Obsessive Compulsive Disorder

OCD stands for obsessive compulsive disorder. Obsessions mean unwanted thoughts and compulsions means certain behaviors. People with OCD have unwanted thoughts, images that have no sense and certain repetitive behaviors over and over in their daily lives. Nowadays, it is commonly disease like bipolar disorder and schizophrenia. This disorder can be affected adults, teenagers and adolescence. This disorder often starts in childhood.

Causes of OCD:

There is no exactly main cause of this disease. According to some researchers it can be caused by biological, while others believe that its can be caused by both environmental and biological factors. Sometimes, it is associated by insufficient level of serotonin chemicals in brain.

Risk factors:

Family history of OCD is a high risk factor. Sometimes emotional stress can be developing OCD. According to researchers, genes are not associated the disease.

Signs and symptoms of OCD:

Obsessions: Obsessions means unwanted thoughts or impulses that appear to be senseless. Obsessions include the following signs and symptoms:

• Fear of harming a friend or relative.

• Concern with symmetry, order and exactness

• Disgust with bodily fluids and waste

• Need for constant reassurance

• Fear of sinful thoughts.

• Thoughts about certain images, numbers, sounds and words.

Compulsions:

Compulsions mean certain repetitive behaviors. The following are signs and symptoms of compulsions:

• Checking that home appliances are switched off and doors are locked again and again.

• Touching certain objects many times

• Fear of contamination

• Saving containers, newspapers that are no used

• Wash hand more and more times.

• Arranging items or objects a precise number of times

• Seeking constant reassurance

Diagnosis of OCD:

Health care providers may ask you some questions about compulsions, obsessions and your behavior with relatives, friends and co-workers. Laboratory test are not helpful to diagnose obsessive compulsive disorder.

Treatment:

Psychological treatment: In this treatment cognitive behavior therapy may be involved to treat OCD. Cognitive behavior therapy is very effective and helpful in case of adolescents and children patients. Thought patterns and impulses are retrained to reduce the compulsive behaviors.

In this therapy, you have to expose to a feared object and teach some different ways, how to deal with obsession. New thought patterns and learning the techniques may reduce the symptoms rapidly. You should go a trained therapist that has more knowledge about OCD.

Medications: Antidepressant medications such as escitalopram, fluvoxamine, sertaline, citalopram, fluoxetine and paroxetine are very effective to reduce the symptoms of obsessive compulsive disorder. Sometimes tricyclic antidepressants such as clomipramine will be recommended by the health care provider to treat OCD.

Prevention:

• You should take the right dose of medications.

• You should get support from your family members.

• You should get more and more knowledge about obsessive compulsive disorder.

• You can follow Cognitive behavior therapy.

• You should be patient about the recovery times.

• You should read books and listen to music.