Obsessive-compulsive disorders

Obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) is a mental health condition characterized by repetitive, intrusive, and unpleasant thoughts, images, or urges (obsessions) that trigger anxiety and/or repetitive behaviors or mental actions (compulsions) directed at perceived harm.

Obsessions and compulsions are time-consuming and significantly interfere with daily activities, relationships, work, or school. People with OCD may be aware that their thoughts and behaviors are irrational or excessive, but they find it difficult to control them.

OCD affects people of all ages, genders, races, and cultures and can profoundly affect their quality of life.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the lifetime prevalence of obsessive compulsive disorder is estimated at around 1-3% of the population. Obsessive compulsive disorder affects both men and women equally and can develop at any age, although it is more common for it to begin in childhood or adolescence.

The impact of OCD can be severe and traumatic, as it can interfere with daily activities, relationships, work, and social life. People with OCD often experience significant stress, anxiety, and depression.

Obsessive compulsive disorder can also have a ripple effect on family members and caregivers, who may experience stress, frustration, and burnout due to the support of their loved ones. The impact of OCD can vary depending on the severity of symptoms and the individual’s ability to access appropriate treatment and support.

However, without adequate treatment, OCD can lead to social isolation, impaired academic or professional performance, and an increased risk of suicide.

In any case, if you experience symptoms of OCD, we strongly recommend that you contact our specialists, a psychiatrist or psychotherapist.

Clinical picture and symptoms of the disorder

The classic symptoms of OCD include: the appearance of obsessive thoughts that are not related to the will (even if the person tries not to think about something, obsessive thoughts remain uncontrollable and push him to perform certain actions), as well as the appearance of stereotyped compulsive actions that allow you to achieve calmness for a short period (for example, frequent hand washing, constant counting of money, self-checking, etc.)

Causes of obsessive-compulsive disorder

Today, doctors do not know the exact causes of obsessive-compulsive disorders. But there are several key factors that can cause pathology:

• Biological factors;
• Genetic factors;
• Psychological theories, including exogenous and traumatic factors associated with the human environment: family, relatives, colleagues, friends, etc.;
• Sociological Theories.

Intrusive thoughts about infection and contamination. Usually, intrusive thoughts of infection and contamination are based on the fear of contagion or disease. For example, there may be thoughts that “you can get infected”, “germs are very dangerous”, “if I get infected, there will be a disaster”. Sometimes people experience almost unbearable discomfort, encountering, for example, greasy or sticky substances. A person explains his actions of excessive purification by a state of disgust, disgust.

Intrusive thoughts about accidental harm. Often, people who suffer from OCD feel a lot of responsibility. Sometimes, this responsibility can be excessive. In such a situation, various fears may appear that, as a result of accident or inattention, harm to oneself or to other people may occur. Fear of harm can be accompanied by doubts, uncertainty, and feelings of intense anxiety. An example of the fear of accidentally causing harm would be the fear of hitting a pedestrian while driving, even when this probability is virtually non-existent.

Intrusive thoughts of intentional harm. In this case, they are afraid of causing harm specially, although without a specific reason. For example, there may be a fear of hitting someone, even when you are not angry with them, but simply because you can. Usually, these experiences are related to loved ones, but can also be directed at strangers or pets. A person with obsessions of harm can stand on a subway platform behind the back of someone close to him, well, let’s say a mother, and an incomprehensible idea may come to him to push him onto the rails. Most people would smile at this thought in surprise, knowing that, of course, they would never do anything of the sort. A person will most likely not attach much importance to such an opinion, because everyone has strange thoughts. While a person prone to obsessions of harm will latch on to this thought and will perform various compulsive actions to get rid of these thoughts. A person with OCD will be afraid of the very fact that this thought may come to them, and they will constantly check and testify that “no, I didn’t think anything like that.”

Intrusive thoughts of a sexual nature. In order to determine whether thoughts of a sexual nature are a sign of OCD, their content is not so important, but rather what function these thoughts play. Intrusive thoughts of a sexual nature, unlike sexual fantasies, do not bring pleasure, but rather cause suffering, guilt, and disgust. In addition, the person they visit has no desire to put them into practice. Usually, intrusive thoughts of a sexual nature appear in adolescence and can become more pronounced over time and occur periodically with greater or lesser intensity.

