Obsessive Compulsive Disorder or OCD is an anxiety disorder characterized by recurrent, intrusive and distressing thoughts and rituals. It is continuously present as intrusive thoughts (obsessions) and ritualistic behaviors (compulsions).
It is therefore imperative that people who are afflicted by OCD, and the people who study them, understand how frequently OCD happens, why it occurs, and what can be done to address it.
What is OCD?
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) is a mental health condition where a person has repeated, unwanted thoughts (obsessions) and feels compelled to do certain actions repeatedly (compulsions). These thoughts and actions can take up a lot of time and make everyday life difficult.
Common Symptoms of OCD
The following are among the most common symptoms of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder:
A. Obsessive Thoughts
Obsessions are ideas, images or impulses that intrude on the person’s thoughts continually, against their will, and the ideas are considered embarrassing or repulsive. Common obsessions include:
- Pest phobia or a person’s concern about germs or contamination.
- Anxiety of losing an object, misplacing an item or even forgetting an important detail.
- Irritability, anxiety, or avoidance of situations or people to prevent being out of control of oneself.
- Terms used to describe feelings or desires to harm other people or self.
- Sexual, religious or other types of impulse thoughts or desires that are socially obscene, prohibited or simply never desirable.
- Obsession with symmetry or arranging things in a way that is perfect.
B. Compulsive Behaviors
Obsessions are ideas or images that intrude into the person’s thoughts and feelings and are followed by compulsions, which are tasks or rituals the person feels compelled to carry out. Common compulsions include:
- Excessive cleaning or handwashing.
- Arranging physical objects in a systematic and field manner.
- Pervasively reiterating, for example, that the door is closed, or the stove is turned off.
- Compulsive counting.
- Murmuring or saying a word in prayers.
People with OCD Generally
- They are unable to resist an idea, thought, impulse, or behavior even if they know that the idea or behavior is unreasonable.
- Engage in these thoughts or behaviors for over 1 hour within a day.
- These thoughts or behaviors cause substantial impairment in daily functioning.
- Some people who have Obsessive Compulsive Disorder also suffer from a tic disorder, which is a sudden, brief, repetitive motion or sound.
How Common is OCD?
Obsessive compulsive disorder is not an extremely rare disorder today. The American Psychiatric Association in its publication indicates that it occurs in 2-3% of the population in US. This implies that there are millions of people in the global population struggling with OCD. While the prevalence may differ between countries and regions, it represents a major public health issue.
OCD Demographics and At-Risk Populations
Epidemiological studies have shown that OCD typically manifests in childhood, adolescence, or early adulthood, with an average age of onset being 19 years. If the onset of OCD is not before 18, a person is unlikely to get OCD after 35.
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder can strike either sex, however, it is known to come out earlier in the boy child or children as compared to the female child or youth.
There is a considerable chance of developing OCD if a person has a family background with OCD or similar mental ailments. Also, those people who have a higher level of perfectionism, or have a lot of need in control, can be more sensitive to OCD.
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder Causes
There are biological, psychological, and social causes of OCD. Let’s go over all of them:
a. Genetic Predisposition
Obsessive compulsive disorder is hereditary, so it results from genes being passed down from parents to their children. However, there is no gene directly causing OCD, so the condition is called multifactorial. In this case, one is not doomed to develop OCD even if their relatives have this disorder.
b. Environment Factors
Forces in life and external stressors appear to be the primary initiators of OCD symptoms. Likely scenarios that cause OCD episodes include death, sickness, childbirth, or loss of job. There is always a range of effects ranging from mild to chronic and these are influenced by the individual genetic strength and susceptibility.
c. Early Life Experiences
There are several factors which may contribute to OCD, including early childhood and parenting. Hence, a warm, loving family environment will help to prevent the onset of OCD in a person, however, but cannot eliminate it if this person is genetically predisposed to OCD.
d. Neurological Factors
In some patients, particularly those revealing OCD before reaching the age of puberty, there might be characteristic neurological symptoms indicating high heritability of this pathology. These signs do not cause an impairment of daily functioning, but they do predict the development of OCD.
OCD Treatment Options
Although it is not a big issue, some individuals struggle with coping with OCD. Here are two of the most useful online mental health therapy types to treat it.
1. Cognitive Behavior Therapy
Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT) is the most common and widely used therapy for people who have OCD. CBT primarily entails the identification of incorrect and irrational beliefs and ability of obsession. The therapy assists the person to understand that the thoughts and behaviors are irrational and to change the formats they use in handling such issues.
2. Exposure and Response prevention Therapy
Here, ERP is regarded as the gold standard for the treatment of OCD. This therapy is done by exposing the patient to the matter he is afraid of in a controlled world and stopping the compulsion. For instance, if the individual has contamination pathological fear, then ERP would expose him or her to items and situations that cause the fear and prevent them from engaging in compulsive behaviors such as excessive washing of hands.
Other than these OCD therapy types, the alternative treatments for OCD are individual counseling services, medication, and support groups. OCD support groups offer a space where people with similar experiences can come together and share support, resources, and information.
