Lesson 1: Clinical Disorders - Part A

PART A

Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD)

This disorder can evolve into one of the more severe of the anxiety disorders. People with OCDs are bombarded with persistent and uncontrollable thoughts, as well as compulsions to perform specific actions over and over again. The obsessive part of the disorder involves recurrent and intrusive thoughts or images that cause elevated anxiety. The compulsive part of the disorder requires the person to perform repetitive behaviours or mental acts to help reduce the anxiety caused by the obsession.  Examples of these are counting, touching, washing and checking.

People with OCD spend a minimum of one hour each day engaging in their particular compulsion. Interestingly enough, most people experience the same kinds of thoughts, but only specific individuals experience them differently. When such people try to fight these normal thoughts, their frequency increases, which causes heightened anxiety. If not effectively treated, OCD can persist through a person’s life. The individual who suffers from an OCD essentially becomes trapped in a pattern of repetitive thoughts and senseless behaviours that are distressing and extremely challenging to overcome.

OCD often begins in adolescence or early adulthood, although it can start in childhood.  It is quite common and affects both men and women.  Those with OCD are at higher risk for developing depression and other anxiety disorders.  OCD whould not be confused with superstitions or those repetitive checking behaviors that are common in everyday life.  They are not simply excessive worries about real life issues.  A person with OCD will have significant symptoms of either obsessions or compulsions or both.  These symptoms will be severe enough to cause marked distress, are time consuming (take up more than one hour per day) and significantly interfere with a person's normal activities, (work, school, social, family, etc.).

Please read Case Study Five.

Click on the link below to learn more about OCD:

Teen Mental Health http://teenmentalhealth.org/learn/mental-disorders/obsessive-compulsive-disorder-ocd/