Obsessive-compulsive disorder refers to a condition in which you may have unwanted fears (obsessions) and thoughts. It leads you to do certain repetitive behaviors that are called compulsions.
The condition of having obsessions and compulsions causes disruption in your day-to-day activities. It induces significant stress in people. You may try to stop unwanted obsessions. Some people ignore these obsessions that can only enhance the level of their distress and anxiety.
You may be overwhelmed by obsessive thoughts and feel driven to do certain compulsions in order to reduce your stress. The efforts to get rid of the problematic thoughts and ignoring them do not stop the thoughts from recurring.
It causes ritualistic behavior. You can call it a vicious stage of obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD). This disorder revolves around specific themes like having an excessive fear of germs. People wash their hands compulsively to ease their stress.
The surprising thing about washing hands is that you may never feel relieved until your hands become chapped. You may feel embarrassed about having this mental health condition. Do not ignore or hide your condition, go for effective treatment to ease your symptoms of OCD.
Symptoms
People experience obsessive thoughts and compulsive behaviors when they get OCD. It is possible to have only one obsession and compulsion that may seem unreasonable. But these conditions take up a lot of your great time and interrupt your daily routine.
People having OCD face issues in working. You may also experience problems with your school and daily routine if you have OCD.
Obsession Symptoms
Obsessions of OCD are repeated and persistent thoughts, urges, and images that are interrupting. These thoughts and urges induce significant anxiety and distress in individuals with OCD.
You may try to ignore such thoughts by performing a ritual. People who have OCD may experience following obsessions.
- Fear of dirt
- Having tolerance issues
- Demand things in a proper symmetry and order
- Have horrific thoughts about harming others and losing control
- Unwanted thoughts regarding religion and sex
Symptoms of obsessions are given below.
- Having issues in touching objects due to fear of contamination
- Having doubts that you may have not locked the door properly or turned off your kitchen’s stove
- Facing severe stress issues when things or objects are not arranged properly
- Images of the car drive where a crowd of people is present
- Thoughts about acting improperly in public and shouting
- Avoiding the situations that lead to certain obsessions such as shaking hands
Compulsion Symptoms
Compulsions in OCD occur rapidly. These are the repetitive behaviors that you sometimes feel driven to do. Specific compulsions or repetitive behaviors are performed to reduce the level of stress and anxiety that are related to one’s obsessions.
People also assume that they are doing compulsions to prevent anything bad from happening. If you have OCD and you engage in the compulsion often, it may not give permanent relief to your symptoms. You can only get temporary relief from the stress.
Individuals with OCD make rituals or certain rules that they think they will follow to manage their obsessive thoughts and anxiety. The compulsions occur excessively. Following are the themes of compulsions just like obsessions.
- Asking for reassurance
- Cleaning and washing frequently
- Counting
- Checking
- Following strict schedule
- Orderliness
Symptoms of compulsions are given below.
- Arranging the canned goods
- Hand washing until the hand skin becomes tough or raw
- Counting in specific patterns
- Checking doors, again and again, to make sure they are properly locked
- Going to check stove repeatedly to avoid any undesirable situation
Level Of Severity
Symptoms of OCD begin when you are a teenager or when you are an adult. It can also occur in childhood. Severity levels of the symptoms vary for a lifetime. Obsessions and compulsions may also alter over the duration of time.
Your symptoms may worsen with a high level of stress. OCD is considered a disorder that persists for a lifetime. Symptoms can vary from mild to moderate. The symptoms can also become severe, disabling, and time-consuming.
OCD is not all about excessive worries. It may not be associated with the real issues that exist in your life. You need to go to a mental health professional if you are facing issues of obsessions and compulsions. Your doctor will help you to make your quality of life better after OCD.
Causes
Researchers do not the main cause of OCD. They reported that different factors may contribute to this condition. Following are the main factors that play an important role in making you vulnerable to get the symptoms of OCD.
Biology
Alterations in the brain or natural chemistry of your body can induce the symptoms of obsessive-compulsive disorder.
Genetics
OCD symptoms may have a genetic component. But genes are not yet identified that may play a significant role in causing this disorder.
Learning
The fears from obsessions and certain compulsive behavior can be the result of watching the family members and learning from them. In this case, symptoms develop gradually.
