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What is Obsessive Compulsive Disorder?



Obsessive-compulsive disorder



bsessive-compulsive disorder usually includes both the obsessive and the compulsions, but only obsessive symptoms or only compulsions can occur.  In the following article, learn about the treatment of obsessive-compulsive disorder, its types and causes and treatment. 


Obsessive-compulsive disorder is a psychological disorder characterized by the presence of unwanted obsessive patterns of thinking or the presence of irrational fears that lead the sufferer to repeat obsessive behaviors repeatedly and uncontrollably, as the person with obsessive-compulsive disorder cannot control the obsessions that come to his mind and is unable to restrain himself from compulsive behaviors.  Which drives him these thoughts.


Obsessive-compulsive disorder is one of the most common mental disorders that can negatively affect the lives of patients.  Perhaps the person with obsessive-compulsive disorder tries to ignore the obsessive or turn away from it, but this only increases his anxiety and turmoil, until he eventually finds himself performing the compulsive acts again in order to relieve stress and reach comfort.


Types of obsessive-compulsive disorder.


Obsessive-compulsive disorder often revolves around a specific set of thoughts, each of which is associated with a specific pattern of compulsive behaviors. Types of OCD include:


Intellectual obsessive-compulsive disorder


It is a state of mind in which the sufferer cannot control his thoughts, as one idea or group of thoughts dominates his mind and he does not stop thinking about it, and if he wanted to leave it, he could not.  A person with intellectual obsessive-compulsive disorder can only think about the idea that controls his mind, and he cannot focus on anything else, and the patterns of thoughts that appear in this type of obsessive-compulsive disorder vary from person to person.


sexual obsessive-compulsive disorder.


In sexual obsessive-compulsive disorder, the patient suffers from a state of addiction to sexual behaviors, where an excessive sexual desire pushes him to excessive sexual behaviors and behaviors and the inability to stop them.


A person with sexual obsessive-compulsive disorder cannot restrain himself or become preoccupied with anything else, and this condition leads to his preoccupation with other things and distraction from performing other daily tasks, as he spends all his time in sexual fantasies and behaviors.


Religious obsessive-compulsive disorder


Religious obsessive-compulsive disorder is a pathological pattern of religious thoughts that causes the sufferer to constantly feel guilty, with abstinence from most normal and permissible behaviors for fear of earning the sins and deserving the suffering.


Fear of germs and pollution


In this type of obsessive-compulsive disorder, the patient suffers from an obsession with cleaning and sterilization and is constantly preoccupied with washing his hands and wiping tables and tools that he uses frequently and obsessively.  And without going to clean his hands several times.  People with this type of OCD may refuse to shake hands, eat outside, use or share stationery, and may cause embarrassment, low self-esteem and uncomfortable social situations.


obsessive-compulsive disorder


The person with obsessive-compulsive disorder suffers from an excessive and exaggerated morbid fear of being harmed. He may refrain from normal behaviors or activities for fear of being harmed. He does not exercise for fear of injury or refrain from using a knife to cut vegetables and fruits for fear of injuring himself.


That obsessive-compulsive disorder is related to another person, such as fear for children and preventing them from playing to protect them from harm and injury, and obsessive-compulsive disorder can lead a person to fear others and think that they might want to harm him, or his fear of doing himself or those around him as well.


Doubt and verification


In this case, the patient has frequent doubts about the tasks he has to accomplish, and he constantly thinks about whether he has completed them or forgotten to complete them, for example, thinking constantly about whether you closed the door of the house before you left. 


if you turned off the stove or forgot a tap  The water is open or the car has been forgotten before moving away or whether or not you have set the alarm for the time you want to get up, the doubter remains anxious most of the time about the tasks he is supposed to have done, and does not reassure himself until he comes back to make sure  Whole.


Obsessive hoarding


Hoarding obsession is an uncontrollable craving to buy and own things, with the inability to give up pre-existing things and refuse to get rid of them.  The patient has a craving to collect and keep things and feels upset and anxious at the thought of throwing away any of his items. 


Useless things accumulate in the home of the person with hoarding and fill the entire place, and the sufferer finds himself busy buying new things that he does not need, but may be of no value or use in the first place, which affects the patient’s life financially and causes him to live in a state of chaos.


Arrangement and Symmetry


The person with the disorder of arrangement and symmetry feels the pathological need to arrange and put everything in its right place, and you see him get angry whenever his order is disrupted and his vision of his own things are placed in an order other than the one he wants, the person with the disorder of arrangement and symmetry sees his way of arranging and organizing things completely perfect and remains in a constant obsession to arrange  Places and things in his way and according to what pleases him.


Self-control


Compulsive patterns of behavior dominate the person with self-control disorder, as in this case he cannot prevent himself from behaving in a certain way or withdrawing from the compulsive actions that he is motivated by his condition.


What are the symptoms of obsessive-compulsive disorder?


The symptoms of obsessive-compulsive disorder are divided into obsessions and compulsions driven by obsessive thoughts, and each of them has symptoms that distinguish it, including:


 Recurring and unwanted thoughts.


