurring thoughts and emotions. After a couple of sessions, the patient can heal from OCD. The negative thoughts and habits will stop coming eventually. 
• Exposure and Response Prevention(ERP) –
  During ERP, the therapist will expose the patient to face their fear while resisting them to act out of compulsion. This helps the patient understand that the anxious thoughts are just thoughts and not reality.
• Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) –
  Here the patient gets education to accept the thoughts just as thoughts. The therapist helps the patient to live a regular life despite the recurring OCD symptoms. 

OCD in Women

Obsessive Compulsive Disorder in women typically centers around their self-image, relationships, and children. 

The common symptoms of obsession in women are-

• Need to keep things in exact order.
• Fear of contamination.
• The constant fear of harm to the kids.
• Impulse control disorder.

The common symptoms of compulsion in women are-

• Seeking assurance repetitively.
• Compulsive cleaning, and checking.
• Hoarding.
• Thought suppression.
• Avoiding situations that might harm their kids.
• Agarophobic.

Also read : 23 Self-Care Ideas For Women To Rewind

References:

1. Hannah Brock; Abid Rizvi; Manassa Hany.[updated 2024 February 24].Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder; [cited 2024 Aug 30]; Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK560541/
2. International OCD Foundation [Internet]:[cited 2024 Aug 30]; Available from: https://iocdf.org/about-ocd/who-gets-ocd/
3. American Psychiatric Association [Internet]:[cited 2024 Aug 30]; Available from : https://www.psychiatry.org/patients-families/obsessive-compulsive-disorder/what-is-obsessive-compulsive-disorder 
4. Obsessive-compulsive disorder: How prevalent is it?; In: Medical News Today [Internet]. [published 2024 March 7]; [cited 2024 Aug 30]; Available from: https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/how-common-is-ocd

Disclaimer: The content provided in this article is intended solely for educational purposes and should not be considered a replacement for professional medical treatment. Given the distinct needs of each individual, it is advisable for the reader to seek guidance from their healthcare provider to assess the relevance of the information to their specific circumstances.