Obsessive Compulsive Disorder
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder
Have you ever had a surge of worrying thoughts? Do you ask yourself, did I lock the car; did I turn off the lights? After these thoughts occurred, did you immediately check to make sure you locked your car, and turned off the lights? Though everyone has worrying thoughts, some of these thoughts may develop into unbearable obsessions. Some people cannot rid themselves of these obsessions, even though they are aware that their thoughts and actions are absurd. These people are known to suffer from obsessive- compulsive disorder, also known as OCD. As Heidi Watkins writes, “OCD is a type of anxiety disorder. OCD is characterized by distressing repetitive thoughts, impulses, or images that are intense, or frightening, and that are unusual or not reasonable” (Heidi Watkins p.15-16). In OCD, obsessions are aided with compulsions to help lessen the anxiety that originates from the sufferer’s obsessions (MedicineNet.com p.1). These obsession and compulsions affect all aspects of the sufferer’s life, because of the time that is being used by the sufferer’s anxiety (MedicineNet.com p.1). OCD starts to develop either between preschool and adulthood, within ages of ten and twelve, or in late teens and early adulthood (International OCD Foundation p.1) and affects men and women of all ethnicities (Heidi Watkins p.16). It is estimated that OCD affects two to three percent of the population (Lennard J. Davis p. 209). Today, seven million people are estimated to have OCD in the United States (Jeffrey Kluger p.2). One in two hundred children and one in one hundred adults are now thought to have OCD (International OCD Foundation p.1). Types of the most common types of OCD include, checking, washing and cleaning, organizing, hoarding aggressive, sexual, religious, or harm, which are accompanied with compulsions (MedicineNet.com p.1). Some forms of OCD may be affected by the sufferer’s background and religion (Christine Purdon, David A. Clark p. 94)
Have you ever had a surge of worrying thoughts? Do you ask yourself, did I lock the car; did I turn off the lights? After these thoughts occurred, did you immediately check to make sure you locked your car, and turned off the lights? Though everyone has worrying thoughts, some of these thoughts may develop into unbearable obsessions. Some people cannot rid themselves of these obsessions, even though they are aware that their thoughts and actions are absurd. These people are known to suffer from obsessive- compulsive disorder, also known as OCD. As Heidi Watkins writes, “OCD is a type of anxiety disorder. OCD is characterized by distressing repetitive thoughts, impulses, or images that are intense, or frightening, and that are unusual or not reasonable” (Heidi Watkins p.15-16). In OCD, obsessions are aided with compulsions to help lessen the anxiety that originates from the sufferer’s obsessions (MedicineNet.com p.1). These obsession and compulsions affect all aspects of the sufferer’s life, because of the time that is being used by the sufferer’s anxiety (MedicineNet.com p.1). OCD starts to develop either between preschool and adulthood, within ages of ten and twelve, or in late teens and early adulthood (International OCD Foundation p.1) and affects men and women of all ethnicities (Heidi Watkins p.16). It is estimated that OCD affects two to three percent of the population (Lennard J. Davis p. 209). Today, seven million people are estimated to have OCD in the United States (Jeffrey Kluger p.2). One in two hundred children and one in one hundred adults are now thought to have OCD (International OCD Foundation p.1). Types of the most common types of OCD include, checking, washing and cleaning, organizing, hoarding aggressive, sexual, religious, or harm, which are accompanied with compulsions (MedicineNet.com p.1). Some forms of OCD may be affected by the sufferer’s background and religion (Christine Purdon, David A. Clark p. 94)