OCD
Symptoms: When the Brain Just Can’t Let Go
Have you ever felt
like your brain has the hiccups? For instance, maybe you keep checking
your front door to see if it’s locked. Or perhaps you wash
your hands all the time because you’re afraid of germs. This
type of ritualistic, repetitive behavior may be a symptom of obsessive
compulsive disorder, or OCD. OCD is a type of anxiety
disorder. Almost all of us have worries which lead us to do
things over and over again, but if this behavior becomes time-consuming
and disabling, then it becomes a disorder. If you recognize OCD
symptoms in your own life, then you know that OCD seems like it
could be capable of taking over your entire existence with meaningless
actions you wish you could stop.
It is estimated
that OCD symptoms affect 2 percent of the U.S. population at any
given time, while up to 4 percent of Americans have experienced
OCD symptoms at some time during their lives. As the name “obsessive
compulsive” suggests, OCD symptoms are two-fold. Having OCD
means you likely have both obsessions and compulsions. In other
words, your obsessive thoughts are briefly relieved by compulsive
behavior (for example, an obsessive fear of stepping on sidewalk
cracks is relieved by the compulsion of jumping over them). However,
some patients may have just obsessions or just compulsions. Since
OCD can be manifested in many different obsessions and compulsions,
OCD symptoms are many, but here is a partial symptom list:
- Fear of contamination, germs,
and dirt
- Imagining that you’ve
lost control of your aggressive impulses
- Intrusive thoughts or urges,
particularly “forbidden” ones
- Obsession with having things
orderly, lined up, facing the same way, and “just so”
- Repetitive washing, checking,
or touching
- Excessive counting, sometimes
in certain patterns
- Raw, inflamed hands from excessive
washing
- Demands of reassurance from
others
OCD symptoms are
different from being labeled a “perfectionist.” Lots
of people are very hygienic, neat, and clean but they do not have
OCD. Likewise, you can have excessive worries about real-life situations,
but this does not signify OCD. OCD symptoms are also slightly different
than the symptoms of obsessive
compulsive personality disorder. In any case, with OCD, symptoms
are so intrusive and time consuming that a person cannot accomplish
anything else, and the worries are based in one’s imagination.
The result
of OCD symptoms is that the person often is unable to enjoy life,
relationships, and accomplishments because all time is devoted to
obsessions and compulsions. Through years of research, it has been
discovered that many people can find relief from their OCD symptoms
with therapy. Most therapy is focused on bringing OCD symptoms under
control so that they can live a more meaningful, pleasurable life.
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