Obsessive Compulsive Disorder: A Compulsory Clarification
We all have those people in our lives that we fondly refer to as neat freaks. Theyre the ones who blow a gasket when dirty dishes are left in the sink or collapse when desktops are cluttered, or fidget uncomfortably when specks of dust are visible on the shelf. Sometimes we might accuse these individuals of having OCD or being anal, also a term derived from psychological dysfunction. A person with OCD is thought of as someone who needs everything spot-clean and put in its place.
These terms are often thrown around all too flippantly since obsessive compulsive disorder is more than just a strong preference for cleanliness and order. Obsessive compulsive disorder is a condition that can significantly interfere with daily living. OCD is a psychological disorder in which an individual has repeatedly intrusive thoughts that cause anxiety. To relieve this anxiety, people with OCD will engage in certain behaviors that temporarily put the thoughts to rest until they come up again soon after. These behaviors eventually become repetitive rituals. Obsessive describes the thought component and compulsive refers to the behavioral aspect of OCD. Its normal to worry over things and do things to make ourselves feel less worried, but people with obsessive compulsive disorder do this to the point where it is extremely persistent, distressing and disrupting to them.
OCD is most associated with anxiousness about cleanliness, but obsessive thoughts dont necessarily have to be about the fear of contamination. Other focuses of anxiety can include inappropriate aggressive or sexual impulses, thoughts of religious blasphemy and fear of danger. Anxiety-reducing behaviors for these obsessions can include constantly examining the body, paying obsessive attention to religious practices and taking excessive precautions. Obsessive compulsive disorder can manifest itself in different ways according to individual.
One way to treat OCD is exposure therapy, which aims to desensitize OCD patients to their fear. Patients remain exposed to the source of their anxiety without engaging in compulsive anxiety-relieving behavior. In this way, they still retain some anxiety, but they can prevent themselves from overreacting to it. However, some patients find direct exposure to their fear extremely disturbing, so another method is cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT). CBT helps patients to think more rationally about their fear, which in turn reduces irrational behavior. There are also antidepressant and antipsychotic drugs for more severe cases of OCD. Some patients might use a combination of CBT and medication to treat obsessive compulsive disorder.
When we meet people whose actions vaguely resemble obsessive compulsive tendencies, it might be best to take it in stride or to get some humor out of it. After all, we all have our idiosyncratic concerns. But when it ceases to amuse and instead cause concern, the term obsessive compulsive disorder might genuinely apply.
