OCD is a psychiatric anxiety disorder described in the “Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders – DSM V” of the American Psychiatric Association. The main characteristic of OCD is the presence of recurrent attacks of obsessions and compulsions.
Obsession is understood as thoughts, ideas and images that invade the person insistently, without him wanting to (like a scratched record that keeps repeating the same point of the recording), keep skating inside the head and the only way to get rid of it. if one of them for a while is to perform the ritual of compulsion, following rigid and pre-established rules and steps, which help to alleviate anxiety. Some people with this disorder think that if they don't act like this, something terrible could happen to them. However, the occurrence of obsessive thoughts tends to worsen as rituals are performed and can become an obstacle not only for the person's daily routine but for the entire family's life. In general, rituals develop in the areas of cleaning, checking or checking, counting, organizing, symmetry, collecting, and may vary throughout the course of the disease.
There are two types of OCD:
Subclinical Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder – the obsessions and rituals recur frequently but do not interfere with the person's life;
Obsessive-compulsive disorder proper: Obsessions persist until the exercise of compulsion that relieves anxiety.
Causes The causes of OCD are not well understood. Certainly, this is a multifactorial problem. Studies suggest the existence of alterations in the communication between certain brain areas that use serotonin. Psychological factors and family history are also among the possible causes of this anxiety disorder.
Symptoms
In some situations, all people can manifest compulsive rituals that do not characterize OCD. The main symptom of the disease is the presence of obsessive thoughts that lead to the performance of a compulsive ritual to assuage the anxiety that takes over the person.
Excessive concern with cleanliness and personal hygiene, difficulty pronouncing certain words, indecisiveness in everyday situations for fear that a wrong choice could trigger some misfortune, aggressive thoughts related to death, accidents or illness are examples of symptoms of obsessive-compulsive disorder.
Frequency
In general, only nine years after having manifested the first symptoms, the person with the disorder receives a definitive diagnosis and begins treatment. Therefore, most cases are diagnosed in adults, although obsessive-compulsive disorder can affect children from 3 to 4 years of age.
In childhood, the disorder is more common in boys. In late adolescence, however, it can be said that the number of cases is equal in both sexes.
Treatment OCD treatment can be drug and non-drug. The drug uses serotonin reuptake inhibitor antidepressants. They are the only ones that work. Cognitive-behavioral therapy is a non-drug approach with proven efficacy on the disease. Its basic principle is to expose the person to the situation that generates anxiety, starting with the mildest symptoms. Results are usually better when both types of therapeutic approach are combined. It is always important to clarify the patient and his family about the characteristics of the disease. The more aware they are of the problem, the better the treatment will work.
Recommendations No one has ever experienced compulsive behavior, but if it is repeated to the point of impairing the performance of routine tasks, the person may have OCD and need treatment; Children can obey certain rituals, which is absolutely normal. However, the intensity and frequency of these episodes should draw the attention of parents. The boundary between normality and OCD is very thin; Parents should not collaborate with the perpetuation of their children's habits and rituals. They should help them to cope with obsessive thoughts and deal with the compulsion that relieves anxiety; Respecting the OCD carrier's rituals can interfere with the entire family's dynamics. Therefore, it is important to establish the diagnosis with certainty and refer the person for treatment; Hiding symptoms out of shame or insecurity is a bad way to go. The longer treatment is delayed, the more severe the disease.
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