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Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder
Ritualistic Behaviors
"I couldn't do anything
without rituals. They invaded every aspect of my
life. Counting really bogged me down. I would wash
my hair three times as opposed to once because
three was a good luck number and one wasn't. It
took me longer to read because I'd count the lines
in a paragraph. When I set my alarm at night, I
had to set it to a number that wouldn't add up to
a "bad" number.
"Getting dressed in the
morning was tough because I had a routine, and if
I didn't follow the routine, I'd get anxious and
would have to get dressed again. I always worried
that if I didn't do something, my parents were
going to die. I'd have these terrible thoughts of
harming my parents. That was completely
irrational, but the thoughts triggered more
anxiety and more senseless behavior. Because of
the time I spent on rituals, I was unable to do a
lot of things that were important to me.
"I knew the rituals didn't
make sense, and I was deeply ashamed of them, but
I couldn't seem to overcome them until I had
therapy." ~NAMI
Obsessive-compulsive disorder,
or OCD, involves anxious thoughts or rituals you
feel you can't control. If you have OCD, you may
be plagued by persistent, unwelcome thoughts or
images, or by the urgent need to engage in certain
rituals.
Wash, Wash, Wash
(Rituals/Compulsions)
You may be obsessed with germs
or dirt, so you wash your hands over and over. You
may be filled with doubt and feel the need to
check things repeatedly. You may have frequent
thoughts of violence, and fear that you will harm
people close to you. You may spend long periods
touching things or counting; you may be
pre-occupied by order or symmetry; you may have
persistent thoughts of performing sexual acts that
are repugnant to you; or you may be troubled by
thoughts that are against your religious beliefs.
Obsessions
The disturbing thoughts or
images are called obsessions, and the rituals that
are performed to try to prevent or get rid of them
are called compulsions. There is no pleasure in
carrying out the rituals you are drawn to, only
temporary relief from the anxiety that grows when
you don't perform them.
A lot of healthy people can
identify with some of the symptoms of OCD,
such as checking the stove several times
before leaving the house. But for people
with OCD, such activities consume at least
an hour a day, are very distressing, and
interfere with daily life.
Most adults with this
condition recognize that what they're doing
is senseless, but they can't stop it. Some
people, though, particularly children with
OCD, may not realize that their behavior is
out of the ordinary.
OCD
prevalence rates remain controversial,
according to the American Journal of
Psychiatry (Am J Psychiatry 162:876-882, May
2005). However, it has been claimed that it strikes men and
women in approximately equal numbers and
usually first appears in childhood,
adolescence, or early adulthood. One-third
of adults with OCD report having experienced
their first symptoms as children. The course
of the disease is variable-symptoms may come
and go, they may ease over time, or they can
grow progressively worse. Research evidence
suggests that OCD might run in families.
Depression or other
anxiety disorders may accompany OCD, and
some people with OCD also have eating
disorders. In addition, people with OCD may
avoid situations in which they might have to
confront their obsessions, or they may try
unsuccessfully to use alcohol or drugs to
calm themselves. If OCD grows severe enough,
it can keep someone from holding down a job
or from carrying out normal responsibilities
at home.
OCD generally responds
well to treatment with medications or
carefully targeted psychotherapy.
Obsessive Compulsive Personality
Disorder
Obsessive Compulsive Personality
Disorder (OCPD) entails a cluster of
characteristics of behavior marked by
inflexibility in order to pursue
perfectionism, orderliness, and control
(DSM-IV). These characteristics come with
the high price of lack of openness and
efficiency. People with OCPD tend to be very
serious in nature and may not appreciate
humor. In addition, the individual becomes
preoccupied with lists and order to the
extent that the major points of the activity
become lost; may be unable to complete a
task due to feeling it doesn't meet their
very unrealistic expectations of
perfectionism; is overly occupied and
obsessed with work to the point of
sacrificing friendships and leisurely
activities; overly scrupulous, over
conscientious and inflexible in matters of
scruples, morality, ethics, or values; may
be unable to discard old or worn items
despite there being no sentimental value;
may be reluctant to delegate to others for
fear of the task not being completed to
their high expectaions; adopt a miserly
spending habit-money is to be hoarded for
future disasters; shows rigidity or
stubbornness.
According to
the DSM-IV, the individual must have at least
four of the above characteristics AND they must
interfere greatly with their functioning in
their lives.
If you are suffering from
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder or Obsessive
Compulsive Personality Disorder, please get
yourself some professional help. As a
supplement, stick
around and come to the
online support group.
Find the Light that I
have.
National Institute of Mental Health's Anxiety
Hotline-1-888-826-9438
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