Harmful Consequences of OCD - Essay Example

? Obsessive Compulsive Disorder - OCD Undeniably, OCD compared to other maladies that adversely affect normal functioning of an individual, entails great deal of time and patience intended for complete recuperation (Oldfield, Salkovskis & Taylor, 2011). This is because any administered treatment and especially the non-medicinal ones encompass dealing with the ailing person’s cognition. This is via altering certain actions, which characterizes the malady by either devising postponing techniques that not only requires time but also patience (Pence, Aldea, Sulkowski & Storch, 2011). This is especially by close people, family members and medical practitioners dealing with the ailing person (Bolton, Williams, Perrin, Atkinson, Gallop, Waite, & Salkovskis, 2011). However, the aspect of patience and prolonged duration in this movie is not evident but Melvin appears to recuperate tremendously. This supports the notion of using non-medicinal approach in managing OCD predicament. In the movie, “As Good As It Gets” the character Melvin Udall portrays an extreme case of obsessive-compulsive disorder, which adversely affects functioning his daily life. Despite OCD posing an adverse effect on Melvin Udall’s life, I believe its remedy does not only encompass usage of medicines alone but other non-medicinal techniques, which in this case are extremely effective (Oldfield, Salkovskis & Taylor, 2011). The most effective remedy for OCD, which Melvin Udall experiences is the application of non-medicinal approaches (Adams, Riemann, Wetterneck, Cisler, 2012). However, their respective durations and for them to be effective entail a lot of patience on the part of the ailing person’s relatives and therapists. This is because almost the techniques used require training the ailing to use mostly his or her mind in such a way to prevaricate obsessive thoughts (Adams, Riemann, Wetterneck, Cisler, 2012). One of the non-medicinal approaches that can act as an effective remedy to Melvin Udall’s predicament encompasses Functional Analytic Psychotherapy (FAP) (Vandenberghe, 2007). The method is about patient-clinician encounter whereby the latter induces a close relationship with the ailing intended for devising effective therapeutic change strategies (Vandenberghe, 2007). Mostly, this approach encompasses assuming natural occurrences of the client to prevent him or her feeling alienated though the method is from a clinical perspective (Vandenberghe, 2007). In “As Good As It Gets” movie, effectiveness of this approach though not from a clinical perspective is evident when Melvin interacts with his gay neighbor and Carol. This is evident during their trip to Baltimore after Melvin abandoning indoor life, which there earlier before their encounter used to be the norm of his life. Application of FAP in this case proves effective and reliable because the therapeutic approach will encompass focusing on the relationship between the patient and clinician (Vandenberghe, 2007). Hence, the latter establishing effective strategies aimed at eliminating obsessive thoughts, which the victim holds in his or her mind. However, this approach varies considerably across patients due to their diverse OCD intensities and repetitive actions, which they normally exhibit (Vandenberghe, 2007). Mostly, the strategy entails replacing recurring thoughts and actions with other essential matters especially in a social setting whereby it proves to be effective (Vandenberghe, 2007). In applying FAP approach, therapist despite being the one initiating therapy, will actively involve Melvin in analyzing both his weird actions and recurrent thoughts. This is to ensure he learns the art of prevaricating them as necessitated in real life. The possibility of this approach working effectively is evident in the movie whereby Melvin’s condition seems to improve immensely once he starts interacting with other people. For instance, his relationship with carol despite in the past being a bother to her and sometimes due to weird behaviors angering her but Melvin tremendously improves with time. Hence, he is capable of having conversations with other people effectively coupled with inviting people in his house, which was contrary to his habit. Hollywood in this move depicts love and numerous interactions that characterize it being an effective approach in dealing with OCD, which medical practitioner ought to embrace in a social setting. This is a behavioral change, whereby in most cases it entails training the ailing on how to prevaricate recurring thoughts leading to weird actions, which in Melvin’s case include fear of harm, contamination and need for orderliness (Pence, Aldea, Sulkowski & Storch, 2011). Based on Oldfield, Salkovskis and Taylor (2011) study, Melvin’s predicament in this case entails high intensive cognitive behavior therapy (CBT). Mostly, this encompasses an average of 10-hour short therapy for patients exhibiting moderate functional impairments in their lives instead of a 2-hour exposure sessions for a period of three weeks (Oldfield, Salkovskis & Taylor, 2011). This will aid the ailing to learn adequately and quickly on how to evade certain behaviors by conditioning his or her mind to something else different from the ordinary repetitive actions. In addition, the 10–hour therapy will aid the ailing to monitor and scrutinize his or her behaviors quickly coupled with taking the necessary steps advocated by the doctor. However, this approach in the beginning is a challenge especially to the therapist whereby he or she ought to learn how to establish a cordial relationship with the ailing (Oldfield, Salkovskis & Taylor, 2011). Melvin’s case according to the movie adequately falls under the category of moderate impairment stage, whereby intensive CBT suits his case or other non-medicinal approaches. This is because despite Hollywood movie depicting him being an OCD candidate, his