Psychology

Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder can be defined as a mental disorder that is associated with anxiety. This anxiety arises when the brain has a problem in dealing with the normal worries and doubts. This disorder is usually characterized by repetitive unpleasant thoughts referred to as obsessions andor certain recurrent behaviors that are referred to as compulsions. Such behaviors include the prolonged hand washing, counting, and cleaning just to mention but a few. Engaging in these ritualized behaviors is meant to provide temporal relief by reducing the anxiety. Individuals suffering from the Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) are usually filled with doubts about and therefore feel the need to repeatedly check and confirm certain things. They exhibit what can be referred to as a pervasive pattern of orderliness with emphasis on perfection which may include mental and interpersonal control at the expense of others. Obsession-Compulsive Disorder should however not be confused with the Obsession-Compulsive Personality Disorder (OCPD) as the two though closely linked are different altogether. Individuals with OCPD differ from those with OCD since OCPD victims are usually rebellious to other peoples views but would always demand an imposition of their views on others. Some psychologists have argued that such individuals are deeply rooted in their dysfunctional thinking and are convinced that their way of thinking is the only right way (Oagile, 2010).

Types of OCD
Individuals with OCD are characterized with obsessions and some have compulsions in addition. It has been observed that some individuals would not exhibit overt compulsions and one might think that these individuals do not experience compulsions. The obsessions and compulsions appear in different types and this can help us group OCD into different categories. Most individuals with OCD would combine two or more categories in which case one could be more severe. The categories include checkers, washers and cleaners, orderers, pure obsessionals, hoarders, and people with scrupulosity. Checkers have unfounded fears that some dangers may be happening to them. Such individuals will be characterized by constant check on the door lock, household appliances, homework, test questions, among other things in an effort to reaffirm their security. Washers and cleaners have fears and worries getting contaminated. To ease their obsessive fear, they engage in washing their hands, taking shower, and generally cleaning their environment. Washing and cleaning brings some relief from the anxiety of getting contaminated. Orderers on the other hand are relieved when they arrange certain items in a particular manner that they see as perfect. Pure obsessionals are those individuals who are usually troubled by unpleasant disturbing and horrifying thoughts andor images related to causing harm to others. To get relief, such individuals engage in recurrent behaviors such as counting or praying. Hoarders usually engage in collection of certain paraphernalia most people would consider as junk. Such individuals might place some significance in the items collected but may not explain compulsion to engage in what they do. Lastly people with scrupulosity are obsessed with thoughts that are usually centered on religion or morality. Such individuals would engage in compulsive prayers or religious activities that would constantly assure them of their religious beliefs.

Causes
The exact causes of the Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder have not been known but this can be attributed to both psychological and biological elements. During the 14th to 16th century in Europe, individuals with obsessions were regarded as having been possessed by the devil. They were therefore treated via exorcism to get rid of the evil spirits that were responsible for the obsession. In the early 20th century, Sigmund Freud linked the obsessive behavior to the conflicting drives in the unconscious part of the mind. He argued that the obsessive behaviors were symptomatic manifestation of the conflicts in the subconscious. The cognitive behavioral model on the other hand views the compulsive behavior as aimed at submerging the anxiety that is intrusively provoked in the mind. However, this is only temporal since the thoughts keep coming back and therefore the repeated behavioral pattern. Research has pointed to the biological causes of OCD by establishing that neurotransmitter serotonin appears to impact on the emergence of OCD. Neurotransmitters are more like the chemical messengers communicating in the nervous system. Individuals with OCD have exhibited some abnormalities in the brain parts including the thalamus, basal ganglia, caudate nucleus, orbital cortex, and cingulated gyrus. These areas are responsible for the processing of the incoming messages from the outside and sorts the information to help us focus on the task at hand. In OCD, these areas pay attention to the intrusive thoughts and the ideas that would normally be filtered out.

Signs, Symptoms, and Treatment
Individuals with OCD would exhibit both obsessions and compulsions or may just experience one of the two. Symptoms may wax and diminish over time but they have been known to worsen during stressing moments. Obsessions include fear of getting contaminated, fear of causing harm to you and others, excessive focus on religion and morality, among other obsessions. Compulsive behaviors may include recurrent double checking of things, excessive prayers, accumulating trash, repeated counting, washing severally or for long hours, e t c. (The National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), 2009).
Many effective treatments for the OCD have been proposed which ranges from different therapeutic measures to self-help and medical intervention. The cognitive-behavioral therapy for OCD involves the use of two models which includes exposure and response prevention and the cognitive therapy. The exposure and response model involves the repeated exposure to the cause of the obsession and then denial of the compulsive behavior meant to relive the anxiety. Studies have shown that such practices can have permanent impact on the prevention of OCD. The cognitive therapy focuses on the catastrophic thoughts and the exaggerated thoughts of responsibility. This model teaches about the healthy and effective ways an individual can employ in response to thoughts of obsessions without falling back to the compulsive behavioral pattern. Other forms of therapies applied to patients of OCD include family therapy and group therapy. Family therapies are advisable since OCD often results into problems within the family and therefore it becomes necessary for family members to understand the disorder in order to reduce family conflicts. Group therapy is also important since one can learn from other OCD sufferers and this provides support and encouragement to the sufferers. Anti-depressants may also be used together with therapeutic measures so as to effectively treat the OCD. Self treatment may also prove to be vital in the treatment of OCD. The first step in self treatment is getting educated about the OCD and then practicing the therapeutic measures that have been learnt on daily basis.

Conclusion
Individuals with the OCD are often aware of the abnormality of their obsessions but somehow they are compelled to repeat them. Such a realization could be more detrimental to the victim as they may resort to depression. It is therefore important to show support and comfort to the victims of OCD. Criticism and negative comments would only worsen the situation and therefore we should focus on the positives with praises on every successful attempt to resist the condition. Emotional support is necessary for the victims struggle in coping up with the OCD.