Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD)

Again all these post end up being really vague. I'm going to go into another mental disorder called obsessive compulsive disorder(OCD).OCD affect one in 50 people all over the world.

Its an anxiety disorder and results in compulsively doing an activity over and over again. This may sound familiar because as humans, certain habits are accepted and encouraged like:

Washing your face
Eating three times a day
Laundry once a week

These habits are very ritual like but are considered good for our health. However, people with OCD feel an unbearably strong impulse to participate in less normal rituals. These impulses are driven by obsession and can affect one ability to function normally. These rituals are to calm the individual down and to make them feel better about being anxious. People with OCD are often frustrated about their anxiety and are confused easily. OCD rituals are not particularly enjoyable or useful, this makes them detrimental to everyday life. This can also lead to or stem from depression.

Common Habits of People with OCD are:

Repetitively aligning objects by shape,color and size
Fear of germs or dirt
Overly repetitive washing ( to the point where its harmful and not helpful)
Nonsensical doubts
Obsessive about weight

These a few symptoms. For more symptoms check out:  http://www.hope4ocd.com/checklist.php



Causes Of OCD:

The biological cause is tricky. It has to do with your serotonin level in your brain. It also has to do with the irregular development and structure of the thalamus, orbital cortex and cingulate nucleus. It can also be a variety or combination of dysfunction in any number of neurotransmitters in your brain .
Causes can also be based on your background, upbringing and culture. These are determined on a more individual basis.
More about this: http://www.anxietycare.org.uk/docs/ocdcauses.asp

OCD Treatment

You may need treatment for your entire life, there is no cure for OCD.

You basically have two options:
You can take anti depressants to alleviate symptoms and ease emotion pain that comes from OCD
You can also go through  psychotherapy and come up with ways to cope with your OCD.

All in all, OCD is tricky. Its coupled with various other disorders and can have a variety of causes. Hopefully you found this interesting. I really wish I could go into more detail, its just that you'd eventually get bored and I'd go crazy from information overload. Both are bad.
 I'd give you some catchy advice on how to prevent OCD, but you cant do much to prevent it...just see a doctor if you think you have it.
Have a great Day!