Essays on Ocd

Obsessions are unwanted, intrusive thoughts, urges or images, the presence of which generally causes marked discomfort or anxiety. The dominant theme of intrusive thoughts may be harm or risk to self and others, contamination, doubt, symmetry, or aggression. For example, patients may be haunted by thoughts of contamination by bacteria through dirt if they do not wash their hands every (≥) 2 hours or more frequently. Obsessions are unpleasant for the patient. Therefore, patients usually try to ignore and/or suppress these thoughts, urges, or images. Or neutralize them by committing compulsions.

Compulsions (often called "rituals") are excessive, repetitive, purposeful types of behavior that patients feel an urgent need to follow in order to prevent or reduce the anxiety caused by obsessive thoughts or to neutralize the obsessive thoughts themselves. Examples:

Washing (e.g., washing hands, taking a shower)
Checking (e.g., turning off the stove, locking doors)
Counting (e.g., repeating a certain behavior a certain number of times)
Arranging (e.g., organizing the work table or kitchen utensils in a certain pattern)
Most rituals, such as washing hands or checking locks, are obvious, but some rituals, such as quiet counting or saying to yourself under your breath, are not noticed by those around you. Usually, compulsive rituals must be performed in a certain way according to strict rules. Rituals may or may not be really related to the fear-mongering event. If they are indeed related (e.g., washing to be clean, checking the stove to prevent a fire), then the compulsions are clearly excessive: for example, the patient showers for many hours every day or checks 30 times before leaving the house to see if the stove is off. In all cases, the obsessions and/or compulsions must be time-consuming (e.g., >1 hour/day, often much more) or cause patients significant discomfort or difficulty in various activities; in their most extreme forms, the obsessions and compulsions can lead to disability.

The degree to which patients understand their own problems varies. Most people with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) recognize to varying degrees that the beliefs underlying their obsessions are unrealistic (e.g., that they would not actually get cancer if they touched an ashtray). However, sometimes understanding is completely absent (i.e., patients believe that the beliefs underlying their obsessions are true and that their compulsions are reasonable).

People with this disorder may fear embarrassing situations or social judgment, so they often hide their obsessions and rituals. Relationships may be damaged and school performance or productivity at work may decline. Depression is a common secondary sign.

What are the causes of OCD?
Many factors can play a role in the onset of OCD. One or more of the following may explain why you or someone you know has OCD.

In some cases, OCD is hereditary, so sometimes the disorder can run in the family.
Stressful life events cause OCD in about a third of all cases.
Life changes in which you have to take on more responsibility, such as puberty, having a baby, or a new job.
If you have OCD and it has been going on for some time, you may develop an imbalance of serotonin (also known as 5HT), a brain neurotransmitter.
You are a neat, pedantic, methodical person - but you go too far in this.
If you have extremely high standards of morality and responsibility, you may feel particularly bad about having unpleasant thoughts. To the point where you will begin to be wary and watch out for them, and that will make them even more likely to appear.

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