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Why Do Some People Develop Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder?
As the child of a man whose acute Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder is the dominant force in his life, and consequently, having grown up in a very unnatural, controlled environment, when deciding on a top for this paper, I dared to delve into the enigmatic world of mental illness. I thought writing on this disorder would be both interesting and would help unlock the secret behind my father’s abnormal behavior. It would also help me understand why, up until now, I have exhibited only mild symptoms of this condition, and if the disorder is in fact hereditary, what this means for me in the future. In order to answer these questions, an in depth examination of the disease is needed.
Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) is one of many anxiety disorders, mental conditions that result in chronic fear and uncertainty in the victims’ minds. Anxiety disorders plague 40 million American adults, while OCD alone affects 2.2 million Americans (1). If anxiety disorders are left untreated, which they often are, symptoms can become increasingly worse. People with OCD experience persistent upsetting thoughts or worries (obsessions) and use rituals or repetitive behaviors (compulsions) to relieve their anxiety (2). OCD patients often experience repeated thoughts and images where they feel out of control and may even worry that they have harmed another person (3). Depending on the person’s fears, OCD can manifest itself in different ways. The most common symptom is an obsession with germs or dirt that results in repeated hand washing. Paranoia about intruders can lead to locking and relocking of doors and windows. Other common signs include repeatedly checking things, counting things, doing things in a particular order, or hoarding and refusing to dispose of old possessions. However, a person with OCD doesn’t necessarily have to partake in any of these rituals. In the most extreme cases of OCD, victims are unable to attend to their responsibilities and perform the tasks of daily life because they are so preoccupied with their rituals. What makes OCD so unique is that, according to studies, people with the disorder do not get pleasure out of doing these rituals; they carry out these actions to placate their anxiety (3).
It’s interesting for me to read what all the medical journals and online sources say about OCD because I can imagine my father performing the described rituals in my head as I read. However, his case is one of the extreme ones that is more difficult for doctors to understand. For example, my father follows a very strict regime everyday, doing everything in the same exact order; any interference with his daily routine will send him into a state of shock. If a person interrupts him while he’s going through his routine, he becomes very angry, agitated, and uncomfortable. He prefers to be alone as much as possible and lives on an isolated farm, where he has minimal contact with other people. OCD and clinical depression often go hand-in-hand, so it is likely that my father’s antisocial behavior is partly due to depression. My father, interestingly, does not exhibit many of the typical symptoms of OCD, such as frequent bathing and hand washing, or a need to constantly count things in a certain order. However, he does hoard possessions and hasn’t thrown out anything in about 30 years. It is easy to see how OCD can be misdiagnosed since many of its symptoms are characteristic of other mental illnesses; it’s taken me my entire life to figure out what exactly makes my father behave the way he does.
How can someone with OCD be treated? According to the Obsessive Compulsive Foundation, OCD is “underdiagnosed” and “undertreated” because many doctors are unfamiliar with the symptoms of the illness (3). No laboratory test exists for this disorder . Moreover, people with OCD often have trouble admitting that they have extreme anxiety or are unaware that their behavior is abnormal (3). However, if someone is diagnosed with OCD, several different methods of treatment can be implemented. The first is Cognitive-Behavioral Psychotherapy through the use of a technique called Exposure and Ritual Prevention, where individuals gradually overcome their fears and learn that they do not need to perform certain rituals. The second method of treatment involves taking selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) along with tricyclic antidepressants. Studies show that OCD is usually the result of communication problems between the orbital cortex and the basal ganglia, two parts of the brain that rely on the chemical messenger serotonin to transmit signals. With the help of SSRIs, the serotonin is able to bind to the neurons’ receptors so it can help regulate excess anxiety and obsessive thoughts. Studies show that, “SSRIs seem to be the most effective drug treatments for OCD, and help about 60% of OCD patients, but do not ‘cure’ OCD” (2). In other words, medications that increase one’s serotonin levels can address the symptoms of OCD, but can’t make the disorder go away. Although the use of SSRIs or Cognitive-Behavioral Psychotherapy seems to be an effective treatment for OCD, from doing research on this topic, it is clear to me that much about the disease is still unknown.
