Category: Mental Disorders

What Is OCD? (Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder)

The mental disease known as obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is characterized by recurrent, unwanted thoughts or sensations (obsessions) or the impulse to do certain repetitive behaviors (compulsions). Obsessions and compulsions are both common in some people.

OCD is not characterized by behaviors like nail-biting or pessimistic thinking. A compulsive habit might be washing your hands seven times after touching something that might be dirty, whereas an obsession might be the idea that particular numbers or colors are “good” or “bad.” You may not want to think or act in these ways, but you feel unable to stop.

Everyone occasionally has repetitive habits or thoughts. OCD patients may have or do the following:

• Interfere with your social life, your job, or another aspect of your life
• At least one hour each day
• Aren’t entertaining
• Are not under your control

Also Read:

• Autism Diagnosis
• ADHD Symptoms

Compulsions and Obsessions

Many OCD sufferers are aware that their thoughts and behaviors are absurd. They perform them because they are unable to stop, not because they like doing so. And if they quit, they feel terrible and restart.

Obsessive ideas might consist of:

• Fear of harming yourself or others
• Constant attention to body sensations like breathing, blinking, or other body functions
  
• Suspicion of infidelity in a relationship but no solid evidence to support it

Among compulsive behaviors are:

• Completing things in a predetermined order or a predetermined number of “excellent” times each time
• Counting objects, such as steps or bottles
• Fear of shaking hands, using public restrooms, or touching doorknobs

Types and Symptoms of OCD

OCD can take many different forms, however, the majority of instances fit into at least one of four broad categories:

• Having a mental illness such as pregnancy or schizophrenia, or checking things like locks, alarm systems, ovens, or light switches
• Contamination, apprehension about potentially dirty objects, or a need to clean. You could get mental contamination if you experience being treated rudely.
• Order and symmetry, the requirement that objects be arranged in a specific manner
• Invasive musings, and a preoccupation with a particular idea. These ideas might include some violent or unsettling ones.

Diagnosis Of OCD

To confirm that something else isn’t causing your symptoms, your doctor may perform a physical examination and blood testing. They will also discuss your emotions, ideas, and routines with you.

Causes and Risk Factors for OCD

Doctors are unsure about the cause of OCD in some patients. Stress might exacerbate symptoms.

A little more women than males experience it. Teenagers or young adults frequently have symptoms.

OCD risk elements consist of:

• OCD in a parent, sibling, or child
• Physical variations in specific brain regions
• Tics, depression, or anxiety
• Knowledge of trauma
• An earlier history of physical or sexual abuse

A youngster may occasionally develop OCD as a result of a streptococcal infection. Pediatric autoimmune neuropsychiatric disorders associated with streptococcal infections, or PANDAS, is the name given to this condition.

OCD Therapy

OCD cannot be cured. But with the help of medication, therapy, or a combination of treatments, you might be able to control how your symptoms interfere with your life.

Treatments include:

Psychotherapy: Your thought patterns may be changed with cognitive behavioral therapy. Your doctor will place you in an environment intended to induce anxiety or trigger compulsions as part of a technique known as exposure and response prevention. You’ll discover how to reduce, then stop, your OCD thoughts or behaviors.
Relaxation: Simple practices like yoga, massage, and meditation can ease the symptoms of anxious OCD.

Medication: Selected serotonin reuptake inhibitors are psychiatric medications that assist many people to manage their obsessions and compulsions. Starting to function could take two to four months. Escitalopram (Lexapro), citalopram (Celexa), clomipramine (Anafranil), fluvoxamine, paroxetine (Paxil), and sertraline are examples of common ones (Zoloft). Your doctor may prescribe antipsychotic medications such as aripiprazole (Abilify) or risperidone if you continue to experience symptoms (Risperdal).

Types Of Schizophrenia

In the past, mental health specialists divided schizophrenia into the following subtypes:

• Catatonic
• Disorganized
• Paranoid
• Residual
• Undifferentiated

Catatonic Schizophrenia:

Strange, restricted, and abrupt movements indicate the most uncommon kind of schizophrenia. Sometimes you may alternate between being quite busy and being very still. You might not speak much and imitate other people’s movements and speech.

Disorganized Schizophrenia:

Because these individuals typically exhibit disorganized speech and conduct, hebephrenic schizophrenia is also known as disorganized schizophrenia. They could also exhibit incorrect emotional behavior or show no emotion at all.

Paranoid Schizophrenia:

The most typical form of schizophrenia is this one. It could take longer to develop than other types. Hallucinations and delusions are among the symptoms, however, your speech and emotions might not be affected.

Residual Schizophrenia:

If you have had psychosis in the past but are only currently experiencing the negative symptoms, you may be diagnosed with residual schizophrenia (such as slow movement, poor memory, lack of concentration, and poor hygiene).

