OCD mental disorder treatment. Obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD)

Living with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is not easy. With this disease, obsessive thoughts arise that cause severe anxiety. To get rid of anxiety, a person suffering from OCD is often forced to perform certain rituals.

In the classification of mental illnesses, OCD is classified as an anxiety disorder, and anxiety is familiar to almost everyone. But this does not mean that any healthy person understands what an OCD sufferer must experience. Headaches are also familiar to everyone, but this does not mean that we all know what migraine sufferers feel.

OCD symptoms can interfere with a person's ability to work, live, and relate to others.

“The brain is designed in such a way that it always warns us of dangers that threaten our survival. But in patients with OCD, this brain system does not work properly. As a result, they are often overwhelmed by a veritable tsunami of unpleasant experiences and are unable to focus on anything else,” explains psychologist Stephen Philipson, clinical director of the Center for Cognitive Behavioral Therapy in New York City.

OCD is not associated with any one specific fear. Some compulsions are well known - for example, patients may constantly wash their hands or check if the stove is on. But OCD can also manifest itself in the form of pathological hoarding, hypochondria, or fear of harming someone. A fairly common type of OCD in which patients are tormented by paralyzing fear about their sexual orientation.

As with any mental illness, only a medical professional can make a diagnosis. But there are still a few symptoms that experts say may indicate OCD.

1. They bargain with themselves.

OCD sufferers often believe that if they check the stove one more time or search the Internet for symptoms of the illness they claim to have, they will finally be able to calm down. But OCD is most often deceptive.

“Biochemical associations arise in the brain with the object of fear. Repeating obsessive rituals further convinces the brain that the danger is indeed real, thus completing a vicious circle.”

2. They feel an obsessive need to perform certain rituals.

Would you agree to stop doing your usual rituals (for example, not checking 20 times a day to see if the door is locked? Entrance door), if you were paid $10 or $100 or another amount that is significant enough for you? If your anxiety is so easy to “buy”, then most likely you are just more afraid of burglars than usual, but you do not have OCD.

For a person suffering from this disorder, performing rituals seems to be a matter of life and death, and survival can hardly be measured in money.

3. It is very difficult to convince them that their fears are unfounded.

OCD sufferers are familiar with the verbal construction “Yes, but...” (“Yes, the last three tests showed that I do not have this or that disease, but how do I know that the samples were not mixed up in the laboratory?”). Since it is rarely possible to be absolutely sure of something, no beliefs help the patient overcome these thoughts, and he continues to suffer from anxiety.

4. They usually remember when symptoms started.

“Not all OCD sufferers can say exactly when the disorder first appeared, but most do remember,” says Philipson. At first, simply causeless anxiety arises, which then takes shape in a more specific fear - for example, that while you are preparing dinner, you will suddenly stab someone with a knife. For most people, such experiences pass without consequences. But OCD sufferers seem to fall into an abyss.

If the patient is afraid of contamination, the first exercise for him will be to touch door handle and don't wash your hands after that

“At such moments, panic enters into an alliance with a certain idea. And it's not easy to end, just like any unhappy marriage,” says Philipson.

5. They are consumed by anxiety.

Almost all the fears that plague OCD patients have some basis. Fires do happen, and your hands really are full of bacteria. It's all about the intensity of fear.

If you are able to function normally despite the constant uncertainty associated with these risk factors, you most likely do not have OCD (or a very mild case). Problems begin when anxiety completely consumes you, preventing you from functioning normally.

Fortunately, OCD can be treated. Medications, including some types of antidepressants, play an important role in treatment, but psychotherapy, especially cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), is also effective.

There is an effective method within CBT OCD treatment- the so-called exposure with reaction prevention. During treatment, the patient, under the supervision of a therapist, is deliberately placed in situations that cause increasing fear, while he must resist the desire to perform the usual ritual.

For example, if a patient is afraid of contamination and constantly washes his hands, the first exercise for him will be to touch the door handle and not wash his hands after that. In the following exercises, the perceived danger increases - for example, you will need to touch the handrail on the bus, then the tap in a public toilet, and so on. As a result, fear gradually begins to subside.

Obsessive-compulsive disorder- symptoms and treatment

What is obsessive-compulsive disorder? We will discuss the causes, diagnosis and treatment methods in the article by Dr. E. V. Bachilo, a psychiatrist with 10 years of experience.

Definition of disease. Causes of the disease

Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD)- a mental disorder, which is characterized by the presence in the clinical picture of obsessive thoughts (obsessions) and obsessive actions (compulsions).

Data regarding the prevalence of OCD are highly inconsistent. According to some data, the prevalence varies between 1-3%. There is no exact data regarding the causes of obsessive-compulsive disorder. At the same time, several groups of hypotheses of etiological factors are distinguished.