Intrusive thoughts of a religious nature. In the case when religious thoughts become obsessive, they begin to bring suffering. People who have experienced religious intrusive thoughts may feel anxious about blasphemous thoughts, anxiety about the possibility of committing a crime, or worries about moral purity. It would be logical to assume that such intrusive thoughts arise in deeply religious people. It really happens. In scientific research, it has been found that the culture and religion in which a person lives plays a role in the development of obsessions of a religious nature. However, religious obsessions occur not only in religious people, but also in people who are not too deeply religious, or even in atheists.

Intrusive thoughts related to symmetry and order. Obsessive thoughts of this type are associated with the fact that a person cannot stand when some objects are not straight, or are in the wrong order. In this case, it is not an exaggeration that “cannot tolerate” but a statement of fact. Inequality, disorder and imperfection do cause serious suffering in a person and limit him functionally. For example, symmetry-related obsessions can cause people who suffer from this type of OCD to have a poor tolerance for letters that are not perfectly written. Now, imagine that we are talking about a teenager who is in school and has to write a lot and quite quickly. This can pose a big challenge for adaptation in society. In some cases, it is the fixation itself that brings suffering, and the person may perceive this fixation as not typical for themselves and unnecessary. In other cases, it is not the fixation itself that brings suffering, but rather not perfection and accuracy. The desire to get rid of them is perceived as absolutely natural.

For example, an obsessive fear of contamination or contamination can trigger compulsive actions related to washing and decontamination. Such an action can be excessive or ritualized hand washing, where a person, for example, washes each finger and must wash under the nails in a certain way.

Verification compulsions manifest themselves in different types of checks. An example is checking locks, when a person goes out to check whether the door to the apartment is exactly closed, and then checks again, just in case, and then again until he is late for where he needs to go. Switches, appliances, light bulbs are often checked, or, while driving, the driver can constantly check whether he has run over an animal or a person, Although he rationally understands that nothing of the kind happened. Compulsive checks are usually associated with obsessions of accidental harm.

A common type of compulsion is repetition compulsions. They may look like this, for example: a teenager with OCD is preparing for a test and reading a textbook. He decides to reread the page to make sure he hasn’t missed anything important. And he rereads the page or each individual paragraph several times. The same teenager can get up from his chair until he feels that he has done it right. Repetition compulsions are usually associated with an obsessive fear of making a mistake.

Compulsive counting can be attributed to the common manifestations of OCD. Compulsions associated with counting can be very different. For example, some numbers can take on special importance. The number 13 can be perceived as unlucky, so everything started at the thirteenth hour in the afternoon or on the 13th day after a certain event is bad or spoiled. The lives of people prone to compulsive counting turn into a web of numbers. Closing the door is mandatory It takes exactly 3 times, and all windows along the way must be listed. A person with OCD does not know why he is counting, often his brain automatically keeps some kind of count.

Compulsions of ordering and arrangement are related to a certain order in which objects should be placed. In people who have similar compulsions, objects belonging to them must stand in a certain way, for example, strictly from smaller to larger or by color. If the order is disturbed, it must be restored. It may also be important for a person that objects stand in a strictly defined place or must be arranged and rearranged a certain number of times until the person feels satisfied with the way everything is arranged or ordered. The presence of such compulsions can significantly complicate the performance of ordinary household tasks such as cleaning in the house.

Mental compulsions. Mental compulsions include any action that takes place in the mind. Mental rituals include counting in the mind, making lists, pronouncing special numbers, words, imagining special images to neutralize fearful or illicit thoughts. Mental rituals can also include replaying situations in your head and trying to erase some situations or images in your head.

Treatment for obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) involves a comprehensive approach that consists of psychotherapy, pharmacotherapy, or a combination of both. Before starting any treatment, it is recommended to consult with a qualified specialist – a psychiatrist or psychotherapist.

Specialists of the Kartushinskaya Clinic use an individual approach to each patient, use additional instrumental and laboratory research methods (additionally if necessary) to establish an accurate diagnosis and prescribe the most effective course of therapy. By seeking help from a specialized clinic for the treatment of obsessive-compulsive disorder, a person can significantly speed up recovery time and significantly improve their level and quality of life.