Thirty-two year old Ruby is happily married to a bank executive; the couple has two children. Recently, she talked with her husband of her problem which she “just can’t cope anymore.” With strong encouragement from her husband, she came to a psychiatrist’s office seeking help.
Ruby told her woes: Recently, she has been spending increasing amounts of time, now at least four hours per day, in cleaning rituals. She won’t allow anyone in the house to wear shoes and she doesn’t want anyone else in the kitchen. She washes her hands with hot water and soap for at least five minutes after any occasion when she feels they have been contaminated and always wears gloves when outside. The skin on her hands is reddened and irritated.
She spends up to an hour a day keeping items in the house in perfect placement (symmetrical and balanced), and she can become extremely angry if someone disturbs their placement. She spends approximately an hour every day arranging and rearranging her clothes in her closets, ordering each item on hangers in placement by size and color and correcting anything that is not hanging exactly symmetrically.
Ruby, the doctor says, is suffering from obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). The phrase “obsessive–compulsive” has become part of the English lexicon, and is often used in an informal or caricatured manner to describe someone who is meticulous, perfectionist, absorbed in a cause, or otherwise fixated on something or someone.
“Obsessive-compulsive disorder is not the ordinary ‘double-checking’ that all of us do from time to time,” points out The Medical Advisor: The Complete Guide to Alternative and Conventional Treatments. “For OCD patients, these thoughts are so magnified that they interfere with everyday routines, jobs, and relationships.”
The Merck Manual of Medical Information defines OCD as “characterized by the presence of recurring, unwanted, intrusive ideas, images, or impulses that may even seem silly, weird, nasty, or horrible (obsessions) to the person experiencing them, accompanied by urges to do something that will relieve the discomfort caused by the obsessions (compulsions).”
OCD is the fourth-most common mental disorder and is diagnosed nearly as often as asthma and diabetes. It occurs about equally in men and women. “Although OCD can appear in childhood,” The Medical Advisor notes, “onset most often occurs in adolescence; half of adult sufferers show some symptoms by the age of 15.”
From the 14th to the 16th century in Europe, it was believed that people who experienced blasphemous, sexual, or other obsessive thoughts were possessed by the devil. Based on this reasoning, treatment involved banishing the “evil” from the “possessed” person through exorcism.
In the early 1910s, Sigmund Freud attributed obsessive–compulsive behavior to unconscious conflicts that manifest as symptoms. Freud describes the clinical history of a typical case of “touching phobia” as starting in early childhood, when the person has a strong desire to touch an item. In response, the person develops an “external prohibition” against this type of touching. However, this “prohibition does not succeed in abolishing” the desire to touch; all it can do is repress the desire and “force it into the unconscious.”
Although some experts in psychology still support the Freudian hypothesis, the most widely held theory today suggests that there is a genetic predisposition to OCD and that it is triggered by low levels of one of the brain’s neurotransmitters, serotonin.
Some studies compare images of the brains of people who have obsessive-compulsive disorder with the brains of those who don’t show differences in brain activity patterns. It was found that people with OCD who take medications that enhance the action of serotonin often have fewer.
Because obsession takes hold gradually – moving slowly from simple interest to brooding to complete preoccupation – people often fail to recognize that they are suffering from a disorder. The symptoms of OCD may wax and wane over time. Often, the symptoms get worse in times of stress.
One of the most well-known OCD sufferers is American aviator and Hollywood filmmaker Howard Hughes (he was portrayed by Leonardo DiCaprio in the movie, The Aviator). His friends have mentioned his obsession with minor flaws in clothing and he is reported to have had a great fear of germs.
English footballer David Beckham has been outspoken regarding his struggle with OCD. He has told media that he has to count all of his clothes, and that magazines have to lie in a straight line. If there are three soda cans in his refrigerator, he will throw one out to make an even pair, and if there are any more at home they have to be placed in a cupboard. In hotels, any books that are on a shelf must be moved into a drawer.
“Most people with OCD are aware that their obsessive thoughts do not reflect actual risks and that their compulsive behaviors are ineffective,” the Merck manual states. “OCD therefore differs from psychotic disorders, in which people lose contact with reality. It also differs from obsessive-compulsive personality disorder, in which specific personality traits are defined (for example, being a perfectionist).”
More often than not, people with OCD are very much aware that their compulsive behaviors are excessive to the point of being bizarre and are afraid they will be embarrassed or stigmatized. As such, they often perform their rituals secretly, even though the rituals may occupy several hours each day.
When should you contact a doctor? “If your obsessions and compulsions are affecting your life, see your doctor or mental health provider,” suggests the Minnesota-based Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research. “It’s common for people with OCD to be ashamed and embarrassed about the condition. But even if your rituals are deeply ingrained, treatment can help.”
Having OCD is stressful and can lead to feelings of hopelessness and depression. “About one-third of people with OCD are depressed at the time the disorder is diagnosed,” the Merck manual notes. “Altogether, two thirds become depressed at some point.”
Unknowingly, having OCD can also be an asset. The television series, The Monk, has a detective who suffers from OCD. His compulsive habits are numerous, and a number of phobias compound his situation, such as his fear of germs. He has 312 fears, some of which are milk, ladybugs, harmonicas, heights, imperfection and risk. The OCD and plethora of phobias inevitably lead to very awkward situations and cause problems for Monk and anyone around him, as he investigates cases. However, these same personal struggles, particularly the OCD, are what aid him in solving cases such as his sharp memory, specific mindset and attention to detail.