If you notice similar symptoms, consult your doctor. Do not self-medicate - it is dangerous for your health!

Symptoms of obsessive-compulsive disorder

As noted above, the main symptoms of the disease manifest themselves in the form of obsessive thoughts and compulsive actions. These obsessions are perceived by patients as something psychologically incomprehensible, alien, irrational.

Obsessive thoughts- these are painful ideas, images or desires that arise regardless of the will. They constantly come to a person’s mind in a stereotypical form, and he tries to resist them. Recurrent obsessions are incomplete, endlessly considered alternatives that involve an inability to make any of the normal decisions required in life. Everyday life.

These are stereotypical, repetitive actions, which sometimes take on the character of rituals that perform a protective function and relieve excessive anxious tension. A significant part of the compulsions is associated with cleaning up contamination (in a number of cases, compulsive hand washing), as well as repeated checks in order to obtain guarantees that a potentially dangerous situation will not arise. Let us note that this behavior is usually based on the fear of danger that is “expected” by the person himself or that he can cause to another.

To the most common manifestations of OCD include:

mysophobia (when there is an obsessive fear of pollution with the ensuing consequences and human behavior);
“gathering” (in the case when people are afraid to throw something away, experiencing anxiety and fear that it may be needed in the future);
obsessive thoughts of a religious nature;
obsessive doubts (when a person constantly doubts whether he has turned off the iron, gas, light, or whether the water taps are closed);
obsessive counting or anything related to numbers (adding numbers, repeating numbers a certain number of times, etc.);
obsessive thoughts regarding “symmetry” (can manifest itself in clothing, arrangement of interior items, etc.).

Note that the manifestations described above are permanent and painful for this person character.

Pathogenesis of obsessive-compulsive disorder

As noted above, there are different approaches to explaining obsessive-compulsive disorder. Today, the neurotransmitter theory is the most widespread and accepted. The essence of this theory is that there is a connection between obsessive-compulsive disorder and impaired communication between certain areas of the cerebral cortex and the basal ganglia.

The designated structures interact through serotonin. Thus, scientists believe that in OCD there is an insufficient level of serotonin due to increased reuptake (by neurons), which prevents the transmission of impulses to the next neuron. In general, it must be said that the pathogenesis of this disorder is quite complex and not fully understood.

Classification and stages of development of obsessive-compulsive disorder

Obsessive thoughts (obsessions) can be expressed in different ways: arrhythmomania, obsessive reproductions, onomatomania.

"Mental Chewing Gum" is expressed in the irresistible desire of patients to pose and think about questions that have no solution.
Arrhythmomania or, in other words, obsessive counting, is expressed in the counting of objects that, as a rule, fall into a person’s field of vision.
Obsessive reproductions manifest themselves in the fact that the patient develops a painful need to remember something that, in general, does not have any personal meaning at the moment.
Onomamania- an obsessive desire to remember names, terms, titles and any other words.

Obsessive-compulsive disorders may include various options compulsions. They can be in the form of simple symbolic actions. The latter is expressed in the fact that patients form certain “prohibitions” (taboos) on performing any actions. For example, the patient counts steps in order to find out whether failure or success awaits him. Or the patient should only walk on the right side of the street and only open the door right hand. Another option may be stereotypical acts of self-harm: pulling out hair on one's own body, pulling out hair and eating it, plucking one's own eyelashes for painful reasons. However, it is worth noting that in a number of cases (as, for example, in the last one), a clear and deep differential diagnosis with other mental disorders, which is carried out by a doctor, is necessary. There may also be obsessive desires that arise episodically, are not motivated in any way and frighten patients and which are usually not realized because they encounter active resistance from the person. Obsessive drives arise suddenly, unexpectedly, in situations where adequate impulses may arise.

Complications of obsessive-compulsive disorder

Complications of obsessive-compulsive disorder are associated with the addition of other mental disorders. For example, with long-term obsessions that cannot be corrected, depressive disorders, anxiety disorders, and suicidal thoughts may occur. This is due to the fact that a person cannot get rid of OCD. There are also frequent cases of abuse of tranquilizers, alcohol, and other psychoactive substances, which will certainly aggravate the course. One cannot help but mention the low quality of life of patients with severe obsessions. They interfere with normal social functioning, reduce performance, and impair communication functions.

Diagnosis of obsessive-compulsive disorder

The diagnosis of OCD is currently based on the International Classification of Diseases, 10th revision (ICD-10). Below we will consider what signs are characteristic and necessary for making a diagnosis of obsessive-compulsive disorder.

ICD-10 has the following diagnoses for the disorder we are considering:

OCD. Predominantly intrusive thoughts or ruminations;
OCD. Predominantly compulsive actions;
OCD. Mixed obsessive thoughts and actions;
Other obsessive-compulsive disorders;
Obsessive-compulsive disorder, unspecified.

