Premium Essay

Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD)

Submitted By
Words 1616
Pages 7
Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD), defined by the American Psychiatric Association in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) is a mental disorder with “essential features of recurrent obsessions of compulsions that are severe enough to be time consuming or cause marked distress or significant impairment.” Even though this disorder has been mentioned since the seventeenth century many aspects of its origin are still unknown. Affecting around one percent of the United States population, OCD is shown to be equally common between males and females. Yet, the age of onset is generally earlier in males. Health professionals are still trying to figure out what factors are responsible but commonly look for three things when …show more content…
The 1621 Anatomy of Melancholy by the Oxford Don, Robert Burton accounts of one of the first cases of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder described as “religious melancholy.” Later in 1660 the Bishop of Down and Connor, Ireland, Jeremy Taylor wrote of “scruples” or obsessional doubting. In another sermon by the Bishop of Norwich, England, John Moore, spoke of OCD as an individual’s obsession of “blasphemous thoughts” starting in the mind, struggling to suppress them with all their might, yet the more they struggle the worse it is. The concepts of OCD from French psychiatrists, Henri Dagonet, and Benedict Morel, ranged from partial insanity in 1838 to impulsive insanity in the 1850’s, and later “diseases of the emotions” or “psychosis of degeneration,” German psychiatrists including Wilhelm Griesinger and Carl Westphal used the terms of “Grubelnsucht” (a ruminatory or questioning illness) and “Zwangsvorstellung” (compelled presentation or idea) to describe OCD. This led to being translated into obsessions in Great Britain and compulsions in the United States resulting in “obsessive-compulsive disorder.” With the twentieth century came ideas from Pierre Janet and Sigmund Freud. Janet believed that in the third stage of psychasthenic illness obsessions and compulsions form. Freud viewed the patients mind as …show more content…
It can be very taxing on those with relationships with people with OCD; constantly affected by its demands. Children tend to involve their family members in their compulsions which can cause great strain (Anxiety and Depression Association of America). Family members often accommodate behaviors enabling OCD symptoms such as participating in the behavior, assisting in the avoidance of certain objects/situations, helping with the behaviors, making changes in the normal routines, leisure activities, or jobs and taking on extra responsibilities. Family member’s responses to one’s obsessions and compulsions may also fuel symptoms. For friends and families to be able to help their loved ones they should research, gather information, and learn more about OCD, learn how their actions and responses have an impact and how to respond to the refusal of treatment, and offer encouragement and support in treatment (International OCD

Similar Documents

Premium Essay

Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD)

...Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) affects children and adults by interfering with a person’s routine, schoolwork, job, family and social life. This disorder can be very detrimental to an individual and even their family members. People with this disorder are sometimes stuck in infinite cycles of repetitive behavior. They may have reoccurring thoughts of fear and obsessions that they are unable to control. Most of the time these behaviors and obsessions end up controlling the individual. This may cause them to feel helpless and even anxious. It gets in the way of their normal, everyday life. There are several categories of OCD. Some of these include washers and cleaners, checkers, doubters and sinners, counters and arrangers, and hoarders....

Words: 1310 - Pages: 6

Free Essay

Ocd- Obsessive Compulsive Disorder

...Jasmin Esquivel Research Project Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder I chose the topic because i have always wanted to learn more information about it. In my opinion i feel as if we all have a bit of OCD in all of us. The reason i chose the article was because i wanted to know more information on how it works, what it does to the human mind and body, and some causes and symptoms. I feel as if this article will give me a lot of information about what i want to learn exactly. OCD consists of two characteristics, which are obsessions and compulsions. It is considered a mental health condition, and it is common in both children and adults. The first symptoms often begin during childhood or adolescence, the media age of onset is 19. Seems like a very young age to acquire such a mental condition. But it is triggered by a combination of genetic, neurological,behavioral, cognitive, and environmental factors. It can occur in both men and women regardless of their race or background. Obsessions include losing control, perfectionism,unwanted sexual thoughts, religious obsessions, and other obsessions. Compulsions include washing a cleaning, checking, repeating, and other compulsions. There is treatment, it will involve a combination of cognitive behavioral therapy and selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors. The article then lists common OCD obsessions and compulsions which then have information of the types of examples. For example, Contamination is one, which includes body...

