MARY OGUNBIYI PREMED3 2096

 What is OCD?  Obsession  Compulsions  Causes  Signs and symptoms for Obsession  Signs and symptoms for Compulsion  Diagnosis  Treatment

 Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) is a disorder of the brain and behavior. OCD causes severe anxiety in those affected. OCD involves both obsessions and compulsions that take a lot of time and get in the way of important activities the person values.obsessions and compulsions

 Obsessions are thoughts, images or impulses that occur over and over again and feel outside of the person’s control. Individuals with OCD do not want to have these thoughts and find them disturbing. In most cases, people with OCD realize that these thoughts don’t make any sense.

 Obsessions are typically accompanied by intense and uncomfortable feelings such as fear, disgust, doubt, or a feeling that things have to be done in a way that is “just right.” In the context of OCD, obsessions are time consuming and get in the way of important activities the person values. This last part is extremely important to keep in mind as it, in part, determines whether someone has OCD — a psychological disorder — rather than an obsessive personality trait.

 Compulsions are the second part of obsessive compulsive disorder. These are repetitive behaviors or thoughts that a person uses with the intention of neutralizing, counteracting, or making their obsessions go away. People with OCD realize this is only a temporary solution but without a better way to cope they rely on the compulsion as a temporary escape. Compulsions can also include avoiding situations that trigger obsessions. Compulsions are time consuming and get in the way of important activities the person values.

 OCD can start at any time from preschool to adulthood.  Although OCD can occur at any age, there are generally two age ranges when OCD tends to first appears:  Between the ages 8 and 12.  Between the late teen years and early adulthood.

 Adults  Our best estimates are that about 1 in 100 adults — or between 2 to 3 million adults in the United States — currently have OCD. [1] [2] [1] [2]  This is roughly the same number of people living in the city of Houston, Texas.

 Children  There are also at least 1 in 200 – or 500,000 – kids and teens that have OCD. This is about the same number of kids who have diabetes.  That means four or five kids with OCD are likely to be enrolled in any average size elementary school. In a medium to large high school, there could be 20 students struggling with the challenges caused by OCD.

 What Causes OCD?  While, we still do not know the exact cause or causes of OCD, research suggests that differences in the brain and genes of those affected may play a role.

 Is OCD a Brain Disorder?  Research suggests that OCD involves problems in communication between the front part of the brain and deeper structures of the brain. These brain structures use a neurotransmitter (basically, a chemical messenger) called serotonin. Pictures of the brain at work also show that, in some people, the brain circuits involved in OCD become more normal with either medications that affect serotonin levels (serotonin reuptake inhibitors, or SRIs) or cognitive behavior therapy (CBT)medications

 Is OCD Inherited?  Research shows that OCD does run in families, and that genes likely play a role in the development of the disorder. Genes appear to be only partly responsible for causing the disorder, though. No one really knows what other factors might be involved, perhaps an illness or even ordinary life stresses that may induce the activity of genes associated with the symptoms of OCD.

 PANDAS (Pediatric Autoimmune Neuropsychiatric Disorders Associated with Streptococcal infections) is a type of OCD that occurs in childhood following the body’s reaction to infection. PANDAS looks very different from other forms of childhood OCD, the most obvious difference being that it happens very suddenly, with the child starting to have symptoms seemingly overnight, and has a very severe impact on the child’s life.

 Examples of obsession signs and symptoms include:  Fear of being contaminated by shaking hands or by touching objects others have touched  Doubts that you've locked the door or turned off the stove  Intense stress when objects aren't orderly or facing a certain way  Images of hurting yourself or someone else  Thoughts about shouting obscenities or acting inappropriately  Avoidance of situations that can trigger obsessions, such as shaking hands  Distress about unpleasant sexual images repeating in your mind

 Washing and cleaning  Counting  Checking  Demanding reassurances  Following a strict routine  Orderliness  Examples of compulsion signs and symptoms include:  Hand-washing until your skin becomes raw  Checking doors repeatedly to make sure they're locked  Checking the stove repeatedly to make sure it's off  Counting in certain patterns  Silently repeating a prayer, word or phrase  Arranging your canned goods to face the same way

 Only trained therapists can diagnose OCD  Therapists will look for three things:  The person has obsessions.  He or she does compulsive behaviors.  The obsessions and compulsions take a lot of time and get in the way of important activities the person values, such as working, going to school, or spending time with friends.

 Treatment for most OCD patients should involve Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) and/or medication.Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP)medication  The majority of people with OCD (about 7 out of 10) will benefit from either medication or ERP.  What Are the Most Effective Treatments for OCD?  The most effective treatments for OCD are Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT) and/or medication. [1] More specifically, the most effective treatments are a type of CBT called Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP), which has the strongest evidence supporting its use in the treatment of OCD, and/or a class of medications called serotonin reuptake inhibitors, or SRIs.medication [1]Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP)

 Traditional Outpatient  Intensive Outpatient  Day Program  Partial Hospitalization  Residential  Inpatient  CD treatment can be difficult, and requires a lot of courage and determination. Having a support network to talk to during treatment can make all the difference

 When severe OCD proves resistant to treatment, there are more drastic options, including:  Brain Surgery Brain Surgery  Gamma Knife Gamma Knife  Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS) Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS)  Cutting Edge Research on New Medication Options Cutting Edge Research on New Medication Options  What about PANDAS?  PANDAS (Pediatric Autoimmune Neuropsychiatric Disorders Associated with Streptococcal infections) is a rare type of OCD that occurs in childhood following the immune system’s overreaction to an infection, such as strep throat. PANDAS should be managed with early antibiotic treatment for strep infections. Continued symptoms can be treated with standard OCD treatments such as exposure and response prevention (ERP) therapy and/or SRI medicationexposure and response prevention (ERP)

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