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Obsessive compulsive disorder is a form of anxiety wherein the
person finds himself or herself in an uncontrollable urge or compulsion to do
something in order to feed a certain obsession. More often than not, the person
does not want to perform these compulsions, or finds no merit in them, and
wishes to stop. However, having the condition, he or she has difficulty taking
control.
OCD is a problem. Some people often dismiss this ailment
thinking that it can be overcome just by simply willing it hard enough.
Unfortunately for the patients, it is not that easy. Obsessive compulsive
disorder is so powerful that, aside from taking up much of the sufferers time
and energy, it can even ruin relationships and selves when left unaddressed.
Let us look at obsessive compulsive disorder in greater depth.
An
obsession is something, whether an idea or an image, that runs through our
heads repeatedly, and its frequency often runs our lives. A compulsion or a
ritual is a response to this obsession; an activity that needs to be performed
a certain way or to a particular degree in order to assuage the anxiety that is
being produced by the obsession.
For example, a person who is so afraid of germs and contracting
illnesses might find himself uncontrollably washing his hands over and over,
thinking that he is not clean enough. A person with OCD will never think that
he will ever be fully clean that’s why he has to perform the washings
repeatedly.
This sounds silly, at first, but when the obsession becomes so
elevated that he rubs his hands raw due to the repeated washing, it is no
longer funny. OCD is a serious problem and needs to be attended to
professionally.
There are basically two types of treatments to obsessive
compulsive disorder. One is treatment through the administration of
medications, while the other involves a strategy that requires greater patience
and endurance behavior therapy. We will be talking about medications more in
this article.
Critics of OCD medications say that drugs do not really do much
to treat a person who has obsessive compulsive disorder. They say that
medications only give placebo effect; that is, they just make a person believe
that he or she is well because of the regularity of the medications he or
takes.
Supporters of OCD drugs say this is balderdash, of course,
claiming that a certain chemical in our brains, called serotonin, is the one
that has the capacity to control our obsessions and compulsions. They say that
people who have obsessive compulsive disorder have low serotonin levels that’s
why they can’t control themselves.
The main goal of OCD medications is to increase serotonin levels
where they are low, so that people will have the capacity to gain control of
their anxieties. The most popular OCD medications include Prozac, Luvox, Paxil,
and Zoloft. These drugs have been proven effective in aiding OCD sufferers,
though they come with side effects, such as drowsiness, dry mouth, and nausea.
In some cases, these medications were found to have an effect on a person’s
sexual drive.
Despite the side effects, however, those who take OCD
medications continue to do so because the disadvantages outweigh the benefits.
For those who are not fans of drugs, they resort to behavior modification
methods, which are considered the longer route to overcoming the condition.
Medications for obsessive compulsive disorder are not available
over the counter, so you cannot just declare you have OCD without consulting a
doctor. If you suspect you or a friend has OCD, suggest consultation
immediately. Obsessive compulsive disorder is a serious problem and should not
be taken for granted.
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