Words: 631 - Pages: 3

Free Essay

Psychological Disorder Paper

...Psychological Disorder Paper Erica Vazquez PSY 450 University of Phoenix Abstract This paper will examine the psychological disorder Obsessive Compulsive Disorder and the relationship it has between human development and socialization as well as how human development and socialization affect people with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. Psychological Disorder Paper The U.S. National Library of Medicine describes Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) as, “ an anxiety disorder in which people have unwanted and repeated thoughts, feelings, ideas, sensations (obsessions), or behaviors that make them feel driven to do something (compulsions).” Essentially, the obsessions are the spontaneous and tedious contemplations, while the compulsions are the actions that result from the disorder. Even though OCD is exhibited as recurrent and persistent thoughts and impulses, would it be just to consider every type of compulsive behavior or obsessive thought as OCD? (Shiraev &Levy, 2010) According to Shiraev & Levy, “ Specific repetitive behavior – praying, for example –– should be judged in accordance with the norms of the individual’s culture and should clearly interfere with social role functioning to be diagnosed as OCD (DSM-IV, P. 420) “ (2010, p. 231). With this in mind a more concrete explanation of the relationship between OCD and human development and socialization. Obsessive Compulsive Disorder According to the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) OCD affects more...

Words: 998 - Pages: 4

Premium Essay

Obsessive Complusive Disorder

...Running head: OCD Obsessive Compulsive Disorder Sabrina Smith West GA Technical College Abstract Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) is a disorder of the brain and behavior. OCD causes severe anxiety for people who suffer from this disorder. OCD involves both obsessions and compulsions that take a lot of time and get in the way of significant activities. Obsessions are defined as repeated thoughts, images or impulses that are interfering and annoying. Compulsions are time-consuming and troubling repetitive rituals. There are more than 200,000 cases in America per year. There is no cure for OCD; however, there are different types of treatments that may help the chronic behaviors associated with this disorder. Obsessive Compulsive Disorder can last for many years and even an entire life span with some people. Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is a heterogeneous condition characterized by a wide range of symptoms that can be distilled down to a smaller number of unique symptom dimensions (Cordeiro, Sharma, Thennarasu, & Reddy 2015). People with obsessive-compulsive disorder ten to be classified into one of the four major symptom dimensions: symmetry, forbidden thoughts, cleaning, and hoarding. A person’s personality trait significantly contributes to how severe someone’s obsessive compulsive disorder will become (Alonso, 2008). Symmetry – related to obsessive compulsive disorder – is just another way to classify someone as a...

Words: 1432 - Pages: 6

Premium Essay

Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (CBT)

...Obsessive-compulsive disorder is a disorder that can be more debilitating than one would think. It has been found that the cause of OCD is either due to brain abnormalities or a chemical imbalance. There are various types of treatments out there to treat OCD. There are two possible treatments for OCD: psychotherapy and medication. Cognitive behavioral psychotherapy (CBT) is one of the possible treatments of OCD. This type of treatment helps patients internalize a strategy to resist OCD for the rest of their life. It has been found that serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SRIs) are very effective in treating OCD. What this medication does is increase the concentration of serotonin in the brain. One of the common SRIs used to treat OCD in the United...

Words: 2014 - Pages: 9

Premium Essay

Application to Clinical Psych

...Application to Psychology: Obsessive Compulsive Disorder Se'Sees Holmes PSY/480 November 3, 2014 Chantell Scott Application to Psychology: Obsessive Compulsive Disorder Clinical Psychologist’s must tackle a huge number of mental disorders. They can range from anything being Obsessive Compulsive Disorder to Schizophrenia. To fully comprehend the application of clinical psychology in the real-world environment one must fully understand the realm of psychology and all that goes with it. Here I will provide an overview of my chosen disorder being Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. I will then discuss the biological, psychological and social factors that are involved in my case. I will then explain which interventions would be appropriate in the field of psychology and then for each intervention we will discuss the rationale for the selected intervention, what would take place, who would be involved in the intervention, where the intervention would be held and lastly which area the intervention would target either biological, psychological or social. Overview My case involves Bess; she is a 27 year old female stemming from the upper middle class. Bess is an accountant as well as a perfectionist, which in her field is completely normal. When Bess was the young age of 10, her parents divorced and Bess remained in her mother’s custody. The two spent a great deal of time together. Her mother would often express her love for Bess and from there it would turn into a fight. The fights...

