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All of us have worries, doubts, and anxieties, things we just can’t get out of our heads from time to time. Life’s just like that, especially these days. But when we become so overwhelmed by intrusive thoughts that we find ourselves repeating the same actions over and over again in a vain attempt to rid of ourselves of them, we are said to have Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD). Washing our hands forty or fifty times till they’re red raw, or returning to the house over and over again to make sure we’ve turned off the gas, or being so afraid of contamination from bodily secretions that we dread normal everyday events or contact with others, are just some of the symptoms of this distressing, and by no means uncommon, condition.
Forget the carefree childhood preoccupation with avoiding cracks in the pavement; we’re talking here about taking exactly the same number of steps to the car every morning.
Obsessions are recurring and persistent thoughts, images and impulses, which we know are intrusive and inappropriate but which nevertheless cause anxiety or distress; they are not simply excessive worries over everyday problems. Compulsions are the repetitive acts carried out, often accompanied by elaborate rituals, in an attempt to make the thoughts go away.
OCD usually starts at any time between pre-school age and adulthood, although one third to one half of sufferers report that it started in childhood. While not thought to be gene-related, childhood-onset OCD runs in families, and when a parent has OCD, there is a slightly increased risk that a child will develop it. Just to confuse matters, Obsessive Compulsive Personality Disorder is not the same thing at all. OCPD involves a preoccupation with lists, schedules, rules, perfectionism, inflexibility, devotion to work and rigidity, and sufferers usually do not regard their condition as obsessive or even unusual.
Like many anxiety-based conditions, OCD can be a debilitating, life-inhibiting experience, but sadly, OCD sufferers are often secretive about their symptoms and the condition can go undiagnosed, leading to depression, and problems in their relationships and careers.
The scientific view as to the cause of OCD is split between those who believe it is caused by abnormalities in the brain, and those who believe it to be a psychological disorder. Most agree that while few sufferers can be cured totally of their symptoms, much relief can be achieved through a combination of behavioural therapy and medication. Exposure and Ritual Prevention (ERP), which involves gradually learning to tolerate the obsession without performing the compulsion, is becoming less popular as a treatment.
Where the cause of the anxiety is thought to be located in the patient’s subconscious due to suppressed childhood trauma, Regression To Cause through Hypnoanalysis, together with Cognitive Behaviour Therapy, has proved a successful treatment.
Copyright: Adrian Walker 2008
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