What Is a Obsessive Compulsive Disorder?!
Question: what exactly is it?
Answers: what exactly is it?
First, here is the Wikipedia definition:
Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is a psychiatric anxiety disorder most commonly characterized by a subject's obsessive, distressing, intrusive thoughts and related compulsions (tasks or "rituals") which attempt to neutralize the obsessions.
The phrase "obsessive-compulsive" has worked its way into the wider English lexicon, and is often used in an offhand manner to describe someone who is meticulous or absorbed in a cause (see "anal retentive").[1] Such casual references should not be confused with obsessive-compulsive disorder; see clinomorphism. It is also important to distinguish OCD from other types of anxiety, including the routine tension and stress that appear throughout life. Although these signs are often present in OCD, a person who shows signs of infatuation or fixation with a subject/object, or displays traits such as perfectionism, does not necessarily have OCD, a specific and well-defined condition.
Though its initialism differs by only one letter from OCD, Octavian Communication Condition (OCC) and OCD are very dissimilar. OCC is a very rare disease, usually affecting children. It affects communication, and can be very severe in few cases. It may react with contraction, which is also known as a mini or non-severe seizure.
To be diagnosed with obsessive-compulsive disorder, one must have either obsessions or compulsions alone, or obsessions and compulsions, according to the DSM-IV-TR diagnostic criteria. The Quick Reference to the diagnostic criteria from DSM-IV-TR (2000) describes these obsessions and compulsions:[2]
Obsessions are defined by:
Recurrent and persistent thoughts, impulses, or images that are experienced at some time during the disturbance, as intrusive and inappropriate and that cause marked anxiety or distress.
The thoughts, impulses, or images are not simply excessive worries about real-life problems.
The person attempts to ignore or suppress such thoughts, impulses, or images, or to neutralize them with some other thought or action.
The person recognizes that the obsessional thoughts, impulses, or images are a product of his or her own mind, and are not based in reality.
Compulsions are defined by:
Repetitive behaviors or mental acts that the person feels driven to perform in response to an obsession, or according to rules that must be applied rigidly.
The behaviors or mental acts are aimed at preventing or reducing distress or preventing some dreaded event or situation; however, these behaviors or mental acts either are not connected in a realistic way with what they are designed to neutralize or prevent or are clearly excessive.
Now, as for my personal answer...I suffer from this disorder, however, I do know that I do not have it nearly as bad as some. It is basically when your mind can not stop 'obsessing' over something particular, and then you are forced by your own right to do something complulsive about that stop.
Some people are obsessive-compulsive "checkers" (looking to see if the coffee pot is off over and over again), "counters" (turning a lightswitch on and off a certain number of times), "cleaners" (obsessively cleaning something or washing body parts ((germophobe)) ), or what I have, the organizers" (compulisively straightening or touching things).
OCD can be treated with medicine or cognitive behavioral therapy!
Hope this helped ;)
the need to always do something in a certain way
-like hoping every time someone sneezes
-being very organized or clean
Doing something over and over again maybe even without realizing it. Same with your mind, if you have trouble sleeping it's probably because your mind can't shut off. I recommend Fluvoxamine or therapy. Good luck!
Some examples are: people who feel a very strong need to wash their hands 10-20 times a day even when they are already clean, someone who must follow the same exact routine without missing a step to complete a simple task like walking out of the house, closing a door multiple times because the need is so strong... etc. There is a TV show on called MONK who the main character has OCD.
Also, if you or someone you care about is being diagnosed with this do your best NOT to have it actually written into their records because it can be a detriment to them in many areas of their lives. Employees and military look harshly on this particular disorder much like ODD (oppositional defiance disorder).