What is OCD?
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“Obsessive-compulsive” is one of the many medical terms that have entered our everyday language. It denotes people who like things neat and orderly. They are reliably on-time and organized. But the disorder this term comes from takes it to an extreme degree.
Patients with Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder spend great amounts of time and energy on irrational, intrusive ideas and on behaviors intended to quell those thoughts. The disorder can be incredibly disruptive to everyday life. People devote multiple hours every day to their obsessions and compulsions. They also change their behavior to avoid any possible symptom triggers.
Patients who obsess over order are often slow finishing projects for work or school because they are not, in the patient’s estimation, perfect. Unwanted thoughts about harming others lead many patients to seclude themselves, even from friends and family. Someone with checking compulsions may be unable to leave the home without checking that the door is locked or the alarm set not just once or twice, but tens or hundreds of times. Patients may even impede their own treatment by avoiding doctors’ offices because they fear exposure to germs. Those who focus on cleanliness can cause harm to themselves from repetitive washing.
Patients’ families may also participate in the disorder with them. They may perform compulsions with them, do errands for a home bound patient, or change their routines to fit the rules set out by the patient. Children with the disorder have difficulty socializing and making friends. When the disorder starts in adolescence, patients may avoid moving out of the house and struggle to be independent. The disorder follows a vacillating, chronic course if it goes untreated. Even with treatment, expect remission, rather than a complete cure.