Obsessive compulsive disorder and its manifestations

• April 29, 2024

Do you make sense that something did not turn out just as you expected, and that idea goes round and round in your head? Or that something just is not right? Something like this has happened to us all, but in most cases these thoughts do not go beyond the merely anecdotal. But there are people who can be converted into what psychologists they call obsessions . When these obsessions can not be discarded, that is due to the call obsessive-compulsive disorder or TOC .

Often this disease starts in the adolescence or principles of adulthood and affects men and women equally; it is spoken that in proportion of 1 person in 50, although these numbers may not be completely true, since many, either by grief or fear, they do not make public your condition

The Causes They are unknown until now, but there are several factors that could explain their appearance. For example, as it often happens in several members of a family, it is thought that there could be some genetic cause . It has also been seen that certain stressful events can trigger the TOC .

Some studies have shown that an imbalance in the levels of serotonin, a brain chemical compound linked to mood and emotions, can cause the disorder. According to him Royal College of Psychiatrists (Royal College of Psychiatry) of UK , obsessive-compulsive disorder can also develop when a person is very meticulous , methodical Y neat and these characteristics begin to dominate your life.

symptom

Those who suffer from OCD are harassed daily with unpleasant and sometimes distressing thoughts. These can take to the extreme the rituals that a person performs daily.

The doctor Robert Wilson , psychologist specialized in OCD and author of the book Overcoming Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (Overcoming Obsessive Compulsive Disorder), explains: "Many of us carry out daily rituals that consist of a series of tasks that are part of everyday life, for example, checking that all doors and benefits are closed before going to bed is a routine that guarantees that they will not steal from us, but with TOC , these rituals they go out of control ".

"Those who suffer the obsessive-compulsive disorder are dominated by the need to carry out these rituals, which are known as compulsions , and that are caused by their obsessions . A person with OCD, for example, can get to check their doors and windows 50 to 100 times when the obsession with security is 'installed' in their mind. Obsessive compulsive people they do not have absolutely no control over their compulsions ".

Treatment

Sometimes individuals with TOC They can help themselves to overcome the disorder. According to the doctor Wilson , keep a diary or a registry of thoughts that are problematic and reviewing them continuously can help some people.

"But it is necessary to do it on a regular basis, for half an hour each day, and at the same time you should try to resist any compulsive behavior "says the expert.

But if this does not work, there's spoken therapies -as the cognitive behavioral - that can help people with OCD to change their behavior, getting rid first of the thoughts of self-criticism that are not real.There are also other psychotherapies , as the techniques of exposure and prevention of responses (which can be used in conjunction with cognitive behavioral therapy) that can help combat compulsions and anxieties by preventing them from reinforcing one another.

"This allows the person to gradually face the situation that he fears and at the same time prevents him from carrying out or completing his usual rituals of compulsion while the anxiety disappears" explains the doctor Wilson . Along with therapies spoken or not, the doctor may also recommend a pharmacological treatment, for example antidepressants, which can help the person with OCD even if they are not depressed.

As indicated by the Royal College of Psychiatrists , approximately six out of 10 people improvement with medication and the symptoms of obsessive-compulsive disorder are gradually reduced. And it has been shown that while taking the drugs you can prevent a recurrence of the disease, even after several years.

Common compulsions

• Cleaning : Wash hands repeatedly or clean surfaces of the house for hours and non-stop
• Reviews : ask repeatedly if the lights are off, if the electrical appliances are unplugged or if the doors are closed, etc.
• Tell sequences of numbers during hours
• Arrangement and order : the need to order objects in a certain way
• Repetition of words or sentences
• Need to to complete or perform areas in an exact order over and over again until achieving perfection
• Accumulation : Collecting useless objects

Source: BBC World

Video Medicine: LIVING WITH OCD (OBSESSIVE-COMPULSIVE DISORDER) PL/ENG (April 2024).