You can even become an author. American game show host Marc Summers has written a book about how OCD has affected his life. The book is titled Everything in Its Place: My Trials and Triumphs with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder.
Ruby told her woes: Recently, she has been spending increasing amounts of time, now at least four hours per day, in cleaning rituals. She won’t allow anyone in the house to wear shoes and she doesn’t want anyone else in the kitchen. She washes her hands with hot water and soap for at least five minutes after any occasion when she feels they have been contaminated and always wears gloves when outside. The skin on her hands is reddened and irritated.
She spends up to an hour a day keeping items in the house in perfect placement (symmetrical and balanced), and she can become extremely angry if someone disturbs their placement. She spends approximately an hour every day arranging and rearranging her clothes in her closets, ordering each item on hangers in placement by size and color and correcting anything that is not hanging exactly symmetrically.
Ruby, the doctor says, is suffering from obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). The phrase “obsessive–compulsive” has become part of the English lexicon, and is often used in an informal or caricatured manner to describe someone who is meticulous, perfectionist, absorbed in a cause, or otherwise fixated on something or someone.
“Obsessive-compulsive disorder is not the ordinary ‘double-checking’ that all of us do from time to time,” points out The Medical Advisor: The Complete Guide to Alternative and Conventional Treatments. “For OCD patients, these thoughts are so magnified that they interfere with everyday routines, jobs, and relationships.”
The Merck Manual of Medical Information defines OCD as “characterized by the presence of recurring, unwanted, intrusive ideas, images, or impulses that may even seem silly, weird, nasty, or horrible (obsessions) to the person experiencing them, accompanied by urges to do something that will relieve the discomfort caused by the obsessions (compulsions).”
OCD is the fourth-most common mental disorder and is diagnosed nearly as often as asthma and diabetes. It occurs about equally in men and women. “Although OCD can appear in childhood,” The Medical Advisor notes, “onset most often occurs in adolescence; half of adult sufferers show some symptoms by the age of 15.”
From the 14th to the 16th century in Europe, it was believed that people who experienced blasphemous, sexual, or other obsessive thoughts were possessed by the devil. Based on this reasoning, treatment involved banishing the “evil” from the “possessed” person through exorcism.
In the early 1910s, Sigmund Freud attributed obsessive–compulsive behavior to unconscious conflicts that manifest as symptoms. Freud describes the clinical history of a typical case of “touching phobia” as starting in early childhood, when the person has a strong desire to touch an item. In response, the person develops an “external prohibition” against this type of touching. However, this “prohibition does not succeed in abolishing” the desire to touch; all it can do is repress the desire and “force it into the unconscious.”
Although some experts in psychology still support the Freudian hypothesis, the most widely held theory today suggests that there is a genetic predisposition to OCD and that it is triggered by low levels of one of the brain’s neurotransmitters, serotonin.
Some studies compare images of the brains of people who have obsessive-compulsive disorder with the brains of those who don’t show differences in brain activity patterns. It was found that people with OCD who take medications that enhance the action of serotonin often have fewer.
Because obsession takes hold gradually – moving slowly from simple interest to brooding to complete preoccupation – people often fail to recognize that they are suffering from a disorder. The symptoms of OCD may wax and wane over time. Often, the symptoms get worse in times of stress.
One of the most well-known OCD sufferers is American aviator and Hollywood filmmaker Howard Hughes (he was portrayed by Leonardo DiCaprio in the movie, The Aviator). His friends have mentioned his obsession with minor flaws in clothing and he is reported to have had a great fear of germs.
English footballer David Beckham has been outspoken regarding his struggle with OCD. He has told media that he has to count all of his clothes, and that magazines have to lie in a straight line. If there are three soda cans in his refrigerator, he will throw one out to make an even pair, and if there are any more at home they have to be placed in a cupboard. In hotels, any books that are on a shelf must be moved into a drawer.
“Most people with OCD are aware that their obsessive thoughts do not reflect actual risks and that their compulsive behaviors are ineffective,” the Merck manual states. “OCD therefore differs from psychotic disorders, in which people lose contact with reality. It also differs from obsessive-compulsive personality disorder, in which specific personality traits are defined (for example, being a perfectionist).”
More often than not, people with OCD are very much aware that their compulsive behaviors are excessive to the point of being bizarre and are afraid they will be embarrassed or stigmatized. As such, they often perform their rituals secretly, even though the rituals may occupy several hours each day.
When should you contact a doctor? “If your obsessions and compulsions are affecting your life, see your doctor or mental health provider,” suggests the Minnesota-based Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research. “It’s common for people with OCD to be ashamed and embarrassed about the condition. But even if your rituals are deeply ingrained, treatment can help.”
Having OCD is stressful and can lead to feelings of hopelessness and depression. “About one-third of people with OCD are depressed at the time the disorder is diagnosed,” the Merck manual notes. “Altogether, two thirds become depressed at some point.”
Unknowingly, having OCD can also be an asset. The television series, The Monk, has a detective who suffers from OCD. His compulsive habits are numerous, and a number of phobias compound his situation, such as his fear of germs. He has 312 fears, some of which are milk, ladybugs, harmonicas, heights, imperfection and risk. The OCD and plethora of phobias inevitably lead to very awkward situations and cause problems for Monk and anyone around him, as he investigates cases. However, these same personal struggles, particularly the OCD, are what aid him in solving cases such as his sharp memory, specific mindset and attention to detail.
You can even become an author. American game show host Marc Summers has written a book about how OCD has affected his life. The book is titled Everything in Its Place: My Trials and Triumphs with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder.
