OCD is a type of anxiety and fear disorder that is more common among women, compared to men and children, in which the patient suffers from thoughts and mental images, and persistent doubts, pushing her to perform repeated and time-consuming behaviors unnecessarily, and makes her feel temporary relief, thinking that returning to do the same thing to make sure of its achievement, Calms her, which is a completely wrong belief, and increases her disease condition.
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| Treatment of OCD and some causes and symptoms |
If the matter may amount to a woman losing her ability to control her obsessions and obsessions, then she does something repetitively, as a kind of involuntary response to the feelings of fear and anxiety that she feels, and she thinks that by doing so she relieves them.
If you feel that you have some of the symptoms of OCD, find in this article the main causes, symptoms, and treatment of OCD and its effect on the brain.
Causes of OCD
A desire for perfection, constant checking that everything is fine, constant suspicion, constant anxiety, and extreme concern are all symptoms of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), and you may have felt or noticed some of them without realizing that you might suffer from obsessive-compulsive disorder, especially If the condition of the disorder is simple, and the truth is that the causes of OCD are not precisely defined, but many medical theories have agreed that the most prominent causes are:
Learned behavior:
Obsessive-compulsive disorder may be the result of negative behaviors acquired by those around the patient, which becomes a habit that he can not give up later, and he thinks that they are a way to get rid of anxiety, so he repeats them.
Genetic factors:
Babies born to parents with OCD are also very likely to develop it.
Parts of the brain are distorted:
OCD is also caused by brain injuries, which are caused by birth defects or disturbances in brain chemistry.
Wrong educational methods:
Habits, traditions, and societal legacies that make the patient care not to make mistakes, review his actions frequently, and his desire to feel perfect.
Shocks:
Such as physical or sexual abuse, and family trauma that occurs in childhood, which causes a kind of alertness and excessive suspicion in an OCD patient, and it develops into a lifestyle.
Bacterial infection:
Children may sometimes develop the obsessive-compulsive disorder after infection with streptococcus bacteria, or pediatric neuropsychiatric disorders associated with streptococcal infection (PANDAS).
Several factors can combine developed from the condition of the OCD, meaning that the disorder is latent and begins to appear more strongly with shocks and crises, hormonal changes, changing events, psychological stress, etc.
Symptoms of OCD
The normal fears that we may feel in our daily life are the same fears that a patient with obsessive-compulsive disorder suffers from, but exaggeratedly, and which turns into obsessions, and may impede the person from performing his daily tasks, or make him feel constant anxiety, and the inability to concentrate and these concerns include:
-Fear of pollution, bacteria, germs, dirt, toxins, diseases, and the like.
-Fear of harm resulting from illness, accidents, or death, which may be accompanied by a constant feeling of caution and caution.
-Frightening mental perceptions of sex, violence, and accidents, which keep the patient on constant alert, as if something bad is about to happen.
-Excessive anxiety resulting from the desire to accomplish tasks very accurately, organizing things and arranging them in a certain pattern, and if disturbed, causes him anxiety and annoyanceا.
These obsessions may linger in the patient’s mind without cause, or be stimulated by things, situations and smells, or a television or radio program or a conversation.
Discomfort, right up to severe stress and panic attacks.
With the previous symptoms, reactions appear through which the patient can discover that she is already suffering from obsessive-compulsive disorder and do them thinking that she will stop a threat, or that she will complete something or arranging and organizing excessively, or satisfactory hygiene, which reduces her feeling Constant anxiety, this misconception.
The patient’s reactions translate into behaviors that would normally repeat them in a more manic way.
Compulsive behavior examples:
-Excessive washing of hands, bathing, brushing teeth, and taking care of child hygiene.
-Regular cleaning of the home, food, car, personal items, etc.
-Frequently inspect locks, electrical appliances, and other safety and security-related matters.
-Repeat activities and routine procedures several times, such as reading and writing, walking, opening and closing the door, picking up things, and more.
-Apply strict rules and patterns to organize things, furniture, books, clothes, etc.
-Repeating certain words, numbers, or movements more than once.
-Constantly asking questions, always needing reassuring answers.
Symptoms of OCD become daily habits that the patient practices with the motive of reducing her feelings of anxiety, and although they give a deceptive feeling of relieving stress in the short term they increase the feeling of anxiety, and make the obsessions more realistic, and even move the patient to an advanced stage of the disease.
The effect of obsessive-compulsive disorder on the brain:
Although many medical studies have unanimously agreed that OCD is an acquired behavioral disorder, many other theories support the idea that it is a disorder in the brain, resulting from the brain’s incorrect processing of information, meaning that the disorder is the cause of OCD and not vice versa.
In general, obsessive-compulsive disorder – a behavior – does not cause a disorder in the brain, as much as it causes the inability to process information properly or think focused, and it may reach the patient’s inability to think about simple matters and intuitive matters, as some patients refer to obsessive-compulsive disorder Until their brains get stuck in some situations, or when thinking about a lot of uncomplicated things.
Therefore, it can be said that severe cases of obsessive-compulsive disorder may greatly affect mental abilities and think properly, and the ability to cope with some situations that require the use of mental skills and this requires consulting a doctor.
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Treatment of OCD
It is a complex process, and efficacy and success are not guaranteed in all cases.
Sometimes, continuous, lifelong treatment may be required.
However, OCD therapy can be beneficial in helping the patient deal with symptoms, cope with them, and prevent them from taking control of their life course.
Types of OCD treatments:
There are two basic types followed in the treatment of OCD, they are:
-Psychotherapy
-OCD treatment medication
The best treatment of OCD varies according to the patient himself, his situation and preferences, and the combination of psychotherapy and pharmacotherapy is often very effective.
Psychotherapy for OCD:
Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) is most effective in treating obsessive-compulsive disorder, among children and adults alike.
Medicines that help treat OCD:
Certain psychiatric medications can help control the obsessions and compulsions that characterize the obsessive-compulsive disorder.
Treatment of OCD is often initiated with antidepressants that may be useful in treating OCD because they work to raise the level of serotonin, which may be low in people suffering from obsessive-compulsive disorder.
Antidepressants approved by the food and Drug Administration in the treatment of OCD include: Possible side effects and risks of using medicines:
All psychiatric medications have side effects and potential health risks.
The psychiatrist should be informed of all effects and side effects that arise and consulted about the monitoring and follow-up measures that must be taken while taking psychiatric drugs, specifically: Antipsychotic drugs.
Some medicines may cause dangerous reactions when taken together with other medicines, certain foods, or other substances.
Inform the doctor of all used and over-the-counter medicines and preparations, including vitamins, salts and medicinal herbs.
Other methods for the treatment of OCD:
Sometimes, medications and / or psychological therapy may not be effective enough to treat symptoms of OCD.
In some rare cases, other methods of treatment of OCD are used, including:
-Admitting the patient to the psychiatric department
-Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT)
-Intracranial magnetic stimulation
-Deep brain stimulation.
These methods have not been tested, in principle, as methods of treating obsessive-compulsive disorder, so it is necessary to make sure that you understand and recognize their pros and cons and the risks involved if any.
And finally, we got to know the Treatment of OCD although its causes are not clearly understood, consult a psychologist if you notice any of its symptoms, and stick to a treatment plan until you get rid of the obsessions and restore your ability to live your life normally.