General diagnostic criteria for making a diagnosis are:

presence of obsessive thoughts and/or actions;
they must be observed most days over a period of at least two weeks;
obsessions/compulsions must be a source of distress for the person;
the thought of implementing an action should be unpleasant for a person;
thoughts, ideas and impulses must be unpleasantly repetitive;
compulsive actions do not necessarily have to correspond to specific thoughts or concerns, but should be aimed at relieving the person of spontaneously arising feelings of tension, anxiety and/or internal discomfort.

So, the diagnosis is “OCD. Predominantly intrusive thoughts or ruminations” is scored if only the indicated thoughts are present; thoughts must take the form of ideas, mental images or impulses to action, almost always unpleasant for a particular subject.

Diagnosis of OCD. Predominantly compulsive actions” is set in case of predominance of compulsions; behavior is based on fear, and the compulsive action (in fact, a ritual) is a symbolic and fruitless attempt to prevent danger, and it can take a lot of time, several hours a day.

The mixed form is indicated when obsessions and compulsions are expressed equally.

The diagnoses discussed above are made based on an in-depth clinical interview, examination of the patient, and medical history. It should be noted that scientifically proven laboratory tests aimed exclusively at identifying OCD do not exist in routine practice today. One of the valid psychodiagnostic tools for identifying obsessive disorders is the Yale-Brown scale. This is a professional tool that is used by specialists to determine the severity of symptoms, regardless of the form of obsessive thoughts or actions.

Treatment of obsessive-compulsive disorder

In terms of treatment of obsessive-compulsive disorders, we will proceed from the principles of evidence-based medicine. Treatment based on these principles is the most proven, effective and safe. In general, treatment of the disorders in question is carried out with antidepressant drugs. If the diagnosis is made for the first time, it is most advisable to use monotherapy with antidepressants. If this option turns out to be ineffective, you can resort to drugs from other groups. In any case, therapy should be carried out under close medical supervision. Treatment is usually carried out on an outpatient basis, in complicated cases - in a hospital.

We also note that one of the methods of therapy is psychotherapy. Currently, cognitive behavioral therapy and its various directions have proven effectiveness. To date, it has been proven that cognitive psychotherapy is comparable in effectiveness to medicines and superior to placebo for mild obsessive-compulsive disorder. It has also been noted that psychotherapy can be used to enhance the effects of drug therapy, especially in cases of difficult-to-treat disorders. In the treatment of OCD, both individual forms of work and group work, as well as family psychotherapy, are used. It should be said that therapy for the disorder in question should be carried out long-term, for at least 1 year. Despite the fact that improvement occurs much earlier (within 8-12 weeks or earlier), it is absolutely impossible to stop therapy.

Therapy for OCD in children and adolescents generally follows treatment algorithms for adults. Non-pharmacological methods are mainly based on psychosocial interventions, the use of family psychoeducation and psychotherapy. Cognitive behavioral therapy, including exposure and response prevention, is used and is considered the most effective methods. The latter consists in the purposeful and consistent contact of a person with OCD with the stimuli he is avoiding and the conscious slowing down of the occurrence of pathological reactions.

Forecast. Prevention

As mentioned above, the most characteristic feature of obsessive-compulsive disorder is the chronicity of the process. It is worth noting that a number of people with this disorder may have a long-term stable state, this is especially true for patients who have one type of obsession (for example, arithmomania). In this case, a mitigation of symptoms, as well as good social adaptation, are noted.

Mild manifestations of OCD usually occur on an outpatient basis. In most cases, improvement occurs around the end of the first year. Severe cases of obsessive-compulsive disorder, which have in their structure numerous obsessions, rituals, complications with phobias, can be quite persistent, resistant to therapy, and may also show a tendency to relapse. This can be facilitated by the repetition or occurrence of new psychotraumatic situations, overwork, general weakening of the body, insufficient sleep, and mental overload.

There is no specific prevention for OCD, since the exact cause of its occurrence has not been established. Therefore, recommendations for prevention are quite general. Prevention of OCD is divided into primary and secondary.

TO primary prevention These include activities aimed at preventing the development of OCD symptoms. To do this, it is recommended to prevent psychotraumatic situations in family conditions and at work, to devote Special attention raising a child.

Secondary prevention is aimed specifically at preventing the recurrence of symptoms of obsessive-compulsive disorder. A number of methods are used for this:

Particularly noteworthy as a preventive measure is periodic consultation and/or examination by a doctor. This may be a preventive examination that children with adolescence are held annually to monitor their mental state. It also includes periodic consultations with a doctor for people who have previously suffered from obsessive-compulsive disorder. The doctor will help to promptly identify abnormalities, if any, and prescribe therapy, which will help more effectively cope with the disorder and prevent its occurrence in the future.