Why do some people develop this disease and not others? Is it genetic? Does the disease run in families? In my case, I wonder: Why did my dad develop this condition and not me? Will I acquire OCD in the future? Up until recently no specific genes for OCD had been identified, but scientists were looking for a link between genetics and OCD (3). However, two recent studies on the association between genes and OCD have illuminated a possible cause of the disease: a glutamate transporter gene called SLC1A1. This gene encodes a protein called EAAC1, which controls the flow of glutamate in and out of brain cells. According to an article in HealthDay News, “Variation in the SLC1A1 gene may cause changes in the flow of glutamate, which may put a person at increased risk of developing OCD” (4). The identification of the SLC1A1 gene marks a milestone in the search for the cause of OCD. If the close relationship between this gene and OCD is confirmed, dramatic improvements in the understanding and treatment of OCD can be made (4). With regard to the heredity of OCD, research shows that OCD does tend to run in families, though family members often times develop different symptoms from the disease (3). According to the HealthDay News article, “Close relatives of people with OCD are up to nine times more likely than other people to develop OCD” (4). Clearly, heredity plays an important role in the development of OCD. In my case, the fact that such a close relative of mine has OCD greatly increases my chances of getting it. Because symptoms can emerge at any time between age 3 and 40, I still have more than twenty years in which I am likely to develop the disorder (3).
Researching and writing this paper has helped elucidate a lot for me about Obsessive-Compulsive disorder. However, it has also made it apparent that much more research about this disease needs to be done before a foolproof method of prevention and treatment can be obtained. As of right now, scientists have only made ripples in the vast, dark ocean of mental illness, and nothing has been confirmed about the cause of OCD. I hope, for my own sake and for the sake of the millions of Americans who either have OCD or will be afflicted with it in the future, that the isolation of the SLC1A1 gene for OCD will lead to great strides in the study and treatment of this disorder.
World Wide Web Sources
1) http://www.nimh.nih.gov/healthinformation/ocdmenu.cfm The National Institute of Mental Health’s website with a special section on OCD
2) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Obsessive-compulsive_disorder A Wikipedia Encyclopedia article, “Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder.”
3) http://www.ocfoundation.org/ The Obsessive-Compulsive Foundation website with a discussion of OCD
4) http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/new/fullstory_36909.html A HealthDay News article entitled, “Genetic Findings Shed Light on OCD.”
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| This paper reflects the research and thoughts of a student at the time the paper was written for a course at Bryn Mawr College. Like other materials on Serendip, it is not intended to be "authoritative" but rather to help others further develop their own explorations. Web links were active as of the time the paper was posted but are not updated. |
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Comments
Would love some help and advice
Hi, my name is D'Aja, I am 17, and I am from the U.S. My boyfriend has OCD, and he also feels the need to excessively pray and I worry. He prays many times throughout the day and if he is interrupted, or if he messes up, he must start from the beginning and it can be very frustrating. He often feels guilty if he doesn't pray, as if he's betraying God and Jesus. I used to have OCD (I don't do to well with germs). I try to help and give advice, but I know that it isn't that easy, but I hope that maybe you can help since your rituals are more closely related with his. Thank you and please write back soon.
ocd
hi ive got ocd i have nasty thoughts that my mum is going to die i dont like that nasty thought. my mum is not going to die which iam glad. if i pray to god not to let my mum die a nasty thought will come in my head and i pray again and again until i get it right. i would start to cry cause of the nasty thoughts in my head and the stress. i switch the light on and off cause of the nasty thoughts.
OCD is taking my life now
It has been over a year since I was diagnosed with OCD. Though I guess, it has been around three years since I started behaving a little abnormally. My OCD is to do with the feeling of being dirty all the time, washing hands repeatedly, taking lenghty showers, feeling the things in my room are dirty and need to be washed (phew!). The dirty feeling is killing me, killing me big time now.
