LIVING WITH OCD BY THOUSANDS OF WHAT IF’S!!
Why do most people believe that OCD is just about a hyperorganized desk or colour coordinated closet? What do people think about people living with OCD in this manner?
Firstly, OBSESSIVE COMPULSIVE DISORDER (OCD) It’s not just about cleanliness or orderliness, as popular media seems to portray. If you stack clothes in your wardrobe according to color, you do not necessarily have OCD, you are simply saving time and deciding what to wear.
As Dr YC Janardhan Reddy, consultant at India’s first OCD Clinic that’s housed in NIMHANS, says, “The fine line between being organized and having OCD appears when a thought or a routine becomes destressing. We all have bad thoughts but theses thoughts are momentary and can be dismissed. That is not the case with OCD patients – the thought becomes intrusive in them.”
In other words, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) begins to affect your personal and professional life on a daily basis.
OCD is a disorder characterised by obsessive thoughts that lead to compulsions. Compulsion are repetitive acts that a person is driven to carry out, in spite of knowing that they are meaningless, unnecessary and excessive. OCD ranges from being mild to being a severely debilitating condition.
The symptoms of OCD are complex and can manifest in many different ways. While preoccupation with contamination fears and washing and cleaning are the frequent manifestation, other typical symptoms of OCD include doubts about daily activities and excessive checking or repeating, obsessions of harm and aggression, blasphemy, sexual thoughts, superstitious behaviours and excessive concern with symmetry and orderliness.
OCD is also characterized by intrusive thought, which could range from an irrational fear of contracting certain disease to constant pondering on what happens after death. The sufferer unedingly looks for a respite from these thoughts and the fact that these thoughts are not produced voluntarily makes it even more distressing for the person.
Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), which is commonly used in treatment, aims to change the way obsessions are perceived, and in so doing facilities change in behavior. In severe cases, medication are used, and if these medications are prematurely terminated, chances of relapse are higher and the patient may have to continue treatment fir several years.
However, what is most alarming is that as a society, we tend to use OCD very flippantly in our everyday conversations, to the extent that illness is now on the brink of losing its real meaning. We describe ourselves as “ a little bit OCD” if we like our desks neatly arranged. In truth, we like our desks neatly arranged because we prefer it that way. When we tidy up are desks, we feel satisfied. It does not impair our life in any way.
However an OCD affected individuals life is dominated by obsessive thoughts and there is compelling urge to give in to these thoughts. So whether it is checking on locks or arranging things a certain way, an individual with OCD may perform an activity repeatedly, but derives no pleasure or satisfaction out of it.
It is time for us to stop thinking of OCD as just a personality quirk. People living with OCD have a mental disorder that can be severely debilitating and even if we cannot offer our understanding and empathy, we can atleast stop making a mockery of people whose lives are actually impacted by it.
OCD is an extremely debilitating condition that causes the patient distress and a reduction in quality of life. It often responds poorly to medication therapy. SRIs, in particular SSRIs, are the cornerstone of treatment for people living with OCD.
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One Response
The concept of OCD is best described. This shouldn’t be a taboo in our society. Very well portrayed