Obsessive Compulsive Disorder

Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) is caused by anxiety. People with OCD have obsessive behavior that is repetitive in nature. They also do all these things compulsively. For example, a person regularly washing hands is said to be afflicted with OCD. This person might feel anxiety and fear caused by the recurring feeling of getting infected by bacteria. Hence, by regularly washing hands, this person feels that that the problem can be done away with.

Another example of obsessive-compulsive disorder is of a person periodically checking if the doors and windows are locked when this person retires to bed. This may be caused by a past event that would have made this person anxious and fearful.

People with this kind of anxiety disorder seek temporary alleviation by doing these repetitive actions. They want to tame their anxiety levels by seeking a kind of gratification with their repetitive acts. This kind of behavior worsens day by day, with the person seeking more and more instant relief with more and more repetitive actions.

So how to find out if you or anyone has obsessive-compulsive behavior?

-    If you have recurrent negative thoughts that is crippling you, or making you inactive. These thoughts will be thoughts that you would wish never came to you, but they just keep dropping in, and will not let go. You are always pondering about things that have happened years ago, and have still not gotten over with. If this is the case, then you are having a kind of obsessive-compulsive disorder or are showing obsessive-compulsive behavior.

-    Do you follow certain rituals like washing hands at every opportunity you get for fear of carrying germs, or obsessed with thoughts of a burglar breaking in your home, that makes you check and re-check your locked doors or windows and so on….? If so then you have OCD.
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Treating obsessive compulsive behavior

-    Obsessive-compulsive behavior can be treated. It is usually advisable to seek medical help, by consulting a physician, who will diagnose the symptoms and provide a reference to a mental health practitioner.

-    Meditation can do wonders to keep off obsessive thoughts.

-    Joining a common-interest group can widen ones perspectives and keep of painful thoughts.
-    Another way of treating is by taking the obsessions head on. This therapy focuses on putting the patient in direct exposure to the anxiety-stimulators, and monitoring the response levels.