All About OCD (Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder)
By Lela S.
OCD, better known as obsessive-compulsive disorder, is a disorder that affects many people in the world, including two of my own friends. This article will show you everything - and I mean EVERYTHING - about OCD.
According to the NIH, obsessive-compulsive disorder is a mental illness that causes uncontrollable, reoccurring thoughts, called obsessions, and/or the urge to do something over and over again (compulsions). However, OCD isn’t about biting your nails, or thinking negative thoughts.
Examples of obsessions:
The digits of pi scrolling endlessly through your mind
Having the need to keep everything organised
Scared of germs and contamination
Most people have thoughts that they can’t stop at times, such as a song that’s stuck in your head, or the fact that you did something wrong and you might get in trouble. In the end, though, the thought dies down. However, people with OCD usually recognize that the obsessions are self-generated and inappropriate, but they can’t stop the thoughts.
Examples of compulsions:
In Minecraft, when you press a, you press d
When you chew food on the left side of your mouth, you chew it on the right side
Wiping down every surface you touch
Not all rituals or habits are compulsions. Everyone double checks things sometimes. However, people who do have OCD have certain characteristics in these rituals:
Can't control their thoughts or behaviors, even when people tell them to stop
Spends at least 1 hour a day on these thoughts or behaviors
Doesn’t get pleasure when performing the behaviors or rituals, but may feel brief relief from the anxiety the thoughts cause
Experiences problems in their daily life due to these thoughts or behaviors
Some people with this disorder also have sudden, brief, repetitive movements called tics. Some examples of tics are:
Excessive blinking or winking
Grimacing
Shrugging
Head or shoulder jerking
Also, there are vocal tics.
Repetitive throat-clearing
Sniffing
Grunting
Currently, experts don’t know what causes OCD. As well as that, it’s more common in women than in men. Most people are diagnosed by about age 19, typically with an earlier age of onset in boys than in girls, but onset after age 35 does happen. However, there are some risk factors involved.
A family member with OCD: Genetics play a big role in OCD. Twin and family studies have shown that people with siblings or parents with OCD have a greater risk of developing it than people who don’t.
Experience with trauma: In some studies, there’s a link between childhood trauma, such as physical and sexual abuse, to symptoms of OCD. However, more research is needed to further understand this concept.
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