Words: 1662 - Pages: 7

Premium Essay

Hoarding Disorder

...Hoarding Disorder VS. OCD Jasmine Riddle Professor Shawn Lee Module2 Obsessive Compulsive Disorder April 16, 2016 Some disorders, such as obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) are characterized by classic obsessions. Obsessions are repetitive, unwanted, and intrusive thoughts that trigger anxiety. In other disorders, such as BDD and hoarding disorder, the intrusive thoughts could be more aptly described as a persistent and unrelenting preoccupation. In the case of BDD, this preoccupation focuses on personal appearance and attractiveness. In the case of hoarding disorder, the preoccupation centers around possessions. The causes of Obsessive-compulsive and related disorders remain speculative. OCD may even be a heterogeneous set of disorders with different triggers and etiology (Thorpe, Bennett, Fried, & Nottingham, 2011). OCD is characterized by a reduced ability of security-related behavior to terminate motivation evoked by potential danger, rather than a heightened initial sensitivity to potential threat. They lend support to the security-motivation theory of OCD (Szechtman & Woody, 2012) and have important implications both for research into the biological mechanisms underlying OCD and for the development of new treatment approaches. The intrusive thoughts of people with hoarding disorder are associated with their preoccupation regarding their possessions; specifically, parting with, or losing these possessions. Unlike spontaneous OCD obsessions, intrusive...

Words: 821 - Pages: 4

Premium Essay

Ocd Speech

...Obsessive Compulsive Disorder I. Introduction a. Attention Getter: According to the National Institute of Mental Health, over “2.2 million American adults” suffer from Obsessive Compulsive Disorder in a given year. In a world of 6 billion people, 2.2 million doesn’t seem like much, but to put it into perspective, 2.2 million is about the population of Houston, Texas. b. Motivation: This disorder is a part of everyday life and affects all Americans, regardless of race or class. Just like thousands of other medical problems that affect us today, it’s important for the public to be informed about the disorder in order to better understand those that suffer from it. c. Credibility: Though I do not personally suffer from OCD, I have met people who do. I do, however, believe that everyone has something in his/her life that requires repetition until perfection. For instance, when I draw or create artwork, it has to be perfect down to the last pencil, pen, crayon, paint, or charcoal mark. If even one thing is out of place, it will bother me and I will constantly dwell on it until it is fixed. This is not truly a form of OCD, but it does give me a taste of what those who suffer from OCD go through on a smaller basis. d. Thesis: In my speech I will talk about the various symptoms and signs that can be used to identify OCD, the causes and risk factors behind this disorder, and the various treatments that are used to manage OCD. [Transition] First off, I’d...

Words: 1002 - Pages: 5

Premium Essay

Case Study: Obsessive Compulsive Disorder – the Case of Bess

...Case Study: Obsessive Compulsive Disorder – The Case of Bess Your Name PSY/410 Date Professor Obsessive Compulsive Disorders: The Case of Bess Obsessive compulsive disorder commonly (OCD) can be defined as an anxiety disorder differentiated by acts of compulsiveness or continual thoughts of obsession. Persistent thoughts, images, and desires are characteristics of obsessions. These thoughts, images, and desires are not typically willed into one’s mind as they are often senseless, illogical, aggressive, taboo, etc. Compulsive acts are unrealistic and repetitive behaviors. The fear of contamination with germs, dirt, or grease is the most common obsession, which leads to thoroughgoing or compulsive cleansing rituals. Religion, sex, neatness, and hostility are other premises of obsessions. Other variations of compulsions consist of ritualistic counting and checking a specific amount of times. The purpose of this paper is to provide an overview of OCD in the case of Bess. Additionally, I will explain the biological, psychodynamic, cognitive, and behavioral theories as they apply to the disorder analyzed in my selected case. Overview of Case Bess is a 27-year-old upper-middle class woman who is an accountant and perfectionist, which is normal within her field. At age 10 her parents divorced and Bess was raised by her mother. Although Bess and her mother spent a great deal of time together and her mother frequently expressed her love for Bess, they would often fight. Most...