When I was diagnosed with the problem, I had to be put on medication immediately as I had a very severe case of OCD. Felt major improvement after a couple of doses but then slowly it reached a state of being moderate. It was time for me to undertake theraphy. I did attend the first couple of sessions which were to do with relaxing all muscle groups in the body but somehow, I could never concentrate on relaxing my body. I mean a patient of OCD, who is always so preoccupied by obsessing thoughts and has high anxiety levels, can't really meditate. So after the first couple of sessions, I stopped going to my therapist. Got frustrated and stopped my medication too. But now, it has been around 2 months that i stopped my meds and my condition has gone really really bad. I can't stop thinking straight.
It has been over two weeks that I stopped going to my office, have been working from home. But now, I find it very difficult to concentrate on anything, be it work. I have been a high achiever at work and feel extremely depressed to see myself breaking down this way. The depression, the OCD is getting worse day by day. I so badly feel like consuming some good quantity of sleeping pills because I hate waking up in the morning, I actually hate being awake!
M.
Treatment
There is hope. Please look into Exposure and Response therapy for OCD. Talk therapy and meditation are not really the way to go. There is an OCD institute in NY that you can call for telephone consultations if you do not live in NY, here is the URL -- http://www.ocdonline.com/
I've been through this too, please keep on keeping on. That's what I'm doing : ) it gets easier : )
Gina
Intrusive Music, Breath-Holding, and Meditation
I don't know that I have OCD, per se, but some of the symptoms you all have described in this thread are familiar to me. Two such symptoms are intrusive music (having a tune "stuck in my head") and a tendency to restrain my breathing and, consequently, often to feel out of breath. These two seem to be related, at least in my case: I find myself restraining my breathing in such a way that it keeps time to the music. In turn, the restrained, breathless feeling contributes to anxious feelings. Something that seems to be helping all of these behaviors and feelings is my practice of mindfulness meditation, using guided meditation recordings by Jon Kabat-Zinn. Of course, other teachers of meditation may have similarly helpful recordings, but my own experience is with those by Kabat-Zinn. I hope this information proves helpful.
OCD and ME
I have caught myself numerous times subconsciously tapping my foot to a beat and not stopping until the music stopped. Or breathing in beat with another person, I cannot control that, but I feel like I should stop. I don't know that it's OCD, but after reading this I feel a little paranoid. It sounds so familiar. I keep noticing different symptoms more and more, but again... I doubt I have OCD. Has anyone else doubted it once they heard about OCD? Once you were diagnosed?
?
i am 20 years of age and i feel like i have mild OCD but im not sure.
i constantly have recurrcing obbessions and compulsions that i feel i must do. And they occur every single day without out me thinking of them. its things from double checking that everything is switched off even if i or nobody else has used it and i sometimes need to stare at it to make sure its switched off. i recheck things in my car such as the handbrake is up, its in park and even at atimes just a whole inspection of the car to make sure it is all good. All my life i have had negative thoughts and feelings of my self and felt cranky, moody and sad and i cant even explain why. i will also do things a certain way because i am afraid something will happen. i remember when i was about 12 i kept my clothes in the wardrobe in the same way and never threw anything out or moved it in a different spot because i was afraid something bad would happen. i learnt to overcome that and i can now move things around and throw most things out. all though it takes me a while to get rid of things coz i think they will come in handy. i have stupid thoughts that pop into my head like " I must redo all the washing i just hung or eat the last noodle in my bowl, my handbag must be zipped in my car eveytime i drive or something bad will happen. I am constantly washing my hands and just feel like my hands are dirty after nearly everything i touch. i constantly think of germs and get afraid of other peoples germs and they contimanitating me. All these feelings and thoughs happen everyday day. i just feel so angry, moody, low about my self and my confidence, easily upsetted, and feel as though people are constantly critising, judging and watching me and what ever i need to say isnt as important or interesting as the next. sometimes i feel so low about life i just want to cry that i dont know whats wrong and why i feel this way.
i know these thoughts, feelings and actions are not normal. But i honestly dont know what is wrong. Ive read about OCD and parts of it sound like me.But i need to know if its a possibility otherwise i dont have the time,patience, or courage to see someone for help. Can anyone relate to this or know, what is wrong?
