Obsessive-compulsive disorder in Psychology - Essay Example

Obsessive- compulsive disorder Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is mental illness characterized by a chronic and relapsing anxiety marked by repetitive compulsion that impairs an individual’s normal function (March and Schub). Nevid defined it as an “intrusive unwanted, recurrent thought, image, or urge that seems beyond a person’s ability to control” that involves repetitive checking or routine rituals that get in the way of an individual’s regular life. In OCD, the upsetting thoughts which triggers the compulsion are the obsession where the individual afflicted with the disorder will try to control them by an overwhelming urge to repeat them and most of the time, these rituals end up controlling them (National institute of Mental Health).

Most OCD involve the rituals of repetition and checking. For example, if individuals have obsession with dirt, he or she may develop a compulsion to clean himself or herself over and over again for period of hours that already impedes the normal functioning of daily life. The same goes for those who are obsessed with the security that they may end up repeating the ritual of locking and relocking doors. Individuals who have OCD perform these rituals because they produce temporary relief from the upsetting thoughts of obsession.

The cause of OCD is still unknown. OCD usually runs in the families but it is not yet certain why certain people have it and why other do not (National institute of Mental Health). It can however be detected through its physical manifestation that includes “increased perspiration, dry mouth, hyperventilation, and palpitations” (March and Schub). It also has cognitive indicators such as rigidity, poor coping and social skills, performance anxiety in addition to the repetitive thoughts and behavioral patters (March and Schub).

Obsessive compulsive disorder is also prevalent where there are an estimated 1.7 to 4% of adults in the US who suffers from the mental illness with the mean onset age of 19.6 years old. The distribution of the disorder among adults seemed to equal between the two genders (male and female) but symptom arises earlier among males at 6-15 years while 20-29 years among females. Males are also likely to be affected three times more compared to females in childhood (March and Schub). Treatment and intervention of obsessive compulsive disorder varies.

One of the most common therapies is psychological behavior therapy or CBT in conjunction with psychotropic medication by taking selective serotonin inhibitors. Chronic and severe obsessive compulsive disorder however can go beyond the behavioral and medication therapy and can include surgically implanting neurostimulator that functions as deep brain stimulation to stimulate a specific area of the brain. With the more severe treatment of refractory obsessive compulsive disorder, intervention could include cingulotomy, a neurosurgical procedure which severe the supracallosal fibers of the cingulum bundle of the brain (March and Schub).

On minor case of obsessive compulsive disorder, patients are usually given clinical education such as how to better cope with obsessive compulsive behaviors by learning relaxation techniques. These treatment and the combination of these treatments yield an approximate 70% improvement among patients entering into therapy whereby they experience significant improvement in symptoms. Of the 70% who experienced improvement however, only 5% experience a complete remission between episodes of exacerbation of the disorder.

The rest usually undergoes a series of chronic symptoms waxing and waning in the duration of the patient’s lifetime (March and Schub). Works Cited March, PD, and T Schub. "Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder." (2012): CINAHL Plus with Full Text. Web. 23 June 2013. Nevid, Jeffrey S. et. al .Essentials of Abnormal Psychology, Third Canadian Edition N.Y.:Pearson, 2013 "NIMH · Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, OCD." NIMH · Home. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 June 2013. .