Obsessive-compulsive disorder Jacqueline Garcia Period 3

Definition Its an anxiety disorder in which people have unwanted and repeated thoughts, feelings, ideas, sensations (obsessions), or behaviors that make them feel driven to do something (compulsions) Meaning that you have unwanted or repetitive behavior that make them feel forced to do something they don’t want.

Obsessive-compulsive disorder Researcher are looking for stimulation like the transcranial magnetic stimulation, as potential treatment for OCD. TMS Is a magnetic coil held against a patients head sends out strong magnetic pulses, it alters the the activity of the brains nerves cell.

Associated features Obsessions or compulsion that are not due to medical illness or drug use. Obsessions or compulsions that cause major distress or interfere with everyday life. They also have unwanted thoughts or images. Ex. They may be obsessed with germs and dirt, and wash there hands over and over

DSM-IV-TR criteria A. Either obsessions or compulsions Obsessions: 1.recurrent or persistent thoughts, impulses or images that are experienced at some time during the disturbance. 2.The thought impulses or images are not simply excessive worries of real life problems. 3.They try to ignore those thought and images, or to neutralize them with other thoughts.

Continuation…… 4.person recognizes the obsessional thoughts are product of his or her mind. Compulsions: 1. repetitive behaviors (hand washing, ordering, checking) or mental acts ( praying, counting, repeating words silently) that the person feels driven to perform in response to an obsession, or according to rules that must be applied rigidly 2.

Part 3 B. at some point during the course of the disorder, the person has recognized that the obsessions or compulsions are excessive or unreasonable, this doesn’t apply to children C. the obsessions or compulsions cause marked distress, are time consuming, or significantly interfere with the persons normal routine, occupational functioning, or usual social activities or relationships

………. D. the content of the obsessions or compulsions is not restricted to it. E. the disturbance is not due to direct physiological effects of a substance or a general medical condition

Example…… “I couldn’t do anything without rituals. They invaded every aspect of my life. Counting really bogged me down. I would wash my hair three times as opposed to once because three was a good luck number and one wasn’t. It took me longer to read because I’d count the lines in a paragraph. When I set my alarm at night, I had to set it to a number that wouldn’t add up to a ’bad’ number.”“I knew the rituals didn’t make sense, and I was deeply ashamed of them, but I couldn’t seem to overcome them until I had therapy.”“Getting dressed in the morning was tough, because I had a routine, and if I didn’t follow the routine, I’d get anxious and would have to get dressed again. I always worried that if I didn’t do something, my parents were going to die. I’d have these terrible thoughts of harming my parents. That was completely irrational, but the thoughts triggered more anxiety and more senseless behavior. Because of the time I spent on rituals, I was unable to do a lot of things that were important to me.”

Etiology Head injuries & infections. Several studies have shown that there are brain abnormalities in patients with OCD. 20% of people with OCD have tics. Maybe when you have family that has that it’s a more possibility that you have it to. Or maybe life stressor like being a victim of sexual abuse as a child, can increase the chance of developing OCD as an adult.

prevalence Approximately 3.3 million American adult ages 18 to 54, or about 2.3 percent of people in this age group in a given year, have OCD. The first signs of obsessive compulsive disorder often begin during childhood or adolescence. OCD is equally common in males and females. OCD is sometimes accompanied by depression, eating disorders, substance abuse, or other anxiety disorders.

Treatment Is basically treated with medication and therapy. Medication: antidepressants are sometimes used in conjunction with therapy as a treatment. Family therapy, and group therapy.

References Halgin, R.P, & whitbarne, S.K (2005). abnormal psychology: clinical perspective on psychological disorders. New York, NY: Mc Graw National institute of mental health (n.d.) obsessive- compulsive disorder,ocd. Retrieve from http://www.nimb.nih.gov/health/topics/obsessive- compulsive-disorder-ocd/index.shtml.

Discussion question? How would this disorder affect you in your daily routine?