Yep, your behavior and
Yep, your behavior and thoughts fit the pattern of OCD well. The good news is that you're very self-aware, and have already taught yourself how to move beyond it, at least in some areas (clothes). You can continue to learn how to do this in other areas as well. A good cognitive-behavioral psychologist might help, or just read up on C-B approaches. Don't worry (worrying is part of the problem), you'll feel much happier and more in control of your life the more you learn about it.
I have obsessive thoughts and depression
Dear TD, I agree with your theory about childhood and lack of self esteem, trauma,anxiety and parents. My father was too busy with work and going to the club. My mother was under the thumb of her mother and did not relate to me. Her mother was a tyrant and used my mother like a puppet. My grandmother would discipline me as if she were my mother, she actually potty trained me. She, my grandmother would get my mother and the other children to laugh at me when I would cry. I remember being depressed as early as the second grade. I felt inadequate compared to the other children. My brother was four years older and good at sports. As I tried to compete with him I felt like less than a man. Consequently when I was going through puberty I questioned my sexuality. I always loved the girls and had my first girl friend in sixth grade. I would get very aroused when petting with my girlfriends. Feeling very insecure and lacking self esteem I have become obsessed with thinking that I'm homosexual. I lived with a fantastic woman when I was in my late twenties for five years, then a second woman for another five years and now my wife for nine years. In spite of having fantastic sex with woman I still have this obsession and depression most of my life.
About thirteen years ago I was put on 100mg of zoloft and within a week I was cured of my severe depression and obsession with sexuality, it was a miracle. I was free to live a normal life after over thirty years of torture. Well after a few years the depression and obsession started to come back. But I was married and had a good job which gave me some self esteem.
Two years ago I noticed that I could not control my temper. One day my temper was so bad that I cursed at the boss and got fired.
This really put me into a depression, I tried to work again but only lasted a few months. I felt so sick with flu symptoms all the time on top of the depression.
I found a holistic doctor and he did a hair analysis which revealed that I had lead poisoning. After more than 80 chelations we think the lead is out of my system. I have not worked for almost two years and have been very depressed with thoughts of suicide.
My obsessive thoughts are as bad as ever and leave me feeling that I want to end my life. If it was not for my wife and son I know that I would not be here. I am now seeing an Orthomolecular Psychiatrists and I hope he can help me.
TD.
Hi.
Hello Burt.
I am female but i too have the thoughts that you have.
I have had them all my life and i am now 48 years old
I believe mine stems from being sexualy abused by by sister whos is 7 years older than me and she came out when she was 16.
When i found out in my late teens i was sure i must be gay myself because of what happened this as set me on a lfe of selfdoubt and questioning myself i hate the thought that this could be true and its got so bad now that i have started to isolate myself form people male or female.
I feel so lonley even though i have my husband who doestn know the extent of my problem.
I have felt suicidal and i understand how you feel and hope we can chat .
Hope you are feeling better.
Isobel
Psychiatrists
I'm not sure what an Orthomolecular Psychiatrist is, but Exposure Response therapy is the treatment for OCD. Please look into this form of treatment immediately. Or maybe ask your Orthomolecular Psychiatrist if he uses Exposure Response therapy and if he has treated patients with OCD and his success rate. Check out http://www.ocdonline.com/..Also do a search you youtube.com for "Phillipson OCD". There is a series of about 10-12 videos on OCD. Very informative.
WHAT CAUSES OCD
I am very familiar with OCD as my husband has had OCD for many years. We have been married for 10 years and it has been very hard and stressful for me to see him going through hell. I am a pharmacist and I am interested in finding an answer to this horrendous illness as it controls all the family (we have 2 children). He hasn't been able to work for over 2 years know and as you know you can't get any help from anywhere. I mean real help NOT drugs.
We have been trying different remedies and supplements. the one which seems to help most is the use of powder Inositol in high doses. that calms him down. It is very safe and the only side effect is flatulance. Not bad if you compare it with SSRI's. 5HTP it has help but you need to take from 100mg to 300 mg a day as you might be quite depleted in Serotonine. Magensium Taurine is helpful to calm you down and for tension. Glutamine, Rhodiola rosea, Gingko biloba, Omega 3's. All these supplements try to get good quality otherwise it won't have any effects.
