OCD Full Form
OCD Full Form
Repetitive, uncontrollable urges to act on particular thoughts or feelings (compulsions) are hallmarks of the mental illness known as Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD). Some people frequently have obsessions and compulsions.
Nail biting and negative outlooks are not typical of obsessive-compulsive disorder. Some examples of obsessions and compulsions include counting to seven before eating and believing that certain numbers or colors are inherently “good” or “bad.” You know this isn’t how you want to think or behave, yet you can’t seem to help yourself.
Everybody has routines or thoughts that they think over and over. Behaviors and characteristics associated with OCD include:
- Disrupt your daily routine, your work, or your social life
- A minimum of an hour per day
- Not interesting
- Are beyond your ability to influence
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Disorders of Fixation and Obsession
Many people with OCD are able to see the humorless nature of their obsessions. They engage in these behaviors not out of choice but out of necessity. And if they do give up, they feel terrible about it and start again.
Examples of such fixated thoughts include:
- Concern for one’s own or another’s safety
- Constantly focusing one’s awareness on one’s own bodily sensations, such as one’s own breathing, one’s own blink
- Relationship infidelity suspicions without hard facts to back them up
The following are examples of compulsions:
- Performing tasks in a specific sequence or a required number of “excellent” repetitions
- Quantifying quantities via counting
- Avoiding handshakes, using public facilities, and touching doorknobs
Distinct OCD Subtypes and Symptoms
There are various subtypes of OCD, however, the vast majority of sufferers fall into one of these four categories:
- Checking things like locks, alarm systems, ovens, and light switches while pregnant or having schizophrenia.
- The need to clean, the presence of germs, or fear of potentially soiled items. If you’ve ever been treated rudely, you may have experienced mental contamination.
- The need for things to be arranged in a particular way (order and symmetry)
- Intrusive thoughts and an unhealthy fixation on one concept. Some of these concepts may be disturbing or even violent.
Characterizing OCD
The doctor may do tests on you, such as physical and blood work, to rule out any other possible causes of your symptoms. They will talk to you about how you feel, what you think, and what you do on a daily basis.
What Causes Obsessive Compulsive Disorder and What Increases Your Risk for It
Some patients with OCD have no clear cause, and doctors don’t know why. Some symptoms could be made worse by stress.
It affects slightly more women than men. Most people who experience symptoms are teenagers or young adults.
OCD risk factors include:
Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder in a Relative
Differences in the structure of certain brain areas
Depression, Anxiety, and Tics
An understanding of trauma
a previous history of sexual or physical abuse
In rare cases, a streptococcal infection can cause obsessive-compulsive disorder in a child. This medical issue is referred to as PANDAS, or pediatric autoimmune neuropsychiatric disorders associated with streptococcal infections.
OCD Counseling
OCD is not curable. However, you may be able to limit the extent to which your symptoms disrupt your life with the help of medicine, therapy, or a combination of the two.
Methods of Treatment
Psychological treatments like cognitive behavioral therapy can alter one’s way of thinking. In exposure and response prevention, your doctor will purposefully expose you to situations that will cause you to feel anxious or bring on your compulsions. You’ll learn to lessen and eventually eliminate your OCD symptoms.
Relaxation techniques, such as yoga, massage, and meditation, can help reduce the stress and anxiety associated with OCD.
Medication: Certain selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors are helpful for many persons in controlling their compulsive behaviors. It may take two to four months before the system is fully operational. Examples of widely used antidepressants include the SSRIs escitalopram (Lexapro), citalopram (Celexa), clomipramine (Anafranil), fluvoxamine (Prozac), paroxetine (Paxil), and sertraline (Zoloft). Antipsychotic drugs such as aripiprazole (Abilify) and risperidone (Risperdal) may be prescribed by your doctor if your symptoms persist.