The patient suffers from disturbing thoughts or unwanted desires or fantasies that come to his mind frequently and he is unable to get rid of them. These thoughts cause discomfort and anxiety for the patient and hinder him from thinking properly.  It is not possible to get rid of these ideas, nor use logic to convince them of the opposite, and it is not useful to ignore them either. These ideas often relate to one of the following topics:


  • Fear of pollution and dirt. 

  • Suspicion and inability to deal with it. 

  • The need for things to be arranged and symmetrical or symmetrical, and the intense tension when this arrangement is disturbed. 

  • Aggressive thoughts or fear of harming yourself or others or being harmed. 

  • sexual and religious hallucinations. 

  • Avoid situations that can trigger obsessive thoughts such as refraining from shaking hands with others to avoid thinking about pollution. 

  • Uncertainty about performing certain tasks such as closing the door of the house or turning off the stove. 

Compulsive behaviors or rituals


Compulsive behaviors are actions and behaviors that the patient is motivated to do against his will, in which he has no control over himself to refrain from and does not feel himself unless he is practicing these actions in order to obtain comfort and relieve stress. Common compulsive behaviors include:


  • Wash hands frequently. 

  • Checking things like checking the presence of a phone, wallet, house or car key. 

  • count things. 

  • Exaggeration in keeping things in order and rearranging them frequently. 

  • Follow a strict routine and get too stressed out when going out of it. 

Symptoms of severe obsessive-compulsive disorder


  • Washing hands until the skin cracks and peels from frequent cleaning. 

  • Check many and many doors to make sure they are locked. 

  • Come home suddenly and quickly to make sure the stove is turned off or the windows are closed

  • Complete lack of self-control and preoccupation with compulsive actions most of the time so that they dominate the patient's life and do not become preoccupied with others. 


causes of obsessive-compulsive disorder


The cause of OCD is not yet fully known, but possible causes include all of the following:


Biological factors (changes in brain chemistry)


Obsessive-compulsive disorder may be the result of disturbances or imbalances in the system of chemical neurotransmitters in the brain, where problems in the structure of chemical compounds or the response to them by brain cells can lead to the emergence of OCD symptoms.


Social environment factors


It is possible that obsessive-compulsive disorder is acquired from the social environment as a result of certain experiences or behaviors of the people around the patient, affecting him so that it first prompts him to check and think about things voluntarily, and later turns into an obsessive pattern of thinking and acting.


Genetic Characteristics


Genes may be associated with OCD, as a person's risk of developing OCD increases if their parents or siblings had a previous injury.


complications


Compulsions and obsessive-compulsive behaviors include:

  • Infection with skin diseases such as cracking and peeling of the skin and inflammation as a result of frequent washing. 

  • Fatigue from repetitively performing rituals and rituals, and re-performing tasks over and over again. 

  • Social problems and disorder in the relationship with others. 

  • Learning difficulties in children and inability to perform work in adults. 

  • Suicidal thoughts and behaviors and decreased quality of life


treatment of obsessive-compulsive disorder



Treatment of obsessive-compulsive disorder



Obsessive-compulsive disorder and its treatment need to establish an appropriate diagnosis at the beginning, and the way to do this is to visit a psychiatrist and consult him and present the case to him.


Diagnosis


The psychiatrist diagnoses obsessive-compulsive disorder after listening to the patient for a sufficient period of time, identifying his thinking patterns, and asking him about the thoughts he has and the extent to which he is affected by them, with the question about the compulsive actions and behaviors that the patient may suffer from.  The doctor may also order some blood tests or imaging tests such as a CT scan or an MRI if needed.


Obsessive-compulsive disorder test


The OCD test is a cognitive test that is conducted by evaluating the patient's condition and matching the test criteria with the symptoms that the patient suffers from. The presence of OCD is confirmed by verifying the presence of obsessions or compulsions or both, and ensuring that these obsessions persist for a long time with the absence of explanations.


Other medical symptoms.  This test is the most accurate and standard method for diagnosing obsessive-compulsive disorder, and the psychiatrist can perform it in the clinic during the conversation with the patient.


Treating obsessive-compulsive disorder permanently.


To get rid of OCD permanently, the patient must be followed up by a specialized psychiatrist for a long time, which includes a large number of psychotherapy sessions, and treatment can be started through cognitive behavioral therapy, with the use of psychotropic medications that help to get rid of symptoms when needed.


Cognitive behavioral therapy


Cognitive behavioral therapy is one of the effective and useful methods of psychotherapy. Cognitive behavioral therapy includes a section related to thoughts and is concerned with recognizing the different thinking patterns of the patient and distinguishing negative thoughts and helping the patient to identify them and then working to get rid of them and replace them with logical and positive thoughts.


The other part of cognitive behavioral therapy is concerned with the behavior patterns and actions of the patient and the extent of his ability to control them, and helping the patient to realize the pathological behavioral patterns and work with the doctor through a set of rules and advice to get rid of them and replace them with healthy and useful behaviors.


Medication.


Some medications can help control compulsions and obsessions, making CBT easier to eliminate pathological thoughts and behaviors.  The doctor begins treatment with with antihistamines. 


He may then prescribe other medications as he sees fit. The medications used include:






  • Certraly. 

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