I just wanted to tell you that I have done a lot of research on the subject and after reading a number of psychiatric books and analysing my experience I can tell you that OCD is not genetic, it may have a predisposition factor, due to the fact that people with ocd seem to be very nice people and very sensitive. They feel too much and they get hurt to the core of they soul. The real cause of ocd is traumatic circunstances and a combination of peculiar parents. A detached father and over the top mother that deep down is detached from the feelings of the child. This gives the child a lack of self steem, self worth, confidence, and a lack of security that eventually will create deep anxiety, the more traumatic circumstances the more anxiety and worse the symptoms. I am pretty sure that ocd is a chemical imbalance caused by life events. Probably in the chilhood. It would be interested to know how people with ocd feel about their parents, how happy were as a child. I really believe people with ocd should be made aware of this. This is not an excuse to blame the parents but if this is the case to be aware of the cause it will be make people aware what not to do with children. I am 100% sure that a child with a happy childhood with loving and caring parents will NEVER develop ocd. I will love to hear from your experiences and stop feeling guilty IT IS NOT YOUR FAULT. I can see why it runs in families, not because it is genetic but because people copy behaviour from the parents! Which is the cause. I can tell you that it has taken me more that 6 years to understand this as the subliminal messages from my mother in law and my father in law are very suble but always aim to make my husband guilty or so lucky for anything. What they really want is to get rid of the problem they created in the first place because they can't feel and can't feel any sympathy towards their son. Is all in the surface. If you met them you would think they are the sweetest people on the planet, but that is the problem they are not human. An they expect the children to be perfect and no express any emotions.OCD is caused from a lack of security, nurture, love and not have being able to express their feelings in a healthy way growing up. A child has to learned that is ok to feel and that mum and dad loves them even if they express their feelings. Otherwise the child becomes very escare of his own feelings and develops a part of the brain that never should have develop due to suppression of feelings. When you analyse OCD you realise is all to do with feelings. They feel so anxious and they don'y know what to do with themselves that is why they create the compulsions due to the obsessions because the child never was able to experience with feelings in a safe and healthy way. The longer they do that the more depleted the brain gets due to the anxiety as this burns and uses so much more neurotransmiters. I am sure I will help my husband to recover from this dreadful illness but please don't take all the information you read about reasearch as gospel. Use your intelligence and experience. When a research it has been done spondsor by drug companies what you expect the result is going to be? My parents in law love the genetic cause that way it is nothing to do with them beacuse they this algels that almost levitate. They couldn'y possible done anything wrong!
I know you probley mean well
I know you probley mean well by what your saying, and you seem like a nice person, but there is so much your wrong about. I have OCD by the way, and I have done alot of research. It IS often genetic by the way. Research backs this up and it's proven.
You said "The real cause of ocd is traumatic circunstances and a combination of peculiar parents." thats wrong.
It's not a traumatic experience that causes this. I truely believe it's an actual problem with the persons brain. Much research has been done about this. Your assume things about parents of OCD suffers. Did you know alot of people who have OCD have loving caring parents and families and friends who support them all the way and love them? Some have had no traumatic experiences in their life. How does your theory apply to this?
There are many web sites relating to this all over the internet. It's easy to research and comes up usually on the first web search. I won't post the sites because i'm not sure if i'm allowed to, you can search for them though. They talk about things like....
Insufficient levels of the brain chemical serotonin and problems with the basal ganglia, caudate nucleus, prefrontal orbital cortex, cingulate gyrus.
It's not a weakness of a persons character, it's not a flaw. You don't get it cause you had a bad day or because something hurtful happened.
