If you watch America's Got Talent, you'll notice that Howie Mandel just bumps fists with people, but doesn't shake hands. Howie suffers from mysophobia (fear of germs) which is part of OCD. That's why he always shaves his head, because it makes him feel cleaner. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay Robert Burton developed the first diagnosis of OCD in the 17th century. In the United States, approximately 3.3 million people suffer from OCD. 2% of these patients are adults and the rest are children. There are many symptoms of OCD, and they all get worse due to stress, illness, and fatigue. Symptoms of obsession may consist of repetitive unwanted thoughts, fear of contamination, aggressive urges, persistent sexual thoughts, images of hurting someone you love, and/or thoughts of harming yourself. yourself or others. The most common signs of compulsivity are constant checking, constant counting, repetitive cleaning, constant checking of stoves or door locks, and arranging objects in a certain direction. Short-term effects of OCD include inability to function as a contributing member of society, inability to maintain relationships, and difficulty in school and work. Body dysmorphic disorder, trichotillomania (hair pulling), excoriation disorder (skin pulling), and hoarding disorder are all similar to OCD and can also be part of OCD along with anxiety and depression. “Knowing that a fear is not “logical” does not reduce anxiety” (K, Natalie, N/A). One OCD case study I read involved a 27-year-old woman named CD. She complained of excessive controls that began in her childhood. She spent hours doing her homework to make sure it was perfect. The homework she turned in couldn't have eraser marks crossed out. CD also had a ritual of rearranging his room before going to bed, which took hours. When she was in college, she developed new rituals like checking the appliances to make sure they were off, checking the faucet to make sure it wasn't running, and checking to see if all the doors were locked , for fear of hurting yourself or others. . His bedtime ritual also lasted 3-4 hours, leaving him little time to sleep or study. She went to see a therapist but didn't tell him about her rituals, for fear of being called crazy. Her rituals ended up taking up so much of her time that she would arrive late for classes or miss them altogether. Her mood and appetite plummeted to the point that she eventually dropped out of school and returned home. Her parents noticed serious changes in CD and took her to a psychiatrist. The psychiatrist diagnosed him with depression. After trying two different types of antidepressants and seeing no change in his behavior, CD got a second opinion. She felt comfortable enough with him to admit to his routines. By talking to him and taking an antidepressant, his routines took less time, became manageable, and allowed him to return to college and graduate. Many people wonder what causes OCD. Many researchers suggest that poor communication between the front part of the brain and the deeper structures of the brain causes OCD. Miscommunication lies in the use of the neurotransmitter (essentially a messenger) called serotonin in brain structures. THEParts of the body affected by OCD are muscles and nerves due to tightening, increased heart rate, blood circulation, hands may also become red and irritated due to excessive washing, etc. These effects are experienced equally by women and men of all ethnicities, but in childhood, more boys than girls suffer from OCD since the age of onset for boys is 6 to 15 years old and from 20 to 29 years old for girls. Most people with OCD are diagnosed before the age of 40. Treatment options for OCD are medication, therapy, and surgery. Some people see a shift in using therapy or medicine alone, but the majority see the best results in using therapy and medicine together for treatment. Surgery is used as a last resort for people who have not responded well to medicine and therapy. There are many types of therapies used to help people with OCD. Therapy can be individual, family or group sessions. Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is effective in most cases. Exposure and response prevention (a type of CBT) gradually exposes the patient to feared objects or obsessions and helps them learn healthy ways to cope with their OCD. Medications that are usually prescribed to people with OCD are antidepressants, also called serotonin reuptake inhibitors, because people with OCD have imbalanced serotonin levels. Commonly prescribed antidepressants are Clomipramine, also known as Anafranil (for children 10 years and older), Fluoxetine AKA Prozac (for adults and children 7 years and older), Fluvoxamine (for adults and children 8 years and older), Paroxetine also known as Paxil and Pexeva. (adults only) and Sertraline also known as Zoloft (for adults and children 6 years and older). Some side effects can be difficult for patients, which is why some stop taking the medication. In the case study, I read that the subject used therapy and medication for treatment. Therapy and medication helped her get to the point where she returned and finished college. OCD progresses throughout a person's life, going from mild to mostly gone, and without treatment it can get to the point where OCD completely consumes your life. The long-term effects of untreated OCD are depression, constant anxiety, and a high risk of substance abuse, which is because of the poor quality of life, people with OCD suffer greatly. Finally, the sooner people with OCD receive treatment, the better, because OCD becomes more difficult to treat the longer people wait to get help. OCD is unavoidable, but the symptoms can be managed by sticking to treatment and taking medications exactly as prescribed. Maintaining treatment also prevents relapses. Some misconceptions about OCD are: We are all a little OCD sometimes, OCD is just washing your hands, cleaning and being neat and OCD is not a big problem, they just need to relax. These misconceptions state the exact opposite of what OCD is. "I wish people would understand how debilitating it is when they say, 'I'm so OCD.' Obsessive-compulsive disorder is real and valid, and I hesitate to talk about my experience with OCD because I'm afraid of not being taken seriously. I finally started proper treatment for my OCD, but I, 70(11), 1190.