Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) – Psychology Essay

Exclusively available on Available only on IvyPanda® Made by Human No AI

Symptoms

The victims of obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) normally experience both compulsions and obsessions though in some people only one symptom is experienced at a time.

Obsessive Thoughts (OT)

Basically, the often OT encountered in OCD include panics that are linked with germ and dirt infections which bring about serious harms to others. Furthermore, it entails the hostile sensual overt which are intimately correlated to aggressive feelings or imageries.

Obsessive thoughts are also symbolized with excessive focus on moral ideals including being too religious, superstitious and the belief that everything must just be right (Leckman et al., 2001). The other sign relates to the fear of lacking the need in life and consequently losing whatever has been acquired and is in possession.

Compulsive behavior

The common compulsive behavior includes too much attention to personal property to an extent that there is double checking of their safety. It similarly constitutes a continuous and thorough checking of the loved ones to ensure their safety. However, the most notable sign is senseless activities deemed useful in reducing anxiety such as repeating certain words, tapping things and double counting (Eichstedt & Arnold, 2001).

Re-arranging or re-ordering things is a further sign of compulsive behavior. Compulsive behavior is also characterized by excessive praying and engagement in excessive religious activities which seem to accrue due to religious fear. In fact, the victims often portray such behaviors by accumulating junky things such as used empty containers, old newspapers or even plastic bags.

Treatment

Psychotherapy

Psychotherapy includes cognitive behavioral therapy that aims in helping the victims to manage their problems by changing the way they think and act. Cognitive behavioral therapy encourages the patients to talk about themselves, people and the environment around them while changing their behaviors. This in turn changes their thoughts and feelings about anything which happens to be around them (Myers, 2010). The result is that the victims will feel better about themselves and about life.

Medications

Medical treatment for OCD includes the use of antidepressants that majorly consists of the selective serotonin re-uptake inhibitors (SSRIs). SSRIs generally increase the level of brain serotonin. In medicine, serotonin is perceived to be used by the brain to transmit information from one cell to another (Leckman et al., 2001).

There are diverse kinds of SSRIs that can be prescribed though they have to be taken for a number of weeks before their effects can be seen. The side effects of SSRIs are severe headaches and anxiety which may cause suicidal thoughts or the desire to cause personal harm.

Other treatments

Occasionally, medication and psychotherapy may fail to control the symptoms for OCD. Thus, treatments such as psychiatric hospitalization, residential treatment, electroconvulsive therapy, trans-cranial magnetic stimulation and deep brain stimulation may be used.

Deep brain stimulation is an alternative surgery treatment where an electronic generator is implanted into the patient’s chest while electrodes implanted in the brain. Electric signal is sent from the chest device to the electrodes in the brain. Though the treatment has been proved to be effective in the improvement of the symptoms, it may be accompanied with infections and brain bleeding (Myers, 2010).

The final effective treatment for OCD is support group. Basically, support group is useful in reducing the feelings of isolation, reassurance and provides a chance for socialization (Eichstedt & Arnold, 2001). Often, residents provide information as well as advice on how to handle OCD. However, since all the described treatments for OCD have not been thoroughly tested, it is essential that one fully understands the merits and demerits before any treatment is undertaken so as to avoid any possible health risks.

References

Eichstedt, J. A. & Arnold, S. L. (2001). Childhood-onset obsessive-compulsive disorder: A tic-related subtype of OCD? Clinical Psychology Review, vol. 21(1), pp.137-157.

Leckman, J. F., Zhang, H, Alsobrook, J. P. & Pauls, D. L. (2001). Symptom dimensions in obsessive-compulsive disorder: Toward quantitative phenotypes. American Journal of Medical Genetics, vol. 105(1), pp.28-30.

Myers, D. G. (2010). Psychology. New York, NY: Worth Publishers, Inc.

More related papers Related Essay Examples
Cite This paper
You're welcome to use this sample in your assignment. Be sure to cite it correctly

Reference

IvyPanda. (2020, April 28). Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) - Psychology. https://ivypanda.com/essays/obsessive-compulsive-disorder-ocd-psychology/

Work Cited

"Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) - Psychology." IvyPanda, 28 Apr. 2020, ivypanda.com/essays/obsessive-compulsive-disorder-ocd-psychology/.

References

IvyPanda. (2020) 'Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) - Psychology'. 28 April.

References

IvyPanda. 2020. "Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) - Psychology." April 28, 2020. https://ivypanda.com/essays/obsessive-compulsive-disorder-ocd-psychology/.

1. IvyPanda. "Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) - Psychology." April 28, 2020. https://ivypanda.com/essays/obsessive-compulsive-disorder-ocd-psychology/.


Bibliography


IvyPanda. "Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) - Psychology." April 28, 2020. https://ivypanda.com/essays/obsessive-compulsive-disorder-ocd-psychology/.

If, for any reason, you believe that this content should not be published on our website, please request its removal.
Updated:
This academic paper example has been carefully picked, checked and refined by our editorial team.
No AI was involved: only quilified experts contributed.
You are free to use it for the following purposes:
  • To find inspiration for your paper and overcome writer’s block
  • As a source of information (ensure proper referencing)
  • As a template for you assignment
Privacy Settings

IvyPanda uses cookies and similar technologies to enhance your experience, enabling functionalities such as:

  • Basic site functions
  • Ensuring secure, safe transactions
  • Secure account login
  • Remembering account, browser, and regional preferences
  • Remembering privacy and security settings
  • Analyzing site traffic and usage
  • Personalized search, content, and recommendations
  • Displaying relevant, targeted ads on and off IvyPanda

Please refer to IvyPanda's Cookies Policy and Privacy Policy for detailed information.

Required Cookies & Technologies
Always active

Certain technologies we use are essential for critical functions such as security and site integrity, account authentication, security and privacy preferences, internal site usage and maintenance data, and ensuring the site operates correctly for browsing and transactions.

Site Customization

Cookies and similar technologies are used to enhance your experience by:

  • Remembering general and regional preferences
  • Personalizing content, search, recommendations, and offers

Some functions, such as personalized recommendations, account preferences, or localization, may not work correctly without these technologies. For more details, please refer to IvyPanda's Cookies Policy.

Personalized Advertising

To enable personalized advertising (such as interest-based ads), we may share your data with our marketing and advertising partners using cookies and other technologies. These partners may have their own information collected about you. Turning off the personalized advertising setting won't stop you from seeing IvyPanda ads, but it may make the ads you see less relevant or more repetitive.

Personalized advertising may be considered a "sale" or "sharing" of the information under California and other state privacy laws, and you may have the right to opt out. Turning off personalized advertising allows you to exercise your right to opt out. Learn more in IvyPanda's Cookies Policy and Privacy Policy.

1 / 1