Obsessive-compulsive disorder - causes, symptoms, help

 If your mind is taken over by obsessions, you repeat certain activities endlessly, you feel helpless and misunderstood, it's high time to seek help from a specialist!

Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) consists of two elements: obsessions and compulsive activities.

Obsessive thoughts are images or impulses to act that appear in consciousness in a stereotypical way (constantly repeated). They are almost always unpleasant experiences for the sick person. However, attempts to resist obsessions are usually ineffective.

Compulsive activities (rituals) are stereotypical and repeatedly repeated behaviors (e.g. washing hands 20 times in a row). The sick person does them because he or she is deeply convinced that by doing so he or she will prevent some kind of misfortune or catastrophe (e.g. "if I don't open and close this door 15 times, something bad will happen to my children"). A person performing compulsive activities realizes that this behavior makes no sense and is completely unnecessary, but the fear of possible unpleasant consequences of not doing so is stronger. Performing a compulsive activity temporarily reduces the feeling of anxiety.

The cause of obsessive-compulsive disorder has not yet been determined. Some studies indicate a connection between OCD and impaired production of serotonin - one of the neurotransmitters produced in the brain. Others suggest that the disease has a genetic basis. Obsessive-compulsive disorder usually appears around the age of 15. Boys are more likely to suffer from it than girls.

What are the symptoms of obsessive-compulsive disorder?

The most common symptoms of OCD include:

• excessive pedanticism (including frequent attention to symmetry), excessive attention to hygiene, fear of infection with any disease,
• recurring doubts, constant questions (are the lights really turned off, are the books where they are, etc.),
• frequent and/or prolonged touching of various objects, constant counting mentally or aloud,
• intrusive thoughts about performing sexual acts or prohibited behaviors,
• feeling a strong need to remember unimportant details,
• religious obsessions,
• constantly rearranging things in a given room, arranging and organizing them,
• feeling the need to count, e.g. buildings you pass, cars of a certain color, street lamps on,
• internal order to attend (e.g. school, work, shop) a fixed route, e.g. avoiding cracks in paving slabs.

Some amount of obsession and compulsion occurs in every adult or child and is normal. Children in kindergarten often perform rituals while eating or playing. It is their way of organizing parts of the world around them, which provides the young organism with too many stimuli. Therefore, such behaviors are physiological and should not cause parents to worry. Meanwhile, in the case of OCD, intrusive and obsessive thoughts cause severe anxiety, and compulsions occur so often that they interfere with everyday functioning.

Obsessive-compulsive disorder is an embarrassing disease. People suffering from obsessions rarely talk about their symptoms. They are afraid of being misunderstood, stigmatized or rejected. Most people visit doctors of various specializations, but they generally avoid the psychiatrist's office. Meanwhile, obsessive-compulsive disorder should be diagnosed by a psychiatrist and/or clinical psychologist - after conducting a thorough interview and examination.

To consult one of the specialists mentioned above, go to the nearest Mental Health Clinic (no referral is necessary) or ask your GP where to go. The most effective treatment method is a combination of psychotherapy and pharmacotherapy. Cognitive-behavioral psychotherapy helps a sick person understand his or her fears and teaches effective ways to deal with them. If the patient is a minor, the participation of his parents in therapy is extremely important.