If you think Jack Nicholson was charming in ‘As Good As It Gets’ in spite of his eccentricities, you may be surprised to find out that his compulsions (using a fresh soap bar every time he washes his hands, flicks the light switch several times as soon as he enters a room) is more common than you think. Obsession-compulsion is that inexplicable feeling you experience when you lie awake at night worrying if the main gas pipe in the basement is tightly shut, when in fact, it was the last thing you did before you went to bed. Sure enough, you get up and go down the basement to check if it is closed; your anxieties are eased, at least for now.
The condition becomes a disorder if it interferes with your normal activities. It’s okay to worry about things; it’s the human tendency to gain a semblance of security – but worrying too much for irrational reasons need treatment. OC disorder is surprisingly common, affecting more than two percent of the total population. About one in fifty people have it; you yourself maybe among the few who does, but with symptoms so mild you hardly notice them. Obsessions are thoughts which persist in a person’s mind on impulse, and these often ferment and snowball unless something is done to address them. Obsessive thoughts can be apprehensions, anxieties, or a pressing need to perform certain actions; these often get worse when the person experiences stressful situations.
Compulsions are the direct result of obsessions, with symptoms often showing through a change in behavior. The usual compulsions involve repetitive ‘checking’ and washing activities, repeating certain actions unnecessarily, and performing personal rituals which may seem senseless to an outside observer. You brood on your thoughts and act on it, often recurrently – the most distinct symptom of obsessive-compulsive disorder.
The symptoms of OC disorder usually surface early on in life, especially in the childhood and adolescent phases. While some people are fully aware that they have a problem, some are entirely clueless or in denial. In many cases, the condition is paired up with other anxiety disorders, an eating disorder, and severe depression. If you’re one of those people who believe that you can live without the compulsions, your case can easily be treated through persistence and self-control. If you need help shaking off your habits, you might consider signing up for behavioral therapy.
Medication is the usual first treatment for the moderate to serious cases; an antidepressant which affects the levels of serotonin provides relief seventy-five percent of the time, particularly selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors like paroxitene, sertraline, or fluoxetine. The drugs can help keep the symptoms at bay as long as they are taken, but in fifty percent of all cases the behavior regresses as soon as a month following a discontinued intake. A combination of medication and behavioral therapy is the best treatment in such a case. If you’re worried that you might have a problem, only a consultation with a doctor can determine if your condition needs treatment. Oftentimes, they are just petty fixations which go away with the slightest assurance, so you need not worry about that dripping faucet every time you feel like it.
Related Directory Categories:
