We are all a little OCD on occasion

We all have habits and routines in our daily lives, some of us do them more frequently then others. For example we all brush our teeth. Most of us about one to four times per day. It’s a regular daily routine that doesn’t effect our lives. However, people with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) have patterns of behaviour that get in the way of their daily lives. “Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) is an illness that causes people to have unwanted thoughts (obsessions) and to repeat certain behaviours (compulsions) over and over again.” {familydoctor.org}. OCD is an anxiety disorder and is a potentially disabling condition that can persist though a person’s life. People with OCD become trapped in a pattern of repetitive thoughts and behaviours that are senseless but extremely difficult to overcome. Often people with OCD like to keep their repetitive thoughts and behaviours a secret and thus don’t seek treatment. Because of this secrecy many go untreated and therefore for years mental health professionals thought of OCD as a rare disease. In reality it is more common then severe mental illnesses such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder or panic disorder. “Some recent studies show that as many as 3 million Americans ages 18 to54 may have OCD at any one time. This is about 2.3% of the people in this age group.” {familydoctor.org}. “OCD is the fourth most common mental disorder and is diagnosed nearly as often as the physiological ailments asthma and diabetes mellitus.” {Wikipedia.org} There are several common obsessions and compulsions with OCD some of the most common are; (Obsessions) fear of dirt or germs, concern with order, symmetry (balance) and exactness, worry that a task has been done poorly, even when the person knows this is not true, need for constant reassurance. (Compulsions) cleaning and grooming, such as washing hands, showering or brushing teeth over and over again, ordering and arranging items in certain ways, seeking constant reassurance and approval. OCD can be treated by pharmacotherapy (medication), behaviour therapy or a combination of both pharmacotherapy and behaviour therapy. Common medications used to treat OCD are; Clomipramine, fluoxetine, sertraline, paroxetine and fluvoxamine. Medications are helpful in controlling the symptoms of OCD, often however, if the medication is discontinued, the patient relapses. Even after symptoms subside most people will need to continue with medication indefinitely, perhaps with a lower dosage. With behaviour therapy the patient deliberately and voluntarily confronts the feared object or idea, either directly or by imagination. An example would be; a compulsive hand washer may be encouraged to touch an object they believe to be “contaminated,” and then urged to avoid washing for several hours until the anxiety provoked has greatly decreased. As the treatment progresses, most patients gradually experience less anxiety from the obsessive thoughts and are able to resist the compulsive urges. OCD can have different strength for different people. Some with mild OCD can live a normal life others with strong OCD can be very disabled by the illness. The fact is most people with OCD know that their obsessions and compulsions make no sense, but they can’t ignore or stop them. And just so you know, I may have some of these traits, I may have co-workers with some of these traits, I may live in a house with someone that has some of these traits and I may have clients with some of these traits. SO if you read this and said, GEEZ THAT'S ME no worries!!! That's everyone to a greater or lesser degree!!!!