Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD)

avatar
(Edited)

OCD.png

In that last post, talked about GAD and we brought out the condition and made it separate from the other forms of anxiety.

gad.png
Inkscape.org
Depression vector created by pch.vector - www.freepik.com and Inkscape.org

In this post, we want to gather information, about Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. This is a continuation of the last few posts in the anxiety series.

This is the Medic Vibes blog, where we share information regarding mental health-related topics. I'm pleased you're here and I hope you're having a good day. The host of the blog, @ebingo, is a physician and an illustrator. We have not yet migrated to our main blog because we currently have only one writer and one illustrator on staff. Currently, we maintain a blog for the STEMsocial community. Last month we discussed depression, and this month we will focus on anxiety. According to a Nigerian study, we began last month, anxiety was prevalent in a youth camp at a rate of 50%. Following the study, we began analyzing tweets, just as we did a month ago.


Anxiety disorder causes higher levels of worry and fear. Women and younger individuals are more likely than the general population to experience anxiety.

In a study that we examined, we discovered that fifty per cent of campers at a youth camp in Northwestern Nigeria exhibited anxiety symptoms and that over three per cent of the global population also suffers from anxiety. Approximately 1% of the Nigerian population suffers from anxiety.

At some point in their lives, everyone has experienced heart palpitations before important exams, presentations, or performances. But what if I told you that some individuals experience this sensation daily? Individuals with social anxiety disorder are worried about what others will think of them. With one of these individuals, such as their supervisor or a coworker, they may interact frequently. Therefore, individuals will employ avoidance strategies. In one of our previous blog posts, we discussed how social anxiety can manifest itself during phone calls.

Physical, psychological, and reactive symptoms are all present in anxious individuals.

Chest pain, stomach pain, weakness, rapid respiration, and a rapid heartbeat are examples of physical symptoms. These are frequently caused by the sympathetic firing of the autonomic nervous system.

Nightmares, flashbacks, and insomnia are some of the psychological symptoms of anxiety.

One of the reactive signs and symptoms associated with social anxiety disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder is avoidance. This can apply to both people and locations.

According to the diagnostic and statistical manual, the cause of anxiety varies between individuals and lasts longer than six months. Keeping it in check can be challenging. Anxious children frequently experience persistent pain, exhaustion, agitation, and sleep problems.

Risk Factors
A combination of genetics and the environment play a minor role in determining who can develop anxiety disorders.

An individual's risk for anxiety is increased by shyness, avoidance of social situations, and avoidance of specific locations.

Childhood exposure to traumatic or extremely stressful events increases the likelihood of developing anxiety.

An additional risk factor is having relatives with anxiety disorders.

Several medical conditions, including thyroid problems and heart conditions such as arrhythmias, increase the risk of developing anxiety disorders.

In general, women experience anxiety more frequently than men. Others believe higher testosterone levels may have a calming effect. Some individuals believe that women are less likely than men to seek therapy for anxiety.

Because depression and anxiety are related and because depression increases a person's risk of suicide, it is crucial to be on the lookout for any changes as soon as they appear.


Obsessive Compulsive Disorder

Obsessive compulsive disorder.gif

People illustrations by StorysetInkscape.org
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder OCD as the name implie, has an Obsessive and a Compulsive component. The Obsession makes up the thoughts that are repeated then there is the compulsive component that has to do with the repeated actions.

In OCD, the person may have thought of colour may be evil or good. It may also happen that the person touches dirt and washes their hand over and over again. Some people think it is just about biting nails repeatedly.

These thoughts can occupy close to 12 hours of the day, they are not exactly pleasurable thoughts to have, they are hard to have control over and they cause difficult at work.

The symptoms of OCD can be divided into 4 classes based on the symptoms that are seen.

The checking symptoms of OCD include seeing locks at home or alarms or even to make sure that they are in order. The person could also think they are pregnant or have schizophrenia

Contamination symptoms the person may feel that they are dirty physically or it may be an issue that they are mentally contaminated and are being treated like rubbish.

Ordering and alining this one is seen in the movies very often where the person needs to align things.

Rumination There could be reoccurring thoughts. These thoughts are usually very unpleasant.

The cause of OCD is not very clear but having past trauma, being female, having a relative with OCD and some other features may put you at risk of OCD.

Tips

Usually, medical treatment for this condition could take up to 2 to 4 months before the results start showing. Some people respond to antidepressant medication like citalopram or escitalopram. Antipsychotics are also used for the treatment of this condition.

As with most Anxiety disorders, CBT helps and has been proven to be helpful.

Hive Stories

@storiesoferne explains why the goal is to seek progress and not perfection. In the course of the post, he talks about his female mentor who had OCD and sort out to make things perfect in her work. Probably the type related to symmetry.

Check out this post here

Questions

  • What did you learn about ODC?
  • What did you learn about anxiety?
  • What is the relationship between them?

Conclusion

OCD is a very limiting condition that has a predication to younger people. Antidepressants and Antipsychotics can be used to treat the condition.

I hope that you learned a lot from this post.

To book me for illustration gigs click Here

References

People illustrations by Storyset
https://www.webmd.com/mental-health/obsessive-compulsive-disorder#:~:text=Obsessive%2Dcompulsive%20disorder%20(OCD)%20is%20a%20mental%20illness%20that,nails%20or%20thinking%20negative%20thoughts.



0
0
0.000
6 comments
avatar

Congratulations @ebingo! You have completed the following achievement on the Hive blockchain and have been rewarded with new badge(s):

You got more than 3250 replies.
Your next target is to reach 3500 replies.

You can view your badges on your board and compare yourself to others in the Ranking
If you no longer want to receive notifications, reply to this comment with the word STOP

Check out the last post from @hivebuzz:

HiveFest⁷ Meetings Contest
Support the HiveBuzz project. Vote for our proposal!
0
0
0.000
avatar
(Edited)

I must say that this is a great content, OCD isn't a pleasant neurological disorder and patients usually require the help of a psychiatrist to manage it. Before I go, I wanted to call your attention to the punctuation use, grammatical use and typographical errors in this post. They made it extremely difficult for me to read. Thanks a lot.

0
0
0.000
avatar

Yeah it is...You summed it up...

And thank you...I'll fix it right now

Posted via D.Buzz

0
0
0.000
avatar

Hey @ebingo. Great post! Thanks for mentioning my article here. Much appreciated! 😊

0
0
0.000
avatar

You are welcome. Thank you for showing up here.

0
0
0.000
avatar

Thanks for your contribution to the STEMsocial community. Feel free to join us on discord to get to know the rest of us!

Please consider delegating to the @stemsocial account (85% of the curation rewards are returned).

You may also include @stemsocial as a beneficiary of the rewards of this post to get a stronger support. 
 

0
0
0.000