Everything You Need to Know About OCD Behaviors

OCD – Obsessive Compulsion Disorder is a mental disorder characterized by mental delusions and physical compulsions. Positive Reset Mental Health Clinic can help!

Understanding the cause and manifestation of OCD behaviors

Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is characterized by a cycle of unwelcome thoughts and anxieties (obsessions) that cause you to engage in repetitive behaviors (compulsions). These compulsive thoughts and behaviors seriously distress people and obstruct daily activities.

You shouldn’t ignore or suppress your feelings related to OCD, doing so will only make you more upset and anxious. To reduce stress, you ultimately feel compelled to engage in compulsive behaviors. The cycle of OCD is manifested by this and results in more ritualistic behavior.

For example, OCD frequently revolves around specific themes, such as an excessive fear of becoming infected by germs. You may excessively wash your hands until they are red and chapped to allay your fears of contamination.

If you have OCD, it is normal to feel ashamed and embarrassed about the condition, but effective treatments are available.

Symptoms of OCD Obsessions

Obsessions with OCD are intrusive, unwanted thoughts, urges, or images that repeatedly and persistently make a person feel uncomfortable or anxious. By engaging in a compulsive behavior or ritual, you might try to ignore or eliminate them. These obsessions usually interfere with your ability to think clearly or complete other tasks.

Obsessions frequently have underlying themes like:

   Fear of dirt or contamination

   Having trouble accepting uncertainty and harboring doubts

   The requirement for symmetry and order

   Aggressive or horrifying ideas about losing control and hurting oneself or others

   Unwanted thoughts, such as ones that are aggressive or touch on sexual or religious issues

Examples:

   Fear of picking up things that other people have touched and becoming contaminated

   You’re not sure you locked the door or turned off the stove

   Avoiding circumstances, such as shaking hands, that might set off obsessions

   Severe stress when things aren’t arranged in a certain way or facing the right way

   Negative sexual imagery

Symptoms of OCD Behaviors

Compulsions are repetitive behaviors you feel compelled to carry out if you have OCD. These repetitive actions, whether physical or mental, are intended to lessen anxiety brought on by your obsessions or avert negative outcomes. However, engaging in the compulsions is not enjoyable and may only provide a short-term reduction in anxiety.

You might make up some rules or rituals to manage your anxiety when you have obsessive thoughts. These obsessions are excessive and frequently have no connection to the issue they are meant to solve.

Compulsions frequently have themes, like:

   Washing and cleaning

   Checking

   Counting

   Orderliness

   Maintaining a strict schedule

   Requesting assurances

Examples:

   Washing your hands until your skin is completely raw

   Counting in specific patterns

   Ensuring that doors are locked by repeatedly checking them

   Confirming that the stove is off several times

Is it possible to control OCD behaviors?

Yes, it is possible to manage and control OCD behaviors. The main thing which determines the management is the severity of OCD.

Although it can start in childhood, OCD typically manifests in adolescence or young adulthood. The onset and severity of symptoms typically change throughout a lifetime. Over time, you might also experience different kinds of obsessions and compulsions. In general, symptoms get worse as stress levels rise. OCD can have mild to moderate symptoms or be so intense and time-consuming that it becomes incapacitating. OCD is typically thought of as a lifelong disorder.

Treatment

Medication and OCD

Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), a class of antidepressants, are among the medications that can help treat OCD.

Several examples include:

   Escitalopram, also known as Lexapro

   Fluvoxamine, also known as Luvox

   Paroxetine (Paxil)

   Prozac is fluoxetine

   Zoloft (sertraline)

When treating OCD, a doctor may recommend a higher dosage than depression. However, it may take up to three months before someone sees results.

Approximately half of all OCD sufferers do not benefit from SSRI therapy alone, and doctors may also recommend antipsychotic drugs.

In 2010, some researchers reported that combining CBT with the anti-tuberculosis medication D-cycloserine (Seromycin) may help treat OCD.

Cognitive behavioral treatment for OCD Behavior Management

This kind of psychotherapy, also known as CBT, can assist a person in altering their thoughts, feelings, and behaviors.

Exposure and response prevention (ERP) and cognitive behavioral therapy are potential treatments.

ERP entails:

Exposure

By doing this, the individual is exposed to circumstances and things that make them anxious and fearful. Repeated exposure causes the anxiety to diminish or go away over time through a process called habituation.

Response

In response, this teaches the individual to refrain from engaging in compulsive behaviors.

The first step in cognitive therapy is to help the patient identify and reassess their beliefs about the effects of engaging in or abstaining from compulsive behavior.

Then, the therapist encourages the client to

   Analyze the evidence for and against the obsession

   Identify the obsession-related cognitive distortion

   Create a different, less alarming response to the intrusive idea, image, or thought

Conclusion

A person with mild OCD can manage their behaviors. However, with moderate and severe OCD, it is very important to get medication and therapy. Contact us or your primary healthcare provider and seek help today!