~ASHLEY~

-BIOLOGY

 

 

Obsessive Compulsive Disorder

     Have you ever felt powerless, trapped in a body that you call your own?  Have you ever had persistent, recurring thoughts or behaviors?  Worries, doubts, and superstitions are all common in everyday life.  Seven million Americans have been diagnosed with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, also known as OCD.  Obsessive Compulsive disorder is an anxiety disorder characterized bye obsessions or compulsions and causes problems in information processing.  Brain-imaging studies show abnormal neurochemical activity in regions known to play a role in certain neurological disorders.  An obsession is a recurrent thought, feeling, idea, or sensation.  A compulsion is a conscious, recurrent pattern of behavior a person feels driven to perform.  This behavior can be a physical action or simply a mental act.  These behaviors are not directed towards anyone or anything.  This disorder was previously believed that it is a rare disorder but to a certain extent, all of us face a little bit of OCD.  Many different signs or symptoms, the causes, treatment, and family involvement are important factors that are looked at when diagnosing or just treating a person with OCD. 

     OCD usually starts out with the obsessions.  Obsessions can involve anything, such as dirt and germs, for example.  The person may believe that they have become contaminated with germs because they touched a table top.  This then leads to repetitive behavior such as hand washing.  Some suffers also believe that they have inadvertently harmed someone else, even though they know this never happened.  The obsessions usually lead to compulsions.  Compulsions are how the suffers try to deal with their sickness.  They say they follow certain rules.  Unlike with compulsive drinking, the compulsions that OCD suffers perform do not give any pleasure. 

      OCD usually involves both obsessions and compulsions.  Any symptoms can occur no matter the age or which group.  Some symptoms include: excessive hand washing in fear of germs, counting, aggression, forbidden thoughts, or excessive cleanliness.  OCD tends to usually be untreated and undiagnosed for a number of reasons.  Many times the sufferer is embarrassed about their actions and become secretive about the symptoms, or they simply do not think they have a problem.  Many studies have shown that it takes a person, on average, 17 years after they show signs of OCD to receive an actual diagnosis.  Many times they see a series of doctors over an extremely long amount of time.  If you think you have Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, you should seek professional help as soon as possible.  This disorder can lead to more severe problems such as depression, which, in extreme cases, can lead to suicide. 

     Families of OCD suffers suffer just as badly as the patient.  These symptoms or rituals they perform cause distress to them and to their families.  Family members may show anger and resentment, resulting in worse obsessive behavior.  Sometimes family members will go along with the twisted rituals to reassure the sufferer.  A family should become more aware of how important it is to understand how to deal with this disorder and not make it worse for themselves as well as the suffer. 

     The old belief was that OCD was the result of life experiences that have been weakened.  This was before the growing evidence of the biological factors that contribute the most to the development of OCD.  Instead, the searches for causes now focus on not only the biological factors, but with the interaction of neurological factors and environmental influences, as well as cognitive processes.  The most common test for OCD is the Positron emission tomography (PET) scanner, which studies the brain activity of patients.  The most common form of treatment for this begins with Pharmacotherapy.  Clinical trials have been done that have shown that drugs that affect the neurotransmitter serotonin can decrease the symptoms of OCD significantly.  Many times the sufferer is also put on anti-depressants, and medications such as Prozac, Paxil, and Zoloft.  Medications do help this disorder, but if this medication is halted, many times the obsessive behaviors will relapse. 

     Research to uncover more information about OCD is in progress.  There are so many areas that have to be studied in order to find an effective treatment plan for this disorder.  Scientists are also trying to come up with ways to increase the availability of effective behavior therapy, cognitive therapy, relapse prevention, and methods of reducing the intake of medications.  This is for patients who have a history of being unable to tolerate the medications, as well as preventing a synergistic effect.  A synergistic effect is when two medication team up to form the opposite outcome of what was intended.  In very few cases, neurosurgery has been performed as a clinical procedure.  These candidates include those who failed to respond to the medications and different kinds of therapies. 

     OCD can be very intolerable at times.  With new advanced treatments this disorder is becoming more bearable for both the sufferer and their family members.  This disorder is not inherited but can be a learned behavior.  Usually the disorder will just progress if correct treatment or steps are not taken.  Most of the time the people with obsessive compulsive disorder realize that their actions, obsessions, or compulsions are unrealistic, but cannot stop their “rituals.”  Most people struggle to make their unwanted, obsessive thought to disappear, but sometimes they end up wasting time performing these daily rituals. 

1.) "Obsessive Compulsive Disorder." National Institute of Mental Health.  10-13-03.  Http://www.nimh.nih.gov/publicat/ocd.cfm

2.) "Obsessive Compulsive Disorder." Obsessive-Compulsive Foundation.  10-13-03.

3.) "Obsessive Compulsive Disorder." Yahoo Health.         10-13-03. Http://health.yahoo.com/health/centers/depression/0929.html