There are a number of common psychological disorders in the world that are non-obvious from first sight. One of them is the Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder — the syndrome which causes people to have recurring, unwanted thoughts and drives them to uncontrollable, repetitive actions. The actions which OCD forces people to perform can begin as something harmless but grow into obsessions that disrupt daily life, and this problem needs to be addressed.
The disorder, as stated in its name, consists of two symptoms: obsessions and compulsions. Obsessions are thoughts, fears, and images that constantly appear in one’s mind. They can be unreasonable or illogical but will always cause distress and anxiety. The acts people perform in order to prevent obsessions are called compulsions. Sometimes they are directly motivated by fears, such as washing hands to avoid germs, but they can also be utterly absurd, like arranging things in a specific order. Even if the actions themselves are somewhat safe, their constant presence in daily life is damaging.
Having OCD brings serious risks to people’s life functions. Firstly, the compulsions consume a lot of time with repetitive rituals, making it impossible to maintain an adequate routine or be productive. Secondly, distressful thoughts can appear at any time, and the attempts to ignore or suppress them can result in panic attacks or severe mental breakdowns. Without proper medical attention, OCD often provokes other mental and physical diseases, such as depression, anxiety, indigestion, and dermatitis. However, a complete recovery from OCD is not possible within the current level of healthcare. The symptoms can only be temporarily eliminated with psychotherapy and anxiety medications. As it can be seen, the disorder is definitely threatening, and there is a need to explore more about its treatment.
To summarize, this research presents general information about Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder. The symptoms of this disease are highly dangerous since they affect people’s entire routines and lifestyles. Severe cases of obsessions and compulsions often lead to extreme mental states or harmful physical conditions. However, healthcare now is unable to provide an ultimate cure for OCD, and better treatments are to be discovered.