There's a common misconception that if you like to meticulously
organize your things, keep your hands clean, or plan out your weekend
to the last detail, you might have OCD. In fact, OCD, which stands
for obsessive compulsive disorder, is a serious psychiatric condition that is frequently
misunderstood by society and mental health professionals alike. So let's start by debunking some myths. Myth one: repetitive or ritualistic
behaviors are synonymous with OCD. As its name suggests, obsessive compulsive disorder
has two aspects: the intrusive thoughts, images,
or impulses, known as obsessions, and the behavioral
compulsions people engage in to relieve the anxiety
the obsessions cause. The kinds of actions that people often
associate with OCD, like excessive hand washing,
or checking things repeatedly, may be examples of obsessive
or compulsive tendencies that many of us exhibit from time to time. But the actual disorder is far more rare
and can be quite debilitating. People affected have little or no
control over their obsessive thoughts and compulsive behaviors, which tend to be time consuming and interfere with work,
school or social life to the point of causing
significant distress. This set of diagnostic criteria is what
separates people suffering from OCD from those who may
just be a bit more meticulous or hygiene obsessed than usual. Myth two: the main symptom of OCD
is excessive hand washing. Although hand washing is the most common
image of OCD in popular culture, obsessions and compulsions
can take many different forms. Obsessions can manifest
as fears of contamination and illness, worries about harming others, or preoccupations with numbers,
patterns, morality, or sexual identity. And compulsions can range from
excessive cleaning or double checking, to the fastidious arrangement of objects, or walking in predetermined patterns. Myth three: individuals with OCD don't understand
that they are acting irrationally. Many individuals with OCD actually
understand the relationship between their obsessions
and compulsions quite well. Being unable to avoid
these thoughts and actions despite being aware of their irrationality is part of the reason
why OCD is so distressing. OCD sufferers report feeling crazy for experiencing anxiety
based on irrational thoughts and finding it difficult
to control their responses. So what exactly causes OCD? The frustrating answer
is we don't really know. However, we have some important clues. OCD is considered
a neurobiological disorder. In other words, research suggests
that OCD sufferers brains are actually hardwired
to behave in a certain fashion. Research has implicated
three regions of the brain variously involved in social behavior
and complex cognitive planning, voluntary movement, and emotional and motivational responses. The other piece of the puzzle is that OCD is associated
with low levels of serotonin, a neurotransmitter
that communicates between brain structures and helps regulate vital processes, such as mood, aggression, impulse control, sleep, appetite,
body temperature and pain. But are serotonin and activity
in these brain regions the sources of OCD or symptoms of an unknown
underlying cause of the disorder. We probably won't know until we have a much more intimate
understanding of the brain. The good news is there are
effective treatments for OCD, including medications, which increase
serotonin in the brain by limiting its reabsorption
by brain cells, behavioral therapy that gradually
desensitizes patients to their anxieties, and in some cases,
electroconvulsive therapy, or surgery, when OCD doesn't respond
to other forms of treatment. Knowing that your own brain
is lying to you while not being able
to resist its commands can be agonizing. But with knowledge and understanding
comes the power to seek help, and future research into the brain may finally provide
the answers we're looking for.
This approach to OCD is similar to somebody saying that you don't really have heart disease unless you have a heart attack. It's an illness-first approach that waits until a problem is severe. We know that's not effective when it comes to physical health and we're learning to take a more proactive, preventative approach with mental health, but that change is clearly a slow process.
I struggled with OCD and other related anxiety disorders and depression for years because I didn't think it was abnormal. I thought it was all just part of my personality. Even when I was spending hours every day on compulsions, I didn't believe it interfered with my life--it was my life. But anxiety disorders are all about practice, so they just get worse and worse as we invest more time and energy into trying to control uncertainty. OCD doesn't fall from the sky overnight so it's helpful to recognize unhealthy practices early and replace them with healthier practices, just like you don't have to wait until you have a heart attack to start eating healthy and exercising regularly.
OCD is treatable and preventable but as long as we promote this idea that you don't have OCD until your life is falling apart, we're going to be waiting around for many lives to fall apart. In the years ahead we're going to see a shift to proactive, preventative approaches to maintaining and improving mental health, just like we've seen in other areas of health. It's better for individuals, for those around them, and more cost effective for health care systems. We can take a health-first approach to dealing with OCD instead of an illness-first approach.
As someone who was recently diagnosed and is confused by this blessing or curse , I thank you
Great video. Should be shown to everyone who says they have OCD, because they have a few ticks or strange behaviours. They have no idea what it's like lol.