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Steps to Overcoming OCD

Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) is an illness that affects 1 in 50 adult Americans and 1 in 200 children. Even more disturbingly is that twice that many will have experienced it at some time in their lives, just not to the debilitating degree that some others have. It ranges from merely annoying to an emotionally crippling condition which, if left untreated, can affect a person's relationships, work and family life and lead to depression and other problems. Sufferers are aware that their behavior is irrational and disruptive, but they have great difficulty in controlling it.

The core of the OCD is an obsession with something, such as cleanliness. This fear manifests into a compulsive behavior. The anxiety generated by this obsession is dealt with by the associated compulsion, typically a repetitive ritual, such as continually washing one's hands, often until they are raw. Sufferers are powerless to stop their compulsive behaviors, and may have elaborate "rules" as to how they must be done. They will repeat them over and over until they feel they have got it right. However, unlike the compulsions to drink or shop, OCD compulsions do not give the sufferer pleasure, but only a measure of relief, which is better than nothing to them.

OCD behavior take on many forms, such as: contaminating obsessions, concern with dirt or germs, or excessive concern with chemical or environmental contamination; counting compulsions, having to count up to certain numbers; checking compulsions, checking doors, locks, stoves, brakes etc; hoarding or collecting compulsions; repeating rituals, going in and out of doors; aggressive obsessions, like fear of harming people, horrific images, doing something embarrassing, terrible events like death, fire etc.; even severe workaholics are sufferers. OCD is often accompanied by depression, substance abuse, eating disorders, attention deficit disorder and many other anxiety disorders.

Children are frequently suffers of OCD, in fact most adults can remember having a problem as a child, it just went undiagnosed. Dealing on a daily basis with someone with OCD can put a severe strain on families and relationships, so it is important to work with them as well as the sufferer. Sensitivity is important, because sometimes these rituals are the only way the person has to communicate or express the unsettling they feel inside.

OCD is usually treated in one of three ways, or a combination of them all: education, medication and therapy. In treating OCD, self-education is the priority, find out as much as possible about this disorder. The first stop, if you have Internet access is the excellent web site of the Obsessive-Compulsive Foundation.

Secondly, there is medication. Modern drugs can produce dramatic results and OCD symptoms are normally treated by a class of drugs known as serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs.) It is now accepted by the medical profession that the cause may be an imbalance of a neurotransmitter in the brain called serotonin. This is a chemical messenger in the brain that is involved with controlling mood states and is believed to be able to regulate repetitive behaviors.

The other options include cognitive therapy and hypnotherapy, both of which can greatly assist suffers of OCD because it quickly gets to the roots of the obsession, the fears.