mental predicament does not in anyway impede him from undertaking normal duties. Melvin has successfully authored 62 romance novels, hence initially terming himself as health and does not in anyway suffer from mental predicament. Therefore, his predicament entails high intensive CBT (Oldfield, Salkovskis & Taylor, 2011). This is because most of his free time he ends up spending in entertaining recurrent thoughts and doing compulsions actions when writing. This is evident during his date with carol where he ends up staying in the bathroom for close to one-hour, hence prompting carol to anger because of a prolonged wait. In addition, he also acted oddly in certain incidences when they were having dinner, for instance, declining to wear jacket that did not belong to him fearing contamination. Therefore, this confirms Melvin’s state OCD is highly evident during his free time whereby a concentrated time-intensive non-medicinal treatment regardless of the type will be of great help. According to Oldfield, Salkovskis and Taylor (2011), they contend this remedy is effective especially when dealing with adult people experiencing OCD who may not have adequate time off their daily routines. Therefore, this non-medicinal treatment best suits Melvin’s condition because his busy schedule as an author. Since, this might be one of the reasons, which he has not been able to take drugs as prescribed by the medical practitioner. Melvin’s blatant revelation to Carol that he has not been taking drugs proves medicinal approach does not have any positive impact towards the healing of his OCD condition. Melvin while conversing with carol confesses to her that she makes him feel like a man, which attests social interaction coupled with non-medicinal approaches as best approaches for treating OCD conditions despite their varying intensities (Pence, Aldea, Sulkowski & Storch, 2011). The latter approach is evident in the way upon the inception of their relationship with Carol his condition starts improving immensely. This is to the extent of inviting guests in his house and not bothering that he has forgotten to lock the door or fearing harm when he steps on separations on the sidewalk. In their study, Adams, Riemann, Wetterneck, Cisler (2012) cite cognitive behavior therapy as the effective approach in dealing with OCD. However, their argument encompasses using core beliefs mostly held by people, which are essential in maintaining and managing OCD predicament (Adams, Riemann, Wetterneck, Cisler, 2012). This was via having control of one’s thoughts despite some actions associated with an ordinary person, which include hygiene and having checking a person’s daily organization. To evade overdoing this especially in Melvin’s case, the study advocates inflated pretreatment responsibility coupled with utter control of one’s mental thoughts (Adams, Riemann, Wetterneck, Cisler, 2012). Melvin’s case based on his actions the predicament has not extended to the degree of disability despite exhibiting weird behaviors. Since, at this extent one is advisable to use psychotropic agents (Brakoulias, Starcevic, Berle, Milicevic, Moses, Hannan, Sammut & Martin, 2013). This is because at this stage (disability) a person is always incapable of managing himself as necessitated and undertaking daily tasks because of recurrent thoughts dictates. Conversely, this is not the Melvin’s case because he is capable of managing himself and tackling other activities meant to sustain him in life. Therefore, advocating for psychotropic agents or any other drug in quest to manage Melvin’s condition is an ineffective approach. This is evident from the way in most cases Melvin fails to use the already prescribed drugs but takes them when he is with carol. Non-medicinal approaches prove to be the best in treating Melvin’s case based on the movies events that follows after he decides to open up to social life. His OCD condition improves tremendously towards the end of the movie after stabilizing of his relationship with carol. This is to the extent of inviting quests in his house whereby in the past he habitually retreated and did not seem to like people visiting him. Therefore, advocating him to use psychotropic agents in managing his OCD predicament will be more detrimental than not taking them (Brakoulias, Starcevic, Berle, Milicevic, Moses, Hannan, Sammut & Martin, 2013). This is because he will not take the drugs as prescribed. References Adams, T. G., Riemann, B. C., Wetterneck, C. T., Cisler, J. M. (2012). Obsessive beliefs predict cognitive behavior therapy outcome for obsessive-compulsive disorder. Cognitive Behavior Therapy [Cogn Behav Ther], 41(3), 203-211. Bolton, D., Williams, T., Perrin, S., Atkinson, L., Gallop, C., Waite, P. & Salkovskis, P. (2011). Randomized controlled trial of full and brief cognitive-behavior therapy and wait list for pediatric obsessive-compulsive disorder. Journal of Child Psychology & Psychiatry, 52(12) 1269-1278, 10p. Brakoulias, V., Starcevic, V., Berle, D., Milicevic, D., Moses, K., Hannan, A., Sammut, P. & Martin, A. (2013). The use of psychotropic agents for the symptoms of obsessive- compulsive disorder. Australasian Psychiatry, 21(2):117-121. DOI: 10.1177/1039856212470502. Oldfield, V. B., Salkovskis, P. M. & Taylor, T. (2011). Time-intensive cognitive behavior therapy for obsessive-compulsive disorder: A case series and matched comparison group. British Journal of Clinical Psychology, 50(1), 7-18, 12p. Pence, S., Aldea, M., Sulkowski, M. & Storch, E. (2011). Cognitive Behavioral Therapy in Adults with Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder and Borderline Intellectual Functioning: A Case Series of Three Patients. Journal of Developmental & Physical Disabilities, 23(2), 71-85. 15p. Vandenberghe, L. (2007). Functional analytic psychotherapy and the treatment of obsessive compulsive disorder. Counseling Psychology Quarterly, 20(1), p105-114, 10p. Read More