What do you think of when you hear the term Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD)?
Maybe you thought being clean or being orderly. However, that is not what OCD is only about.
As mentioned in our first post, OCD is one of the most common mental disorders in Singapore, with it affecting about 1 in 28 people (Baker, 2018).
According to National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) (n.d.), Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) is a ‘common, chronic, and long-lasting disorder in which a person has uncontrollable, reoccurring thoughts (obsessions) and/or behaviors (compulsions) that he or she feels the urge to repeat over and over’.
There are two things that people with OCD has: Obsessions and Compulsions.
Obsessions - relentless and recurring impulses, thoughts or images that elicit troubling emotions like disgust or anxiety (American Psychiatric Association [APA], n.d.).
Compulsions - repetitive actions or mental acts that someone is driven to do in order to prevent or diminish distress or a dreaded event (APA, n.d.).
Here is a video that may give you an insight into what the life of someone with OCD is like.
Some common examples of Obsessions and Compulsions are:
Obsessions (NIMH, n.d.):
Being afraid of germs or contamination
Having thoughts that involve sex, religion or harm that are forbidden or taboo
Thoughts of being hostile towards others or oneself
Need for things to be in perfect order or symmetrical
Compulsions (NIMH, n.d.):
Cleaning or washing hands excessively
Ordering and organising things in a certain way
Checking things repeatedly
Counting compulsively
People with OCD usually (NIMH, n.d.):
Are unable to manage their thoughts or behaviours even if they know that the thoughts and behaviours are excessive
Use at last an hour per day on the excessive thoughts or behaviours
Experience momentary relief from anxiety caused by the thoughts although they do not receive pleasure from performing the rituals or behaviours
Have considerable difficulties in their everyday life because of these thoughts or behaviours
As usual, it is important for you to see a doctor should you suspect that you have OCD. Cognitive-behavioural therapy and medication have been shown to help patients cope with their OCD and allow them to resume their everyday lives (APA, n.d.).
In the meantime, here are some things you could do that may help you better cope with your OCD (Bailey, 2018):
Exercise
Challenge your analysis of the situation
Journaling
Try to slowly reduce compulsive behaviours
Delay performing rituals
Learn and practice relaxation techniques
With this, I hope that you now better understand OCD and will no longer have any misconceptions about it. What were some misconceptions or misunderstandings of OCD that you had? Were you able to clear them up?
In the next post which comes out this Saturday, another anxiety disorder, Panic Disorder, will be explored.
For a list of helplines, click here.
References
American Psychiatric Association. (n.d.). What is Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder? Retrieved from https://www.psychiatry.org/patients-families/ocd/what-is-obsessive-compulsive-disorder.
Bailey, E. (2018, July 30). Manage OCD with these self-help tips. Retrieved from https://www.healthcentral.com/slideshow/7-self-help-tips-for-managing-obsessive-compulsive-disorder.
Baker, J. A. (2018, December 11). OCD one of the most common mental disorders in Singapore. Retrieved from https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/singapore/ocd-one-of-the-most-common-mental-disorders-in-singapore-11020354.
National Institute of Mental Health. (n.d.). Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder. Retrieved from https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/obsessive-compuls
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