OBSESSIVE-COMPULSIVE
DISORDER
Nikki Lamont

Obsessive-compulsive disorder is a common anxiety disorder. Because the symptoms may be subtle, or simply go unnoticed or unrecognized, people are often unaware of just how common it is. The fact is, three percent of Americans have OCD (mentalheathchannel.net, 2004). And the disorder usually sets in at a young age. This essay hopes to explore OCD further, to know exactly what it means.
What is OCD?
Everyone has habits. Chewing bubble gum during class, watching a certain television show, etc. A person with OCD has unconstructive habits that may be crippling to their social and/or academic functioning, and will cause high levels of stress. An OCD sufferer generally has obsessions, recurrent and/or persistent thoughts, ideas or feelings that cause intense anxiety, which pair with compulsions, repetitive behaviours used to quell the anxiety brought on by the obsessions.(In rare cases, a person may have obsessions without compulsions). Obsessions are usually coupled with matching compulsions, i.e. someone with an obsession causing fear of contamination or germs may engage in excessive hand washing, to the point of being late, loosing sleep, and/or red and raw hands. Or someone with an obsession causing a fear of burglary may continually check that their house is locked, and continue to do so after the assurance has been made that the house is indeed locked. Although sufferers of OCD may be aware of their problems, they may be completely unable to slow or put a stop to them.
As mentioned before, Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder makes sufferer’s lives very difficult. A 2003 study of OCD’s impacts on functioning socially, in school, and among family revealed that 90% of 151 students (135.9) reported OCD-related problems. Almost indicated OCD-related problems with school, social life, and family. (familydoctor.org, 2002) In fact, recent estimates suggest that one in one hundred kids may have OCD. And OCD may not be the only problem that these people face. OCD is linked to other anxiety disorders, such as dysmorphophobia*, hypochondriasis**, and trichotillomania***. OCD is also closely linked to depression. (Adams, 2004)
What Causes OCD?
The popular belief is that OCD is influenced more by biological factors than by outside influences and environment. By using PET (positron emission tomography) and MRI (magnetic resonance imaging), scientists have found the most popular theory regarding the cause of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder. Scientists believe that difficultly in transmitting serotonin, one of the brain’s neurotransmitters, in addition to insufficient communication between the Frontal Cortex* and Basal Ganglia**(and/or other structures in the brain)mat be the cause of OCD. (Adams, 2004)
Heredity plays a role as well. Children who have blood relatives with Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, other anxiety disorders, and/or tic disorders, are more at risk of having OCD.
There are, of course, possible psychological causes behind OCD. These centre mostly on emotionally distressing events in a person’s life; i.e. loss/death or dramatic changes.
How is OCD Treated?
In most cases, Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder is treated using therapy, sometimes in conjunction with medications (which is recommended). The most commonly used therapy is Cognitive Behaviour Therapy, Exposure and Response prevention in particular. ERP entails the patient being presented with OCD-triggering situations, beginning with the least anxiety-causing and working from there. The patient is encouraged to resist carrying out rituals, either for a certain period of time or indefinitely. ERP is effective by itself, although it may require a follow-up session every so often. (Adams, 2004)
As for medical treatment of OCD, most of the drugs used to treat it are also anti-depressants. For example, Anafranil*, a tri-cyclic anti-depressant, was the first medication found to be effective in treating young people’s OCD. However, there are a number of drugs used to treat OCD and Depression which have fewer side-effects. These drugs are known as Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors. The function of an SSRI is to sustain the level of Serotonin in the brain, thereby lessening OCD symptoms, or even eliminating them completely. Common SSRI’s are Prozac**, Luvox***, Paxil****, and Zoloft*****. (Adams, 2004)  In extremely rare cases, OCD may be treated through surgery.
As you can see, Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder can be quite a problematic condition. Stress, anxiety, and recurrent troublesome ideas and reactions plague the subject, until they seek treatment. And of course, as with all treatments, therapies and medications for OCD may not work for everyone.  It may take some time to find the right path, if any.
Finally, I must surmise that there is simply not enough common knowledge regarding OCD. People need to be more aware of the disorder, so that it can be better treated.






GLOSSARY

What Is OCD?
* Dysmorphophobia: extreme concern with a small or imagined body defect.
** Hypochondriasis: fear of being violently ill, even when no sickness is present.
*** Trichotillomania: a compulsion to pull out one’s own hair.

What Causes OCD?
* Frontal Cortex:  part of the brain involved with organizing behaviours and planning.
** Basal Ganglia: part of the brain involved in routine behaviours; i.e. grooming.

How is OCD Treated?
* Anafranil: clomipramine
** Prozac: fluoxetine
*** Luvox: fluvoxamine
**** Paxil: paroxetine
***** Zoloft: sertraline

BIBLIOGRAPHY

1.Adams, Gail B. (2004). Identifying, Assessing, and Treating Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder in School-Aged Children: The Role of School Personnel. Teaching Exceptional Children, Vol. 37, No. 2, pp 46-53. (Accessed 11/10/2004)(Accessed on EBSCO, database: Canadian Reference Centre)
2.Gard, Carolyn. (2004). Life With OCD. Current Health 2, Vol. 30, Issue 6, p18, 2p, 1c, 1bw. (Accessed 11/10/2004)(Accessed on EBSCO, database: Canadian Reference Centre)
3.Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD). [ONLINE] http://www.mentalheathchannel.net/ocd/ (Accessed 12/01/2004)
4.Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder: What it is and How to Treat it. American Academy of Family Physicians. (2002) [ONLINE] http://familydoctor.rg/x1746.xml (Accessed 12/01/2004)