Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder

Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder

In psychology, obsessive-compulsive disorder, also known as OCD, is classified as an anxiety disorder, meaning that people that experience OCD suffer from intense mental state of stress, apprehension, and fear. There are many symptoms of OCD, most of which are listed in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM). As the name implies, people that suffer from OCD have both obsessions, persistent thoughts, and compulsions, the need to engage in a particular action, often for multiple times. Common OCD obsessions include the need to keep clean and to maintain sanitation, which manifest itself through the compulsive behavior of repeatedly washing hands or cleaning. Other symptoms a person with OCD might exhibit include having an obsession of keeping things meticulously orderly and symmetrical, which might manifest itself through the compulsive behavior of keeping objects, such as books, perfectly aligned and in a certain position. Other obsessions include repeated mental doubts about a certain situation, such as an unlocked door, and fear of physical ailments due to certain behavior, such as skin lesions developing from picking at the skin too much. Other compulsions often associated with obsessions include counting in certain patterns, performing actions a certain number of times, and other repetitive rituals performed to diffuse a worry or alleviate a doubt.

Although there are no laboratory tests to determine if a person has OCD, a mental health professional, such as a psychologist, may diagnose a person with OCD after closely examining his emotional, mental, and familial background and current state of mind to see if he exhibits the symptoms of OCD. According to the DSM handbook that is usually referred to by mental health professionals when attempting to diagnose a psychological disorder, there are a couple of distinguishing elements in the diagnosis of OCD. First of all, the symptoms, such as having certain obsessions and compulsions, must be intrusive, meaning that the person's behavior consumes a great deal of his time, and cause undue stress to the person. Another criteria includes that the person is suffering from reoccurring obsessions and compulsions that cannot be ignored or repressed. Lastly, the person must realized that his thoughts and behaviors are unreasonable and unrealistic. Only when these criteria are met can a mental health professional reasonably diagnose his patient as having OCD.

However, as serious as the effects of OCD can be, there are a myriad number of treatments available for the people