OBSESSIVE COMPULSIVE DISORDER
OCD
Introduction:
In Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, a person’s/patient’s compulsive behavior and intrusive thoughts are uncontrollable by him/herself.
Obsession:
Urge to do a continuous repeated action based on the patient’s continuously recurring thoughts.
Compulsion:
It's basically related to the behavior of a person, such as compulsive counting of pages or money, or excessive eating to reduce anxiety.
Causes Of OCD:
Sometimes it's genetic and sometimes it's caused by an imbalance of neurotransmitters/ brain chemicals, which involve Serotonin, Glutamate, GABA (Gamma-Aminobutyric Acid)
Another important factor in causing OCD is the disequilibrium of the Corticostriatal-Thalamic-Cortical loop, also known as the CSTC circuit of the brain, which includes the Frontal Cortex, Basal ganglia, and Thalamus that help in controlling emotions, thoughts, and performance.
Symptoms:
Washing hands several times
Combing hair takes a longer time
Tie your Shoelaces and then look after them every 2 to 3 minutes, making sure that they're perfectly tied up
Fear of getting affected by germs from shaking hands with others
Excessive washing of the body and hair during a bath
Fear of missing important documents and the urge to recheck again and again.
Note: surviving through this condition, the patient feels exhausted, but he/ she never stop that repetition or time-consuming behavior by doing it again and again, which gives a feeling of shame by doing it in public places
Risk Factor:
Childhood trauma can also be one of the reasons for the increasing risk of obsessive-compulsive disorder in the younger population.
Treatment:
Doctors prescribed antidepressants, which have side effects on the body, such as if the affected person is already obese, and because of this type of medication/she can easily put on weight.
Cognitive Behavioral therapy, also known as CBT, teaches patients in different ways to reduce the sense of doubt.
If you want to help someone who is in radar of obsessive compulsive disorder then you have to handle calmly with a lot of patience by not passing remarks on them not even criticizing them, because if you do this then it will make patient condition worse