An obsessive need for rituals, denial of encouraging and soothing words from loved ones, all-consuming anxiety and fear - such symptoms occur one-time in many. But if they are all present in your life, if they are systemic and repeat over and over again, this is a pathological condition. And if you turn to specialists, it is possible that you will hear from them: “You have obsessive-compulsive disorder.”

What kind of diagnosis is this, why it occurs, how it manifests itself and what it threatens you with, you will learn from this article. And, of course, we will tell you how to cope with the disorder, whether you can do it yourself and what hypnosis has to do with it.

If you open WHO statistics, it turns out that every fourth person on the planet, one way or another, faces a certain mental disorder. Once upon a time, such people were isolated, ignored, forcibly fed pills, which was not effective and destroyed social connections sick. Today the whole system is aimed at providing psychotherapeutic and psychological assistance people with similar diagnoses.

Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is a mental disorder that is chronic, episodic, or progressive. Another name for it is obsessive-compulsive neurosis.

The pathology has two components: obsession and compulsion. Obsession is a compulsion; a person is overcome by regularly recurring emotions and thoughts. Compulsions are actions that are supposed to protect against them.

Obsession combined with compulsion leads to an attack of OCD. Simple, even primitive, but clear example: a person with OCD is riding the subway. Suddenly he hears his seatmate coughing. Healthy man won't focus on it. A person with a disorder will miss the alarming thought that his neighbor may have the flu (at best). He begins to internally panic.

To protect himself from possible flu, a person begins to wash his hands excessively, too thoroughly and very often, and irrigate the nasal cavity. But compulsion is not necessarily motor, it can be mental: in this case, a person repeats the same phrase like a mantra, which he thinks will save him.

Today's statistics are contradictory: on average, it is believed to occur in 1-3 people per 100 adults, and 1 person per 200-500 children.

Obsessive phenomena in patients were diagnosed back in the era of Antiquity; they were part of the structure of melancholy. In the 19th century, the term “neurosis” appeared, and one of its forms, “the disease of doubt,” was described. OCD was classified as a psychopathy, a psychogenius, Freud attributed it to unconscious conflicts. It was believed that this was an endogenous psychosis (like schizophrenia). At the moment, the disease is classified as neuroses.

The disease is quite common: at the end of the 20th century, a large study showed that in the United States this diagnosis is the fourth most common among mental illnesses. Today's statistics are contradictory: on average, it is believed to occur in 1-3 people per 100 adults, and 1 person per 200-500 children. Perhaps the diagnosis is officially made less often than its symptoms are found, since the disease is stigmatized.

Causes

One of the symptoms of OCD is monotonous actions repeated several times.

It is impossible to identify a clear and understandable cause that would definitely relate to OCD. There are only hypotheses put forward by scientists regarding the etiology of the disorder.

Reasons may be:

Biological. Some experts focus on the neurotransmitter theory. In OCD, according to this theory, there is an excessive uptake of serotonin in the neuron. Serotonin is a neurotransmitter involved in impulse transmission. And as a result of this strong capture, the impulse never manages to reach the next cell. Another biological theory relies on excess dopamine and dependence on it. If a solution to the obsession situation becomes possible, the person experiences pleasure and over-produces dopamine.
Psychological. Freud believed that this disorder is associated with the child being stuck at the anal stage of development. He believed that at a certain age for a child, sitting on the potty and the object of this action was important and valuable, and such increased attention led him to increased accuracy, pedantry, and a passion for accumulation. A system of prohibitions and rituals can also be attributed to this. Cognitive psychology views OCD as fear and a constant desire to get rid of it. And he notes that this is fear of the invented meaning of this or that matter, thought, emotion.
Social. And these reasons link the occurrence of OCD with external traumatic circumstances. This could be the experience of violence, loss of loved ones, illness, change of place of residence and work.

OCD is a disease that, first of all, needs to be recorded. Understand that behavior is out of control, anxiety is not proportionate to the event that caused it, and life turns into one continuous fear.

Symptoms

The person himself is able to understand the artificiality of worries and fears, but he cannot do anything about it. Obsessive thoughts and strong fears interfere with his life, but he is unable to cope with them on his own.

Obsessive-compulsive disorder - symptoms:

the appearance of disturbing thoughts and fears that are repeated;
monotonous actions as a response to these thoughts;
increased anxiety;
high level of anxiety;
panic attacks and phobias;
eating disorders (most often, loss of appetite, inability to fully experience the taste of a dish).

There are people who are more susceptible to this pathology. Although certain features may not have been obvious previously, they become more acute as the disease progresses. For example, pedants and people obsessed with cleanliness and order most often suffer from OCD. They may lack a sense of humor. They are hyper-demanding (and to themselves too). It is difficult for them to make compromises, they are emotionally poor.

