Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is a psychiatric disorder most commonly characterized by a subject’s obsessive, distressing, intrusive thoughts and related compulsions which attempt to neutralize the obsessions. Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD), usually begins in adolescence or young adulthood and is seen in as many as 1 in 200 children and adolescents. OCD is a type of anxiety that happens when there is a problem with the way the brain deals with normal worrying and doubts. Feeling driven to perform such rituals over and over may indicate that you have obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). If you have obsessive-compulsive disorder, ritualistic behaviors may literally take over your life. Obsessions are recurrent and persistent thoughts, impulses, or images that are unwanted and cause marked anxiety or distress. Frequently, they are unrealistic or irrational. They are not simply excessive worries about real-life problems or preoccupations. Compulsions are repetitive behaviors or rituals or mental acts. OCD affects people of all ages. It often begins during childhood. OCD is a result of changes in your body’s own natural chemistry.

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Perhaps you suspect you are one of the 3 million American adults affected by Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD). Or maybe you or a loved one was just diagnosed with this condition. What next? As a psychotherapist specializing in the treatment of OCD and related disorders, I have compiled the following suggestions to help you make wise treatment choices. 1. If you have not been formally diagnosed with OCD, do not assume you have it because your friends told you so, or because you double-check your door locks, or because you sometimes have “inappropriate” thoughts. The fact is that OCD causes significant distress for those afflicted by it. Some people double-check their door locks every time they leave the house; someone with OCD may have to check it forty times every morning. While almost every one of us have some strange thoughts cross our minds, an individual with OCD can cling to just one for days, worrying why they had the thought. The point is this: If you think you might have OCD, get a professional opinion and a formal diagnosis. 2. If you have just been diagnosed with OCD, get into therapy as well as getting medication. Talk therapy is not only very helpful for people with OCD, it is critical. Medication enables you to use the techniques you’ll learn in therapy to manage your OCD, it does not “cure” it.

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Finally, when you’re feeling strong enough, try to find the humor in your symptoms. In general, people need to laugh as much as possible. People with OCD, I believe, need to laugh even more. Let’s face it, OCD can be depressing if you’re mired in it, and there are close chemical connections between OCD and depression. Digging for the lighter side of OCD, however, should be done only when you are ready. A professor of mine once recounted the story of treating a young lady with OCD for many months. Her most prominent symptom was the repetitive thought of killing her child. Frustrated by months of no progress in the case, he began the next session by asking matter-of-factly, “So, did you kill the kid yet?” His attempt at making fun of her obsession backfired, as the client never showed up again.