Disabilities
...bsession about contamination might have a thought like “Don’t touch that door knob, it might spread a disease,” or "My hands may be contaminated--I must wash them.” These types of persistent thoughts might enter a person’s mind suddenly or very gradually. The obsessions get into the consciousness of the person, disrupting their normal thinking and behavior. These intrusions are only be banished by the performance of compulsive rituals. Compulsions are repeated, purposeless, and elaborately time-consuming behaviors that usually are performed in response to an obsession. The behaviors are an attempt to neutralize or prevent a dreadful event from happening. Some common compulsions include excessive hand washing, showering, checking, counting, and hoarding. Compulsions can be thoughts or physical behaviors that may or may not be set to some self-imposed rules. The person realizes that their compulsions are senseless and irrational, but do not stop because they are worried about the consequences that may follow. If ignored, compulsions can cause serious panic attacks. The sad thing about it is that doing the rituals do not help; they only make things worse. Many disorders can be labeled as an Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder. Among these is Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD). BDD is where a person has obsessive thoughts about his or her body, looking for abnormalities. They then spend hours examining the “defective” body part and may never leave home because of their embarrassment. Another OCD disorder is Trichotillomania (TTM). A person with TTM compulsively pulls out hairs from their head, arms, legs, eyebrows, and pubic area. TTM sufferers spend hours searching until the “perfect hair” has been found. They often feel driven to pull out their hairs because they think that their hairs are imperfect. Tourette’s syndrome is another OCD disorder where the patients subjected to uncontrollable motor activities. The person may blink, twitch, jerk their head, or repeat obscene words or noises uncontrollably. Some others include Kleptomania, Anorexia, and Binge Eating. The list of OCD disorders goes on and on, but the one thing that they all have in common are unwanted obsessions and/or compulsions. As of now, there is no firm theory that explains the exact cause of OCD. However, there is some evidence that OCD has a genetic basis because in many cases OCD has been found in children. Actually, 1/3 of all OCD cases began in childhood. By scanning the brain; researchers have found abnormalities in the frontal lobe of an OCD sufferer’s brain. Research suggests that OCD involves problems in communication between the frontal lobe of the brain and the deeper structures. These structures use a chemical messenger known as Serotonin to communicate. It has believed that insufficient levels of Serotonin are involved in OCD. The good news is that most Obsessive-Compulsive sufferers can be successfully treated. Two forms of treatment can be combined to give the best results. For some patients, medication works well in helping calm and control obsessions. The most effective drug to help treat OCD is Anafranil. Other drugs include Fluoxetine (Prozac), Fluvoxamine (Luvax), Sertraine (Zoloft), or Paroxetine (Paxil). The second treatment is known as Behavioral Therapy. Behavioral therapy concentrates on the problematic behavior. The patient is exposed to ...