Words: 1536 - Pages: 7

Free Essay

Abnormal Ocd

...OCD—a disorder that affects about 1 in 100 adults and 1 in 200 children. Obsessive-compulsive disorder is an anxiety disorder in which people have unwanted and repeated thoughts, feelings, ideas, sensations, or behaviors that make them feel driven to do something. Often the person carries out the behaviors to get rid of the obsessive thoughts, but this only provides temporary relief. Not performing the obsessive rituals can cause great anxiety. Obsessive compulsive disorder better known as OCD, is a disorder that personally affects me in by day to day living. Even though I have not been diagnosed with this disorder, I suffer from OCD like symptoms. Symptoms of OCD are as follows, obsessions or compulsions that are not due to medical illness or drug use, and or obsessions or compulsions that cause major distress or interfere with everyday life. Even though I am not affected by the symptoms in the ways that people who have been diagnosed with this disorder are, I still become anxious when something triggers my compulsive or obsessive behavior and the relief to the action is not gained. Although I have not been to a doctor and diagnosed, it is not ruled out that my anxiousness that come along with this disorder is not relevant. Obsessive-compulsive disorder is more common than was once thought. Most people who eventually develop this disorder begin to show symptoms by the age of 30. No one really knows the cause of OCD, but there are several theories about what may cause it,...

Words: 983 - Pages: 4

Premium Essay

Obsessive Compulsive Disorder

...Obsessive Compulsive Disorder What is OCD? OCD is an anxiety disorder where sufferers experience persistent and intrusive thoughts occurring as obsessions, compulsions or a combination of the two. Obsessions are things that people think about and can comprise of inappropriate ideas and visual images that aren’t based on reality, such as being convinced that there are germs everywhere. Compulsions are what people do as a result of those obsessions; they are an attempt to reduce distress or prevent feared events, though there is little chance of them doing so. Symptoms of OCD. Obsessive symptoms. Common obsessions include: * Contamination, eg by germs. * Fear of losing control, eg through impulses to hurt someone. * Perfectionism, eg fear of not being the best. * Religion, eg fear of being immoral. Common obsessions include: * Contamination, eg by germs. * Fear of losing control, eg through impulses to hurt someone. * Perfectionism, eg fear of not being the best. * Religion, eg fear of being immoral. Behavioural. * Hinders everyday functioning – having obsessive ideas of an inappropriate type creates such anxiety that the ability to perform everyday tasks is severely hindered, for example, being able to work effectively. * Social impairment – anxiety levels generated are so high as to limit the ability to conduct meaningful interpersonal relationships. Emotional. * Extreme anxiety – persistent inappropriate or forbidden ideas...

Words: 975 - Pages: 4

Free Essay

Seasonal Ocd

...A Summary of the Journal Article: Seasonal Obsessive‑Compulsive Disorder = A Summary of the Journal Article: Seasonal Obsessive‑Compulsive Disorder Obsessive‑Compulsive Disorder is excessive thought (obsessions) that lead to repetitive behaviors. Seasonal Obsessive‑Compulsive Disorder, which is very rare, is when the symptoms occur during a certain time of the year; such as autumn or spring. This rare ten year (2004-2014) case study is about a patient whose Obsessive‑Compulsive Disorder had its onset during winter and remitted the following summer. This 41yearold housewife, educated up to sixth standard, hailing from middle socioeconomic status, with nil contributory family history, and suffering from hypertension and myopia in left eye (+0.75) and hypermetropia in right eye (−0.75), reported to outpatient clinic with history of 10years duration characterized by unpleasant, frequent, and distressing worries related to dirt and contamination (Sinha, P., Bakhla, A. K., Patnaik, A. K., & Chaudhury, S., 2014). These triggered the occurrence of long, nonfunctional repetitive behaviors such as cleaning and repeating the same words over and over. It was also stated both by husband and the patient that these symptoms have a seasonal pattern developing in October and completing the cycle in April-May. This pattern was so wellrecognized that she wasn’t given any treatment for the first three to four years as they considered it an result of the change of the seasons and that symptoms...

