You may be here because maybe you are suffering from OCD or love someone who is, or maybe you are here to learn more about what Obsessive Compulsive Disorder actually is.
OCD is a mental disorder that doesn't discriminate. There are people all over the world who suffer from OCD, even in Countries where such mental illnesses such as OCD is unknown. The exact cause of the disorder is unknown but is believed to be linked to such factors like chemical imbalances in the brain, hereditary and genetic factors, trauma.
Contrary to popular belief there are no "typical" behaviors, as obsessions and/or compulsions depend on the sufferers beliefs and fears. OCD causes irrational thoughts which the sufferer knows are not their actual feelings, but cannot kick the anxiety so they turn to the compulsions as a momentary relief of their anxiety. Unfortunately the pattern is a cycle in which the anxiety and obsession process will start again and again. These cycles can last anywhere from a few minutes to a few years.
OCD is often noticed in childhood and in the pre-teens to early teenage years, however most sufferers are diagnosed by their late teens to early adulthood.
People who suffer with OCD have a higher chance of having other mental illnesses, these mental illnesses can range from depression to schizophrenia, the most common being depression and panic disorder.
OCD can often swap and change triggers, which can become difficult to deal with at times. The severity of the triggers often changes as well. Some triggers may cause high levels of stress and anxiety, where as other triggers may simply cause mild discomfort in the sufferer.
There are a wide variety of types of triggers, some of these can include
-Contamination
-Relationships
-Sexuality/Gender
- Religion
-Violence
-Death
-Getting in trouble
-Self Harm
-Unwanted suicidal thoughts
It is important to remember that people suffering from OCD do NOT like these thoughts at all. OCD feeds off of the sufferers fears and beliefs which makes the sufferer believe that since they have these thoughts, that they are a horrible person, even though they cannot control the thoughts which cause them a great amount of distress.
If you know someone who suffers from OCD the best thing you can do is to be supportive and try to remain judgement free as a lot of OCD sufferers anxiety can also be triggered by the way people in society perceive them.
As previously mentioned OCD can come in many shapes and sizes. Some people just suffer from intrusive thoughts which cause them great distress, this type of OCD is more commonly referred to as 'Pure OCD' where as other sufferers can be solely compulsive with their rituals.
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The ABC's of OCD
Non-FictionThe ABC's of OCD. This is the handbook, an official guide of OCD .This guide will cover everything you need to know about the REAL Obsessive Compulsive Disorder.