People with OCD are indecisive – the fear of making mistakes literally haunts them. They need everything to be orderly: at home and at work. They become scared when the usual flow of things is disrupted.

Attention! Signs of OCD are extremely rare in children. IN childhood the illness can occur after 10 years, and it is associated with the fear of losing something important. That’s why the child is afraid to let go of the parent’s hand and feels insecure in crowded places.

Consequences

OCD is a chronic pathology. Any competent treatment stops attacks and reduces their severity. If you start treatment at the very beginning of symptoms, the likelihood of a successful and relatively quick resolution of the issue is high. The disease in the middle stage also responds well to therapy. But if your OCD symptoms keep getting worse and you've been living with this condition for a long time, therapy won't be particularly effective. Relapses will occur quite often. Although much depends on the method of treatment, the choice of specialist, and the discipline of the patient.

If there is no treatment at all, the prognosis is poor. A person may become unable to work, and it is possible that he will have thoughts of suicide. And it will become increasingly difficult to get rid of these obsessive thoughts. You can’t hope that everything will “go away on its own.” Ignoring symptoms is a dangerous tactic.

For more information about OCD and the factors that cause it, watch this video.

Diagnosis and treatment

OCD can be diagnosed by a psychiatrist. Basically, the picture appears during a conversation between the patient and the doctor and during special tests to confirm obsessive-compulsive disorder. During the conversation, the specialist will identify characteristics that are associated with the main symptoms. With OCD, the patient’s thoughts should belong to him, and not be the products of delusions and hallucinations (this is a different disease).

Testing is based on the Yale-Brown obsessive-compulsive scale. Some of its points show the severity of obsessions, the other part analyzes the significance of actions. The doctor fills out the scale during the interview based on the severity of symptoms over the past week. The doctor analyzes psychological discomfort and the duration of symptoms in one day. He also evaluates how the possible disorder affects the patient’s life. It is very important whether the person himself can resist the symptoms.

As a result, the test determines one of five degrees of disorder: from a subclinical state to, alas, extremely severe. It is worth considering that obsession can be part of other diseases (schizophrenia, for example), neurological syndromes.

OCD is a chronic pathology. Any competent treatment stops attacks and reduces their severity.

Getting rid of OCD is a full-fledged treatment, the main components of which are psychotherapy, the use of medications and physical therapy. These methods require contacting a qualified doctor medical care. Due to the fact that the diagnosis is stigmatized (in other words, perceived as shameful), people do not want to go to the doctor until the last minute. But not all attempts at self-treatment are successful.

On one's own

Home methods, folk recipes- all this can be a help in the fight against the disorder, but still this treatment tactic looks rather toothless. Relatives may sound the alarm, but the patient does not want to do what they suggest. Fear of doctors (and especially psychiatrists) becomes another obsessive fear. A vicious circle is formed.

Try to look inside yourself and find the first cause of concern.

Some 100% effective exercises and there are no methods. But if there are moments that will help you accept the need for serious therapy.

How to help yourself:

try to remember the root cause of your worries, don’t drive these thoughts away from yourself, you need to delve into them;
during the next attack, try to understand what is happening, whether you can be distracted, switch;
see if there is anything in your lifestyle that is harming you, but that you can improve (for example, improve sleep, increase physical activity);
try to take the first step towards treatment, if you are afraid to go to a psychiatrist, call the psychological help hotline - start talking with specialists.

Record those days and periods when attacks occurred less frequently. Remember what you were doing then. Maybe an interesting book distracted you from worries, or sports, or household chores. But all this is nothing more than a creation favorable conditions For cure, reliable therapy is medical help.

Medical assistance

Psychotherapy is wonderful, although not quick way treatment. Yes, a patient can be offered hypnosis, and this will frighten him. But, firstly, you can refuse it, and, secondly, it’s not so scary. The compulsive part of the syndrome is easier to treat.

Standard clinical treatment OCD:

Pharmacotherapy. It’s unlikely to be possible without drugs. Judge for yourself, if the disease has biological causes, you cannot do without pills. The patient will be prescribed antidepressants. The specialist will select them wisely and dispel the patient’s fears about such therapy. The treatment will be long-term. Additionally, the patient will most likely be prescribed B vitamins; they are reliable protectors of the body from stress.
Cognitive behavioral therapy. These are psychotherapeutic methods of treatment, which also take a lot of time. But they are the ones who help to unravel the tangle of anxieties, obsessive thoughts and fears.
Physiotherapy. Patients are advised to focus on water procedures. They may be different, but the goal is the same - to relax, bring pleasure, and remove tensions.

Additionally, you can turn to family psychotherapy and patient support groups. The patient should not avoid his mental diagnosis, but accept it and begin to fight it. Fight like any other disease: patiently, responsibly, disciplined.

