Obsessive Compulsive Disorder
People with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) suffer intensely from recurrent unwanted thoughts or repetitive actions often called compulsions, which they feel they cannot control - such as handwashing, counting, checking, or cleaning. Performing these repetitive actions, however, provides only temporary relief, and not performing them markedly increases anxiety. Left untreated obsessions and the need to perform these actions can take over a person's life.
What Causes OCD?
There is growing evidence that OCD has a neurobiological basis. OCD is no longer attributed to family problems or to attitudes learned in childhood - for example, an inordinate emphasis on cleanliness, or a belief' that certain thoughts are dangerous or unacceptable. Instead, the search for causes now focuses on the interaction neurobiological factors and environmental influences.
What Treatments Are Available for OCD?
Mental health professionals combine medications and behavioral therapy (a specific type of psychotherapy when treating OCD. A type of behavioral therapy known as "exposure and response prevention" is very useful for treating OCD. In this approach, a person's deliberately and voluntarily exposed to whatever triggers the obsessive thoughts and then, is taught techniques to avoid performing, the compulsive rituals and to deal with the anxiety.
OCD is sometimes accompanied by depression, eating disorders, substance abuse, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, or other anxiety disorders. When a person also has other disorders, OCD is often more difficult to diagnose and treat. Symptoms of OCD can also coexist and may even be part of a spectrum of neurological disorders, such as Tourette's syndrome. Appropriate diagnosis and treatment of other disorders are important to successful treatment of OCD. To learn more, contact a Laureate professional at 481-4000.
Adapted from the National Mental Health Association, Facts About OCD.
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