Words: 686 - Pages: 3

Free Essay

Psyc Field Paper

...Kevin Johnson Field Paper 1 Psychology 100 Obsessive Compulsive disorder is a psychological illness that causes an individual to be either obsessive, compulsive, or both. In this illness obsessiveness could mean a recurring image, thought, or impulse a person is having that can create anxiety, or cause the person to be uncomfortable. The compulsive aspect could be interpreted to mean the need or the compulsion to repeat a certain behavior or action. Though there are occurrences where one or the other are presented typically the two aspects, compulsion and obsessiveness, are intertwined. For example a person could have the obsessive need to knock on a door a certain amount of times, or have the compulsion to wash their hands every twenty minutes. The symptoms of this disorder range with the severity. There are cases where Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (or OCD) that do not harm an individual or cause any difficulties in everyday life. There are other cases in which a person would need considerable amounts of treatment in order to function and complete everyday activities with minimal difficulties. OCD symptoms can be split into two different categories: Obsessions and Compulsions. The Obsession symptoms are the symptoms that deal with the mind. These are the images or urges that a person can have that can cause anxiety, distress, or discomfort. The obsession symptoms of OCD are usually repeated and can be unwanted. The symptoms of obsessions tend to have a common theme...

Words: 968 - Pages: 4

Free Essay

Social Work

...Obsessive - Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder in Children and Adolescents A Review of Literature Galaunda J. Pee Professor Shirley McClerklin - Motley “Using the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV TR)” Coker College, Hartsville South Carolina Abstract Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder or OCD, is a medical disorder that causes repetitive, unpleasant thoughts (obsessions) or behaviors (compulsions) that are difficult to control (Stewart et al.2007). Unlike ordinary worries or habits, these obsessions and compulsions may consume significant amounts of time, more than an hour per day, may interfere with a person’s daily schedule. OCD may cause significant distress, and affects approximately one percent of children and adolescents. It was once considered a rare condition, but is now viewed as not only one of the more prevalent psychiatric disorders, but also one the most disabling medical disorders. Obsessive-compulsive disorder has a significant impact on humans and social functioning, quality of life, family, Relationships socio-economic status. Think of OCD as an “overactive alarm system.” Obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), is a debilitation neuropsychiatry disorder with a lifetime prevalence of two to three percent and is estimated to be the tenth leading cause of disability in the world (Abramowitz, J.S. (2006)...

Words: 1916 - Pages: 8

Free Essay

Teaching Proposal

...Teaching Proposal Learning Needs Assessment CHARACTERISTICS OF THE LEARNERS: This group is made up of parents, siblings, and extended family members of clients diagnosed with obsessive compulsive disorders. The learners are all English-speaking and consist of various age groups from the mid 60s to the early 20s. Each learner is presently living with or has lived with a child diagnosed with obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD). WHAT CLIENTS ALREADY KNOW: This group of learners knows the difficulty and frustrations involved in living with a child with OCD. They have experienced the feelings of guilt and shame, along with the anger and distress while attempting to adjust to the child’s behavior and know that this response is not a healthy reaction. WHAT CLIENTS NEED TO LEARN: This group needs to learn that there are healthy ways to deal with a child with OCD. They need to learn methods of reducing their feelings of frustration and guilt. They need to learn that it is not a sign of weakness to seek help. Purpose and Client Learning Objectives PURPOSE: The purpose of this client-education activity is to teach parents, siblings, and extended family members methods to identify healthy and effective ways of coping and living with a child diagnosed with OCD. LEARNER OBJECTIVES: At the conclusion of this activity, the learners will be able to: (1) recognize that the family members themselves are not responsible for the illness; (2) accept that the child’s progress...

Words: 591 - Pages: 3