OCD is not a death sentence, not a shameful diagnosis, not a sign of irreversible consequences. But, nevertheless, this is a serious disorder that needs to be treated by specialists. If this is not done, the disease can progress, making the patient’s life more and more difficult.

Author of the article Katerina Ivanova: “While still studying at the university, I became interested in research work in the field of medical psychology. And for 15 years now, the topic of healthy lifestyle has interested me both as a researcher and as a supporter healthy image life. Phytotherapy, proper nutrition(but not diets!), physical activity (physical therapy, cardio training, fitness), taking care of psychological health, leisure“This is what is in my life.”

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Hello, dear readers of the blog site. Surely you have seen more than once in movies or everyday life how someone performs strange actions.

For example, he flips the switch several times before leaving, steps over the joints on the floor tiles, constantly rubs his hands with an alcohol solution, or something else like that.

All such cases are united by one common point - during the day a person reproduces the same behavioral act, turning it into a daily ritual.

This is how neurotic personality disorder manifests itself - OCD (obsessive-compulsive disorder). What kind of disease is this, where does it come from and what to do - let’s figure it out together.

What is OCD in simple words

The abbreviation OCD stands for obsessive-compulsive disorder, where obsession (from the Latin “siege”, “obsession with an idea”) is thoughts, compulsions (from the Latin “coercion”) – actions.

Also called OCD obsessive states, which presupposes that the individual has thoughts and actions that he cannot get rid of (everything happens as if against his wishes) and experiences mental suffering about this.

From the inside, the mechanism of this disorder is as follows:

the individual experiences unconscious alarm(anxiety differs from fear in that she is pointless: “I’m scared, but I don’t understand why,” while fear is specific).
Psychological discomfort causes negative thoughts (obsessions): not understanding the cause of his anxiety, a person begins to look for it himself (the psyche loves order and predictability), going through all sorts of dangers to which he may be exposed. “What if this, what if that...”
Next stage - finding the "reason" anxiety and how to eliminate it. A person intuitively finds a relationship between some action (it is chosen at random) and the subsequent relief of his condition.
Next, selected ritual is reproduced every time mental stress increases. But. The whole catch is that OCD is a vicious circle: compulsions (ritual actions) - relief - obsessions (increasing anxiety) - compulsions (actions) - relief, etc.

Over time, the number of specific compulsions (ritual actions) increases, since the brain begins to understand that they do not help, anxiety still grows.

For example, a woman washes the floors every time she is worried. At first, once a day was enough for her, then she began to do it two, three times, etc.

She will rub her knuckles, cry, feel guilty and ashamed for what she is doing, but will not stop the mindless washing in the (unconscious) hope of getting satisfaction.

In the future, she may increase the washing area or start doing something else. A neurotic rarely stops at just one thing.

Types of obsessive-compulsive disorder

What is OCD: what symptoms indicate the presence of a neurotic disorder? The syndrome includes 4 large groups of manifestations:

Causes of OCD

Obsessive-compulsive disorder - what it is and how it arises - can be explained from two sides, suggesting physiological and psychological factors for the formation of the disorder:

Biology:
1. genetics;
2. consequences of past infection;
3. head injuries and, as a consequence, dysfunction of certain parts of the brain;
:
1. death of a loved one;
2. divorces;
3. problems at work;
4. difficulties in personal relationships;
5. negative events and changes in life;
6. endured violence, humiliation of human dignity.

It is important to emphasize once again that the basis for OCD is a feeling of psychological discomfort (anxiety) in which a person remains for a long time.

Therefore, before prescribing treatment to a person, it is necessary to understand what causes his anxiety - psychological factors or physiology.

Treatment of obsessive-compulsive disorder

So, obsessive-compulsive disorder is a neurotic syndrome that includes obsessive thoughts and actions.

Depending on the etiology, OCD is treated in three ways:

Psychotherapy involves multiple meetings with a psychologist, where the client understands the essence of his behavior: why is it needed, what is he trying to control and what is he avoiding?
Gradually he comes to understand the source of his anxiety, which triggers the OCD mechanism. Then we work on how to eliminate the causes of anxiety or find healthier reactions to what is happening.
As a rule, individuals prone to this disorder have the following characteristics(greetings from childhood):
1. hypertrophied sense of responsibility (I am responsible for everything and everyone);
2. the belief that thoughts are material (if I think badly, it will happen or God will punish me), “magical thinking”;
3. habit of exaggerating, especially danger;
4. to be correct, ideal in everything (life, thoughts, actions).
Pharmacology– medications are prescribed by a medical psychotherapist to eliminate fears and anxiety, secondary depression, and strengthen the central nervous system. However, with the abolition of the pills, the neurotic disorder may return again, since the individual’s thinking remains the same. Therefore, it is advisable to combine pharmacology with a visit to a psychologist, in order to partially identify those parts of it that provoke anxiety and, as a result, OCD.
Hypnosis– helps to break associative connections between thoughts and the actions that follow them, to realize the absurdity of obsessions. A person is freed from prejudice and regains behavioral control.