Undifferentiated Schizophrenia:

Your diagnosis may have some signs of paranoid, hebephrenic, or catatonic schizophrenia, but it doesn’t obviously fit into one of these types alone.

Also Read:

• Famous People With Autism
• Bipolar Disorder Symptoms

What Is Schizophrenia And Schizophrenia Symptoms?

Schizophrenia alters your thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. You might experience it in a different way than someone else. Even the symptoms can change over time. Nobody ever possesses all of them.

Typically, they begin between the ages of 16 and 30. Men frequently get them before women do. Before overt symptoms appear, the person frequently gradually changes. The prodrome phase is another name for this.

Schizophrenia sufferers struggle to distinguish between actual and false beliefs when the illness is advanced and symptoms are severe. As they age, this happens less frequently.

Typically, those who have the illness are unaware of it until a doctor or counselor informs them. They won’t even be aware that there is a significant problem. If they do experience symptoms, such as difficulty thinking clearly, they may attribute them to stress or fatigue.

Speak to a doctor or counselor if you’re worried that you or someone you know is exhibiting symptoms of schizophrenia.

Also Read:

• Depression – Tips to treat depression
• Autism Spectrum Disorder Treatment

Schizophrenia Symptoms: What Are Schizophrenia Positive Symptoms?

Positive symptoms are wildly exaggerated thoughts, perceptions, or behaviors that reveal the person can’t distinguish between real and unreal. The term “positive” in this context refers to the presence of symptoms rather than their absence. They may consist of:

Delusions: Most people find these beliefs strange, and it is simple to disprove them. The person affected might think someone is trying to control their brain through TV or that the FBI is out to get them. They might think they have superpowers or that they are someone else, such as a well-known actor or the president. Delusion types include:

• Persecutory Delusions The impression that someone is stalking, hunting, framing, or tricking you.
• Reference Hallucinations When a person thinks that a message intended specifically for them is being sent through public mediums like song lyrics or a TV host’s gesture.
• Somatic Illusions These focus on the human body. The person believes they have a dreadful illness or strange health issues, such as skin worms or cosmic ray damage.
• Erotomania Delusions A person can think their lover is cheating on them or that a famous person is in love with them. They might also believe that others who aren’t attracted to them are after them.
• Religious Illusions It’s possible for someone to believe they have a special connection to a deity or that they’re under the control of a demon.
• Grandiose Delusions They see themselves as a prominent player on the global stage, much like an actor or a politician.

Hallucinations: Schizophrenia patients may experience things that others are unable to hear, see, smell, or feel. Schizophrenia can cause a variety of hallucinations, including:

• Auditory The person hears voices in their head the most frequently. They may be demanding action because they are impatient or irritated. There may be one or several voices heard. They could be furious and demanding, or they could whisper or mumble.
• Visual Someone may notice patterns, objects, people, or lights. It’s frequently family members or friends who have passed away. They might also have issues with distance and depth perception.
• Gustatory and Olfactory Good and terrible tastes and odors can be included in this. Someone might decide not to eat because they think they are being poisoned.
• Tactile This gives the impression that your body is being moved by hands or insects.

Confusion In The Mind And In Speech: Schizophrenia patients sometimes struggle to organize their thoughts. When you speak to them, they might not be able to follow along. Instead, they can appear to be dozing off or preoccupied. They sometimes speak incoherently and with unclear sentences.

Having Trouble Focusing: For instance, when watching a TV show, someone could become disoriented.

Movement Disorder: Some individuals with schizophrenia may appear jittery. There are occasions when they repeat the same movements. However, on occasion, they would remain motionless for hours on end, a condition known as catatonia. Contrary to popular opinion, those who have the illness typically don’t behave violently.

Schizophrenia Symptoms: What Are Schizophrenia Negative Symptoms?

Negative symptoms describe a loss or absence of regular mental activity, including thinking, acting, and perceiving. You may observe:

Struggling With day-to-day Necessities: They might cease taking care of themselves, like taking a bath.

Lack of Enjoyment: The person might no longer appear to appreciate anything. An expert will refer to this as anhedonia.
difficulties speaking. They might not express their emotions or speak much. This is what medical professionals refer to as an analogy.

Flattening: A person with schizophrenia could appear to be extremely depressed. They sometimes have a flat, emotionless voice when speaking. They might not respond to discussions or events around them with their typical smile or facial expression. This is what a doctor could refer to as emotional flatness.

No Action Taken: Schizophrenia patients have problems sticking to a schedule or completing tasks. Sometimes they are completely unable to begin. A doctor might refer to this as an avolition.

Withdrawal: This can entail ceasing to make arrangements with friends or become reclusive. Talking to them can be like wrangling with a stubborn person; you have to fight hard to get an answer. Doctors refer to condition as indifference.