Semi-Normal Childhood
I grew up loving parents, loving cousins and siblings. The only traumatic things that have happened to me are my grandpa dieing when I was 4. In 2000, my grandfather died of cancer.This brought on a great weight of sadness to my Mum. And his wife, My grandmother. The only person in my life that never showed me love was my grandmother. Never has she showed me any type of love. To this day I am 13 and nothing. That really hurts me because I see my friends with their grandmas that love them, that they visit. My grandma lives with us, and has never shown any love to anyone. Except my brother and my nieces. That's it. My sister and I are left in the shadows and coldness of her actions. Yes, she has had her own share of problems, her husband dieing, being a manic depression. She takes medications and goes to therapy at a mental health clinic. But still, she's gone through all that and is still able to say,"I love you so much." to my 3 year old niece. Give my brother whatever he wants. And bring things back to my nieces.I'm always forgotten about by her.It saddens me so much I'm crying as I write this. She even admitted when I was right next to her.RIGHT NEXT TO HER,that my brother was her favorite.When you're little, you always have a bathroom helper. When my grandma would help me, she seemed annoyed and angry. She would gather toilet paper, blow her nose into it, and force me to use it to wipe myself..If I would throw it away, she would get mad. It still haunts me today. In the 2nd grade, my doctor put me on prednisone (spelling incorrect) a medication to help asthma. I went to school filled with anxiety.Wanting to be home, crying during class, using loads of tissues. All of my classmates staring at me. I would run to the bathroom and cry, and throw up. I went to the nurses office and told her I had vomited. I begged to call my mother.When my Mum arrived, the nurse told us,"I can't send her home because I didn't see her throw up." And they let me, my Mum came to my school and being my Mum she could tell by my face.She got mad and told the nurse. (I get a bunch of dots on my face, my doctor says its just my blood vessels.) She took me home, and for weeks I would cry. My classmate Victor slapped my butt with a ruler. Being in 2nd grade, I laughed at him. Blowing it off. When I got home I would cry to my mother. She would ask what was wrong. I would say,"Its Jeanette. She's mean." I would blame it on a girl who wasn't to friendly to me anyways. But it was my thinking that Victor assaulted me. I was only 5 at the time. I didn't know better. I didn't tell anyone. My doctor took me off prednisone. (incorrect spelling) I was myself again. From 3rd to 7th grade, I have always been a happy girl. Happy for no reason, being told I was the life of the party, I never had negative outlooks on life. I had tons of friends. "Everyone loves you." my friends would whine to me. I honestly was just being myself. Then Summer '09 came. I left school being happy.I couldn't wait for summer, and have so much fun.Summer didn't turn out exactly like that. Staying home, my dad coming home at 5:00 am..my Mum working mornings. I isolated myself from my friends.I stopped talking to them..I don't feel like myself.I've had a bunch of symptoms of OCD.I have anxiety, and I have been depressed. It's come and gone. I get anxiety and depression for stupid reasons that I know aren't true. I've overcome them but they came back for 2 days..They're dumb thoughts that my mind has accumulated when I am thinking dumb things.Questioning dumb things, like my sexuality as other people have stated.I don't like girls. But this still haunts me, just the thought of being that is disgusting. I don't want to be like that.Is that why it keeps on coming back and bugging me?Is this something that is normal for people with these evil thoughts? (i previewed my question and not being straight is such a dumb thing for me to even think I want to delete it off my response. I don't believe it at all, but my crazy thoughts make me think I am. See whats happening!)
help for your husband
you must get (or at least have your husband browse in the boostore) a book called SELF-HELP FOR YOUR NERVES by Claire Weekes. see the chapter on obsession on page 99.
your husband can cure himself if he follows this book. i had the worst case of anxiety disorder and ocd, and i am over it. claire weekes was nominated for the nobel prize in medicine for her work in this field. she died in 1990, and her work is not as widely well-known today precisely because there is not profit for drug companies or doctors to be made by promoting it. it will explain to your husband how fear of fear itself is causing him to be trapped in a living hell within himself. the methodology of dealing with this fear of fear in this book will teach your husband how to cure himself.
it does not matter why he got into this pattern of thinking. what is important is that there is a way out of it! it take time, commitment and trust. but it will work if he follows it.
