Obsessive Compulsive Disorder(OCD) falls under the category of anxiety disorders and is marked by obsessions and compulsions that are extremelystressful, pushy and highly notable in character. Most individuals tend to experience minor obsessive thoughts at some point such as whether they remembered to turn off the fan or lock the room before leaving for work. Most individuals also tend to engage in some sort of recurring behavior. In OCD these thoughts appear to be extremely unrelenting and cause a great deal of distress to the patient. These thoughts and rituals often become unreasonable and begin to interfere with the individual’s daily life and behavior pattern.
Most of the compulsive behaviors in OCD tend to neutralize the obsessive thoughts or images with a view to prevent a much dreaded event or situation. As per the DSM-IV criteria, obsessions mostly revolve around persistent and intrusive thoughts, images or impulses that are disturbing and unsuitable. Individuals with such obsessions often try to curb them or try and counterbalance them with some other thought or action. Compulsions can take the form of repetitive behavior such as hand washing, checking or ordering or more clandestine mental acts such as counting, praying or repeating certain words silently.
Characteristics of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder(OCD):
An individual with OCD usually feels compelled to perform various compulsive acts and behaviors in response to a particular obsession.
The rules regarding how the compulsive behavior needs to be performed are often very rigid.
Most compulsive behaviors are performed in order to stop or reduce the distress or to prevent a dreaded situation, though they are not realistically connected to the obsessive behavior.
Most of the acts and impulses appear to be notable unnecessary.
Obsessive compulsive individuals are aware of the fact that the rituals performed by them and the compulsions are senseless, yet they are unable to control them.
This involuntary behavior causes the individual great deal of distress, anxiety and stress.
Obsessive compulsive thoughts and behaviors also consume a lot of time usually over an hour and interfere with the individual’s normal day to day functioning in occupational and social spheres.
Types of Obsessive thoughts:
There are various types of topics which are the center of obsessive thoughts. Obsessions may consist of contamination, fears of harming one’s own self or others and clinical doubt. Other common themes include concerns regarding the need for equilibrium, sexual obsessions, religious obsessions or aggressions. Both, normal and abnormal obsessions and compulsive behaviors exist in continuity. However, the frequency and intensity of the obsessions and the degree to which they may interfere with the individual’s daily life and resistance to them differs.
Types of Compulsions:
People with OCD feel compelled to perform certain acts repeatedly. Some of them also appear to be pointless and absurd even to them, yet they cannot help but perform them. Some of the most common types of compulsions include:
- Cleaning
- Checking
- Repeating
- Ordering/arranging
- Counting
