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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