racing thoughts, strange thoughts depression
Hi, I wonder if the person who recommended Dr Claire Weeks book and recovered herself could explain a little more how she healed herself. I have been having very intrusive thoughts and more recently in the last three years, suicidal thoughts and deep depression due to anxiety and also the fact that I have lost out on so much due to this. I am single and have no children of which I am deeply upset by and although having looked into adoption and other means of having a child, (now 42) I feel that I could not cope on my own as I find it very difficult to cope on a daily basis as it is.. I am very worried that time is running out for me for children as I have been trying to heal this for the last ten years, have Dr Weeks book and read it almost every night, but all these symptoms still bother me, most especially the constant racing thoughts and depression.. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
Many thanks,
aideen
That is so true, I am now 15
That is so true, I am now 15 years old, just diagnosed with OCD last year. It happens from your childhood, as I was abused by my father, my parents always fought in court over child custody. My father had always brought me in, threatened me if I didnt do anything against my mother he would either abuse me physically or emotionally. My brother is now starting the same thing and he is 12 years old. I am now living with my mother now, and no longer seeing my father because of what he has done. :) But otherwise I'm doing very well. About 10-11 months ago is when it had started, me checking the doors constantly seeing if the were locked. I have been taking Fish oils (an Omega 3) which has been helping me extremely well throughout my days. From 11 months ago it has worsened until about 3 or 4 months ago, I know I will never be the same but it is slowly getting better as time progresses. Just test yourself and when you have to do your "Rituals" do the exact opposite, take a few deep breaths and within 5 minutes, you will forget about what you had just done. Ive gotten over all my rituals, I am now doing some eye thing as of when I breath I try to keep my breathe in a straight line using my eyes, I HATE IT SO MUCH and its not controllable. Anyways thats how im pretty sure how OCD develops, also I have used marijuanna a few times before the OCD symptoms had started happening, So i do believe that could be another reason of what had happened.
RE: what causes ocd
omgoodness, you are so right. I wasn't diagnosed with ocd until I was 23, but have suffered since I was a child. And everything you said about parents is how i felt about mine. Although, I do believe my mother is ocd. She just has different symptoms than I do. I know she was not treated the way she needed when she grew up as well. So it is just this vicious cycle. Until now, I have children of my own. And it almost seems that my ocd plays a part in making sure that i show them enough love and that i nurture them enough. And that everything is equal and fair. But then I have read that that is not good for me to do. I am so confused.
However, I love the feeling that they know I love them so much.
i dont know if anyone has
i dont know if anyone has the same ocd as me, but almost always im aware of my breathing and i feel that im out of breath. or even ill blink a lot and not be able to stop. i want to know if anyone has the same problems as me
you are not alone my friend
many people have a breathing OCD where they cannot stop thinking about their breathing. in fact, anything that you cannot continually stop thinking about when you want to is an obsession, whether it be blinking, breathing or something else.
your salvation lies in a book called SELF-HELP FOR YOUR NERVES by Claire Weekes. See the chapter on obsession, page 99. i cannot urge you strongly enough to look at this book, even if it is just to browse in the bookstore.
if you follow what it says, you can cure yourself
ocd and breathing
Yes, I can relate to always thinking about my breathing and feeling out of breath. I also feel like I can't take a deep breath most of the time. I have been to two doctors and the ER, had chest x ray,blood tests and heart test,all normal. I have had OCD for as long as I can remember but never had this symptom until the deaths of three family members in a ten month time span.I guess the stress of it just set this off in me. I notice if I focus more on breathing out than in it helps and making myself slow down my breathing helps.Hope we both get past this soon.
It is so hard
I am 19 years old and I have OCD, I was diagnosed at age 12 with this lifechanging disorder. I used to count things over and over again or if I touched something with my right hand I had to touch it with my left hand. I still to this day have obsessive thoughts but I try to control them and most times I do, I also have extreme paranoia and like to be in an isolated setting or only around very few people. I also have bodydysmorphic disorder. I wish I could be a normal young adult and not have these thoughts consume me and somewhat hender my ability to function normally. I understand that everyone in this world has or will have their burdens to bear and this may be miniscule to something in someone else's life, but in my life it is killing me. I feel so dead and alive like I am just going through the motions but yet I am so motionless. I wish there was an answer to this other than someone saying here let me dope you up on some medication and take your money, but money is what it's all about. If anyone has some answers or wants to talk about their issues get back at me
About That
I do not have any clue what OCD is like. But I do know that what you said about being doped up and having money taken from you is true and that it isn't helpful to someone in your situation. I agree with that and I think that goes for a LOT of things in life. I am writing a paper on OCD for high school, and what you said was interesting. I was planning on just writing about the effects on OCD, but now that I think about it, I think it'd be a LOT better to write about how much is or ISN'T being done to help. So I guess all I'm saying is, thanks. Your comment was very helpful.