Good luck to you! See you soon on the pages of the blog site

Top common obsessive thoughts

A lot of research has been conducted on this issue, which has helped to identify which obsessive thoughts are most often found in people.

Of course, in reality there are a lot of obsessions, different people Those suffering from this disorder are visited by a variety of thoughts and fears. But above we have listed the most common ones today.

How does the disease manifest itself?

The most characteristic symptoms of this disease are the following:

When a thought appears in the patient, he is perceived not as the voice of another from the outside, but as his own.
The patient himself understands that this is not normal and makes efforts to resist them: he fights these thoughts, tries to switch his attention to other things, but all to no avail.
A person constantly experiences feelings of guilt and fear because his fantasies and thoughts can come true.
Obsessions are permanent and can be repeated very often.
After all, this tension leads a person to loss of strength, and subsequently the person becomes inactive and fearful, closing off from the outside world.

Unfortunately, not knowing or not fully understanding the complexity of this disorder, others do not understand that the person has a real problem. For many people who do not know about obsessive-compulsive disorder, these symptoms can only cause laughter or misunderstanding. However, OCD is serious personality disorder, which, affecting a person, affects all areas of a person’s life.

Pure OCD

In this disorder, there is a predominance of either compulsion or obsession. However, pure OCD can also occur. In this case, the person understands that he has this disorder. Understands that there are intrusive thoughts that do not correspond to one’s values and beliefs. But they are confident that they do not have compulsive manifestations, in other words, they do not perform any rituals to free themselves from frightening thoughts.

In fact, this is not entirely true, because in this version of OCD a person may not knock on wood, may not pull pens and all that, but at the same time he can for a long time, sometimes spend hours convincing yourself that you don’t need to pay attention to these thoughts or fears.

And they themselves do certain actions. These actions may not be visible to others, but still, even in this type of obsessive-compulsive disorder, a person gets rid of emotional stress thanks to certain actions: this could be a quiet prayer, counting to 10, shaking the head, stepping from one foot to the other and the like.

All this may go unnoticed by others, and even by the patients themselves. However, no matter what the type of OCD, it is still accompanied by some kind of compulsions: it does not matter whether these actions are conscious or unconscious.

What causes OCD?

Just like any other problem, disease or disorder. and OCD has reasons for its manifestation. And to understand the full picture of the problems, you need to start by studying exactly the cause.

To date, researchers of this problem have come to the conclusion that obsessive-compulsive disorder is caused by a combination of three factors: social, psychological and biological.

Thanks to the latest technologies Scientists can already study the anatomy and physiology of the human brain. And studies of the brains of OCD patients have shown that there are some significant differences in the way the brains work in these people. Basically, there are differences in different regions, such as the anterior frontal lobe, thalamus and striatum of the anterior cingulate cortex.

Research has also shown that patients have certain abnormalities that are associated with nerve impulses between neuron synapses.

In addition, a mutation of genes that are responsible for the transfer of serotonin and glutamate was identified. All these anomalies lead to the fact that a person processes neurotransmitters before he is able to transmit an impulse to the next neuron.

Most scientists, when talking about the causes of OCD, insist on genetics. Since more than 90% of patients with this disorder also have sick relatives. Although this may be controversial, since in these cases the child, living with a mother who has OCD, may simply take this disorder for granted and apply it in his life.

Group A streptococcal infection can also be cited as a cause.

And as for psychological reasons, then experts in this field assure that people who are predisposed to OCD have a peculiarity in thinking:

Overcontrol - such people believe that they have the power to control everything, including their own thoughts.
Super-responsibility - such people are confident that every person is responsible not only for their actions, but also for their thoughts.
Materiality of thoughts - the entire psychology of such people is built on the belief that thought is material. They firmly believe that if a person can imagine something, then it will happen. It is for this reason that they believe that they are capable of bringing trouble upon themselves.
Perfectionists - owners of OCD are the most ardent representatives of perfectionism; they are confident that a person should not make mistakes and should be perfect in everything.

This disorder is often found in those people who were raised in strict families, where parents controlled all the child’s steps and set high standards and goals. And the child wants in vain to meet these requirements.

And in this case: that is, if a person has peculiarities of thinking (mentioned above) and supercontrol of parents in childhood, the appearance of obsessive-compulsive disorder is only a matter of time. And just one, the slightest push, a stressful situation (divorce, death of a loved one, moving, job loss, etc.), fatigue, prolonged stress or use large quantities psychotropic substances can cause OCD.

