Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD)

OCD: What's in Control?

Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) is an anxiety disorder that is the fourth most common mental illness in the U.S. (8). OCD affects five million Americans, or one in five people (3). This is a serious mental disorder that causes people to think and act certain things repetitively in order to calm the anxiety produced by a certain fear. Unlike compulsive drinking or gambling, OCD compulsions do not give the person pleasure; rather, the rituals are performed to obtain relief from the discomfort caused by obsessions (2). OCD is more common than schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, or panic disorder, according to the National Institute of Mental Health (6). This disorder can be therapeutically treated, but not cured. The causes of OCD are not completely understood, and warrant further exploration of self-control and autonomy.

There are many branches or types of OCD. Within all branches, ninety percent of people suffer from both obsessions and compulsions, rather than solely one or the other (1). One category of OCD sufferers tend to check and recheck items from 10-100 times - such as a locked door. The overwhelming impulse to recheck remains until the person experiences a reduction in tension despite the realization that the item is secure (1). OCD sufferers also tend to habitually wash due to fear of contamination. Another form of OCD is hoarding, which is excessive saving of typically worthless items such as shoes or computer disks due to an overwhelming fear that one day these items might be of use. People who suffer from the ordering branch of OCD, feels compelled to place items in a designated spot or order to alleviate worries of disorder and mayhem. Pure-O sufferers are those people who grapple wi...

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2) Obsessive Compulsive Foundation-What is OCD?

http://www.ocfoundation.org/ocf1010a.htm

3) Most Frequently asked questions about OCD

http://www.ocdhelp.org/faq.html

4) Obsessive Compulsive Foundation, related Disorders

http://www.ocfoundation.org/ocf1020a.htm

5) Obsessive Compulsive Foundation-How is OCD treated?

http://www.ocfoundation.org/ocf1030a.htm

6) OCD and Tic Disorders

http://mentalhelp.net/poc/center_index.php?id=6

7) A Cognitive Therapeutic Differentiation Between Conceptualizing and Managing OCD

http://www.ocdonline.com/definecbt.htm

8) Obsessive Compulsive Disorder: OCD

http://www.ocdhelp.org/ocdfacts.html

9)Letizia et al. 2001. Abnormal Pattern of Cortical Activation Associated with Voluntary Movement in Obsessive Compulsive Disorder: an EEG Study. American journal of Psychiatry. 158: 140-142.