Written by Bedirhan Atabay
OCD or Obsessive Compulsion Disorder is a dangerous disorder that ruins and keeps ruining tons of people’s lives. OCD can affect men, women, and children; this means that this disorder has no exception of gender or age unlike some of the most dangerous disorders. OCD is a long-lasting and chronic disorder, which means that if you had this disorder, it would be a long and painful experience for you. This disorder causes disturbing thoughts and these thoughts repeat every time. The worst part is if you try to ignore all these thoughts and behaviors, then they would increase even more. This disorder significantly affects the patient’s social life and interactions. People who have OCD are obsessed with something. OCD is common, 2% percent of the world population has OCD, which means there are 160 million people who have OCD. This is larger than the population of Russia.
As the name suggests, people with OCD usually have a feeling of compulsion. They feel like they are forced to do something that they have no reason to do. For example, if a woman who has OCD is obsessed with how clean she is, then she would wash her hands so much that her hands would be damaged from it. One more example is that if a man who has OCD is obsessed with the order of his bookshelf, then he would try to keep his books in the same place so much that if somebody changes them without his permission or he is forced to change the place of his books, then he would go crazy. People with OCD are more aggressive than normal people, they can easily get so angry because of a little change in their obsessions.
OCD is a hereditary disease. Research shows that if you have a first-degree relative that has OCD, then you have a higher possibility of having OCD. Another research shows us that people with OCD have abnormalities in the structure of their brains.
There are several treatments for people with OCD. One of those treatments is Cognitive Behavioral Therapy. In this therapy, you expose people to their obsessions. For example, if you are obsessed with how clean you are, then you are forced to become a dirty person. This is the most effective way to deal with OCD; however, some patients refuse to cooperate.
Another self-treatment way is that you need to use a medication named SSRI. Also, there is one more alternative: CBT. However, the best option here is to use both. The last method we are going to talk about is Neurosurgical treatment. In this treatment, they use gamma ventral capsulotomy to help the patient. Recent studies show us that this way is an effective way. However, this treatment is not that common and so complex to manage.
References:
Mayo Clinic, Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/obsessive-compulsive-disorder/symptoms-causes/syc-20354432.
American Psychiatric Association, What Is Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder? , https://www.psychiatry.org/patients-families/obsessive-compulsive-disorder/what-is-obsessive-compulsive-disorder.
Healthline, Everything You Need to Know About Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, https://www.healthline.com/health/ocd/social-signs.
National Institute of Mental Health, Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/obsessive-compulsive-disorder-ocd.
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