By any chance, have you ever wondered what it’s like? To wake up every morning, knowing you have to go through the same routine, every day. Personally, it’s equality. Equilibrium. Everything has to be together, even, perfect. I have to look at the clock just right; I have to go through simple things multiple times just to feel right. It’s actually a whole type of OCD, symmetry. “People with OCD may also be preoccupied with order and symmetry, have difficulty throwing things out (so they accumulate), or hoard unneeded items.”¹ Can you imagine my feelings when I found out that, in fact, I was not the only one out there? Maybe you don’t even know what I’m talking about. Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. The definition states that it is “characterized by recurrent, unwanted thoughts (obsessions), and/or repetitive behaviors (compulsions). Repetitive behaviors such as hand washing, counting, checking, or cleaning are often performed with the hope of preventing obsessive thoughts or making them go away. Performing these so-called "rituals," however, provides only temporary relief, and not performing them markedly increases anxiety.”¹ Now, personally, I go through different repetitive behaviors. Think of it this way: when I need to do something related to my OCD, it has to be all done an equal way. “Jkkj kjjk kjjk jkkJ Kjjk jkkj jkkj kjjK” A simple solution to this, for me, is to merely do one thing in the center of all, or all that is in my mind. Unfortunately, this is not always possible. Those who hand wash compulsively usually have some type of phobia relating to germs. If someone has a fear of intruders, they may lock and bolt a door over and over again, until it feels right. Sometimes it never feels right. When I was in elementary school, I had to do everything or else my mother would die. I would have to stay on the swings for so long, or else she would get hit by a car and it would be all my fault. Some may have to get somewhere or do something in a number of seconds or something will happen. It’s irrational, but it’s something that is, in the person’s mind.

Obsessions

Obsessions are “involuntary, seemingly uncontrollable thoughts, images, or impulses that occur over and over again in a person’s mind.”² Common obsessions are fear of germs or dirt, or being contaminated by germs or dirt; fear of harm to oneself or others; uncontrollable, violent thoughts/images or sexually explicit thoughts/images; extreme focusing on religious ideas or moral ideas/standards; fear of not having everything you could possibly need at one moment or fear of losing these items; order and symmetry, the idea that everything needs to line up “just right”; and superstitions, extreme attention or focus to something that is considered to be lucky/unlucky. Obsessions are usually accompanied by uncomfortable or bad feelings, such as fear, disgust, doubt, anxiety, or a sensation that things need to be done in a particular way. Obsessions happen usually when someone is trying to focus on an intentional thought or activity. Those with obsessions usually don’t want them there, and most recognize them to not make sense. Some children and adults, however, don’t recognize the abnormal qualities of obsessions or don’t recognize that they themselves have something wrong with them. Some do recognize this, and simply don’t want to get help. Some want to get help and recognize their problem.

Compulsions

A compulsion is “a repetitive behavior – a ritual – that a person feels driven to do and cannot seem to stop doing.”² In other words, it’s something that someone seems to need to do and can’t stop doing it until they feel satisfied. Compulsions can be used to manage an obsession by doing something to resolve it. Although compulsions are usually done in order to relieve the anxiety or resolve the obsession, the ritual can become another source of anxiety if it becomes too demanding/time consuming. Rituals may help with the obsessions, but the person with OCD may feel like they have to do these rituals over and over again until it feel right, and the rituals may turn into obsessions. Common compulsive behaviors are: excessive double-checking, counting, hand washing, cleaning, ordering/arranging, touching, praying, or hoarding.²

Symptoms of OCD

There are some things that people do that may seem compulsive, but are, in reality, completely normal. Someone could check the oven one or two times to make sure it’s off before leaving the house, or make sure the car’s lights are off a few times before leaving it parked. It becomes a problem when you worry about it constantly and have to check certain numbers of times, even if you know that the lights are indeed off. Those with OCD usually do recognize that they have a problem, but they feel that they are unable to stop and be freed from it. OCD can be diagnosed when “compulsive behaviors take up excessive time (an hour or more a day), begin to interfere with your normal activities, or cause great anxiety because they’re so demanding.”² OCD usually starts when one is in adolescence or young adulthood. It is, however, commonly misdiagnosed or overlooked because of some other problem or disorder in the person, such as attention deficit disorder, depression, eating disorders, et cetera. It can also be underdiagnosed because the person with it is embarrassed to have it and hides it, or because they don’t have access to effective health care. It usually takes a very long time and a lot of doctors to diagnose OCD and get treatment.

Causes

No one has found an exact cause of OCD, but research shows that it has to do with the brain chemicals that carry messages from one cell to another, or more specifically, the chemical serotonin. It helps to keep people from repeating the same behaviors over and over again. Someone with OCD might not have enough serotonin.

Treatments

There are treatments for those who suffer from the disorder. Most commonly, medication or therapy. Some medications help with the amount of serotonins produced in your brain. Therapy is usually behavioral therapy. In behavioral therapy, people face situations that cause/trigger their anxiety or obsessions. They’re encouraged not to do the rituals that make the anxiety go away. For example, a person with symmetrical OCD would touch one side of something and then not repeat this or touch the other side until it is equal. A person that prays compulsively would say something that triggers their prayers and not say the prayer afterwards. In using behavioral therapy, the person needs to be able to tolerate the high levels of anxiety that can result from the experience.

¹ Taken directly from the link: www.nimh.nih.gov/healthinformation/ocdmenu.cfm

² Taken directly from the link: www.nimh.nih.gov/healthinformation/ocdmenu.cfm

Author's note- Well. I can’t exactly explain why I wrote this… I guess to write something productive, and to explain OCD to those who don’t know what it is. I originally wrote this for one single person who had never heard of it, but I decided to publish it here. Please, oh please, comment on it and/or tell me of any mistakes you may find, I would hate to have wrong information. Constructive criticism is always welcomed and appreciated, as are reviews. I took a lot from the websites listed above and below; there are some word for word things up there that I didn’t acknowledge because it didn’t seem important enough. I wrote this for someone a few years younger than me, so some things are written more simply than I usually would write them. I also wrote some things from personal experience with my OCD, so if some things seem off or are not right to you, it could be because they are directly what I’ve experienced. Please tell me of these things. Thanks for reading all the way through, I know it was a more educational piece than fun reading. Perhaps I’ll do a fiction or biography on OCD, I’m not sure. I do, however, know I should stop rambling here. Feedback is love.

Bibliography- websites listed above and one other website that I can't list because fictionpress won't let me- if you want to know, ask and I'll email it to you.