An essential element in the diagnosis of obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) is the presence of unwanted, intrusive thoughts (obsessions) which induce significant anxiety symptoms. The anxiety then prompts you to engage in repetitive, ritualistic behaviors (compulsions) which serve to reduce your anxiety over the short term. So the diagnosis of OCD requires the presence of both […]
Does Obsessive Compulsive Disorder Get Worse With Age And Does It Go Away?
To answer the first part of your question, OCD, or obsessive compulsive disorder, does not necessarily get worse with age, but it is an illness that lasts a long time. You can recover from OCD. But as time goes on, most people with OCD have a relapse- in other words, most people with OCD, once […]
Are Trichotillomania and Obsessive Compulsive Disorder Related?
Yes, trichotillomania and obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) are related. They are both anxiety disorders, and both have compulsions as the core problem. Compulsions are the need to carry out an act or behavior in order to reduce the anxiety induced by obsessions (intrusive thoughts). However, the obsessions in trichotillomania are not well defined, as they […]
Obsessive Compulsive Decluttering
There is a subset of people with OCD (obsessive compulsive disorder) who are not well-described in the literature. Much is known about compulsive cleaning and compulsive hoarding, but not much is known about the other end of this spectrum- compulsive decluttering. Compulsive decluttering, also known as obsessive compulsive spartanism and clutter phobia, is when people […]
Study Shows How OCD, ADHD, Parkinson’s And Psychosis Are Related
Picture the person with OCD (obsessive compulsive disorder)…he spends hours washing, and can literally be stuck in the shower or sink. Now picture the person with ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder)…he frequently flips from one activity to the next, just a constant stream of motion, and unable to do the same movement for very long. […]
How is Obsessive Compulsive Disorder Different From Obsessive Compulsive Personality Disorder?
The main difference between obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) and obsessive compulsive personality disorder (OCPD) is that OCD is egodystonic, while OCPD is egosyntonic. Egodystonic is a psychological term that describes beliefs, feelings, or behaviors that are in conflict or dissonant with your self-image…hence, the thoughts, emotions, and behaviors are highly distressing. On the other hand, […]
How OCD Evolves- The Negative Cycle of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder
OCD (obsessive compulsive disorder) is an anxiety disorder marked by recurrent, intrusive thoughts and uncontrollable rituals to decrease the distress. For a behavioral explanation of what reinforces the thought and ritual in obsessive compulsive disorder, let’s look at an example of a negative cycle of OCD: Let’s say you have OCD and are driving around a neighborhood. […]
Anxiety has what effect on academic performance?
Anxiety has a negative and detrimental effect on academic performance. Depending on the type of anxiety you have, it can affect your school work in different ways. The following explains how the different types of anxiety disorders can negatively impact your academic performance. Test Anxiety If you have test anxiety, you have significant problems completing tests, […]
What is Obsessive Compulsive Disorder?
Obsessive compulsive disorder, also known as OCD, is a major anxiety disorder characterized by intrusive thoughts (obsessions) and repetitive, ritualistic behaviors (compulsions). You experience these unwanted, intrusive thoughts that you can’t get out of your mind, and they keep haunting you and cause your extreme anxiety. The anxiety becomes so unbearable that you try to […]
What Helps Obsessive Compulsive Disorder?
Although obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) is highly distressing and disruptive to your life, there are several effective treatments for OCD. First line treatment is cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT). CBT aims to address the maladaptive thinking (obsessions) that induce the anxiety. In addition CBT addresses the behaviors (compulsions) that are focused on reducing the anxiety associated […]