Nature of the disorder

This disorder is mostly cyclical in nature, and the patient’s actions themselves occur in cycles. At first, a person has a thought that frightens him. Then, as this thought grows, he begins to feel shame, guilt, and anxiety. Afterwards, the person, not wanting this, concentrates his attention more and more on the thought that frightens him. And all this time, tension, anxiety and a feeling of fear are growing.

Naturally, in such conditions, the human psyche cannot remain in a helpless state for long, and ultimately he finds how to calm down: by doing certain actions and rituals. After performing stereotypical actions, a person feels relief for some time.

But this is only for a short time, since the person understands that something is wrong with him and these sensations force him to return to strange and frightening thoughts again and again. And then the whole cycle begins to repeat itself again.

Many people naively believe that these ritual actions of patients are harmless, but in fact, over time, the patient begins to become dependent on these actions. It's like drugs, the more you try, the harder it is to quit. In fact, ritual actions increasingly perpetuate this disorder and lead the person to avoid certain situations that cause obsession.

As a result, it turns out that a person avoids dangerous moments and begins to convince himself that he has no problems. And this leads to the fact that he does not take measures for treatment, which ultimately worsens the situation even more.

Meanwhile, the problem is getting worse, since the patient hears reproaches from his relatives, they take him for a madman and begin to forbid him to do the rituals that are familiar and soothing to the patient. In these cases, the patient cannot calm down and all this leads the person to various difficult situations.

Although, in some cases, it also happens that relatives encourage these rituals, which ultimately leads to the patient beginning to believe in their necessity.

How to diagnose and treat this disease?

Diagnosing OCD in a person is a difficult task for a specialist, since its symptoms are very similar to those of schizophrenia.

It is for this reason that in most cases a differential diagnosis is made (especially in cases where the patient’s obsessive thoughts are too unusual, and the manifestations of compulsion are clearly eccentric).
For diagnosis, it is also important to understand how the patient perceives incoming thoughts: as his own or as imposed from the outside.

One more thing to remember important nuance: Depression itself is often accompanied by OCD.
And in order for a specialist to be able to determine the level of severity of this disorder, an OCD test or the Yale-Brown scale is used. The scale has two parts, each with 5 questions. The first part of the questions helps to understand the frequency of occurrence of obsessive thoughts and determines whether they correspond to OCD, and the second part of the questions makes it possible to analyze the patient’s compulsions.

In cases where this disorder is not so severe, a person is able to cope with the disease himself. To do this, it will be enough not to get hung up on these thoughts and turn your attention to other things. You can, for example, start reading, or watch a good and interesting movie, call a friend, etc.

If you have a desire or need to perform a ritual action, try to delay performing it for 5 minutes, and then gradually increase the time and reduce the performance of these actions more and more. This will make it possible to understand that you yourself can calm down without any stereotypical actions.

And in cases where a person has this disorder of moderate severity or higher, then the help of a specialist is needed: a psychiatrist, psychologist or psychotherapist.

In the most severe cases, the psychiatrist prescribes drug treatment. But, unfortunately, medications do not always help treat this disorder, and their effect is not permanent. So, after the course of drugs ends, the disorder returns again.

It is for this reason that psychotherapy has become widespread. Thanks to her, about 75% of OCD patients have recovered to date. The psychotherapist’s tools can be very different: cognitive behavioral psychotherapy, exposure or hypnosis. The most important thing is that they all provide good assistance and help achieve good results.

The best results are obtained using the exposure technique. Its essence is that the patient is “forced” to face his fears in situations where he controls the situation. For example, a person who is afraid of germs is “forced” to poke the elevator button with his finger and not immediately run to wash his hands. And so the requirements become more complicated each time, and as a result the person understands that it is not so dangerous and it becomes habitual for him to do things that previously frightened him.

One last thing

It is important to understand and accept the fact that OCD is as serious a personality disorder as any other disorder. That is why the attitude and understanding of family and friends is very important for patients. Otherwise, hearing ridicule, curses and not receiving understanding, a person may close down even more, and this will lead to an increase in tension, which will bring a bunch of new problems.

To do this, we recommend that you do not seek help from a psychologist alone. Family therapy will help family members understand not only the patient, but also understand the causes of the disease. Thanks to this therapy, relatives will understand how to behave correctly with the patient and how to help them.

It is also important for every person to understand that in order to prevent obsessive-compulsive syndrome, you need to follow simple preventive tips:

Don't get overtired:
Don't forget about rest;
Apply techniques to combat stress;
Resolve intrapersonal conflicts in a timely manner.

Remember, OCD is not a mental illness, but a neurotic disorder and does not lead a person to personal changes. The most important thing is that it is reversible and with the right approach you can easily overcome OCD. Be healthy and enjoy life.