Some advice
I'm 20 years old and I think I first started having OCD at age 18. Just recently I've started treatment and it has helped immensely! I can DEFINATELY understand what you've been going through. Here is what helped me. Have you ever heard of the four steps of Brainlock by Jeffrey Schwartz? It really helps. I am not on any meds and this is helping. Here is what you do. First, when you begin having an obsessive thought, you RELABEL it. Think to yourself. "OK, this is an obsessive thought." Be very aware that you know it's an obsession. Next REATTRIBUTE the thought. Tell yourself "It's not me, it's just my OCD." And really believe it. Knowing these thoughts are not you but are caused by an imbalance in your brain will really help to separate yourself from them. Now REFOCUS. Tell yourself, "OK, I know I'm having a symptom of OCD, I need to do another behavior. Don't give in to what they obsession wants you to do whether it be washing your hands, checking locks or repeating things silently (these are compulsions and the more you do them the worse the obsessions are.) I realize this is the very hardest part but the less you perform compulsive behavior the easier the obsessive thoughts will be to control. OK finally you need to REVALUE. The obsessions you're having are NOT real. The thoughts feel real to us but it is because we have something wrong with our brain, NOT BECAUSE WE ARE BAD PEOPLE. This is very important. Tell yourself that the thoughts are false messages from your brain and that you do not need to worry about them. This treatment is hard to do but it can work for some people. It is not a cure-all but I definately think it's worth trying.
ocd
I have been suffering with this crap forever now. It started at about twelve,I'm 33 now. At 18 I finally went to the psych for some help. They gave me anafirnil,it didn't work,so I started self medicating with over the counter stimulant called (max alert). I was totally addicted to this stuff for 8yrs. It raised my blood preasure so bad I was put on medicine to reg.that promblem. I then had to get myself off the one thing that kinda help me feel good from time to time and not have so many terriable thoughts of hurting some innocent old woman or young child,which I know I would not do,but those intrusive thoughts are always there,they never stop.Every minute of every waking day they are there driving me crazy. I just want to be happy and live my life like everyone else,but I can't...Well A few years ago my wife and I had a beautiful son,I wanted to be able to be a good dad for him,espacially since I was left at 6 mos.old by my father. So I go to the shrink again and get myself put on the highest dose of zoloft they will prescribe 200mg. It seems to work somewhat,but the intrusive thought still wear me down,and tring to be a great dad a small business owner and great husband feels almost impossible with this constent anixity. I really would like to say thanks for listning,people without this disorder just can't understand the dreadfulness of this crazy disorder.
about your ocd
please buy (or at least browse in the bookstore) Dr Claire Weekes book, SELF-HELP FOR YOUR NERVES. i have no doubt in my mind that it will cure you if you follow it.
I hope you're well
I think I know what you are going through. I have a mild case of OCD and sometimes have similar thoughts as you described. My brother has a severe case of Paranoid OCD. He is the reason that I am doing this research. I read about Orthomolecular Treatments and will be doing some test runs with and for him.
My advice to you is to be strong and you'll make it. You have a child now and he needs you to be strong too. Good Luck!
OCD causing false reports to law enforcement
Are you aware or able to name sources, where OCD sufferers called authorities to prevent dangers? Where they report illusive situations in detail, although none of it ever happened. If so, please let me know.
That must be what my father has,he has a thing about chaos
He has a thing about his whole house being in perfect order noone can't even use the cups because he has an order to that. He expects me to read his mind and know his set up.
I tried to talk to him now older myself. To have a system with the cups according to what type plastic or glass. Shape and size and color a map something!
But he acts like a child with a tantrum and says no!
It's very hard but I think he might do more obsessive things behind closed doors than I realize.
hey..
im only 12 and i know what ur going threw my grandma has the same thing and i know that it hurts