What Is OCD

Obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) is one of the most common mental disorders, however, is also one of the most misunderstood. It is more normal now to hear and even say things like "I'm so OCD about ..." or "I have OCD so many little", while not necessarily the most honest of the states, is becoming an increasingly common error - what the person in question is more likely to say is you are either very compulsive about certain things or have some kind of perfectionist attitude. TOC itself is primarily an anxiety disorder that clearly could be divided into two halves: the obsessions and compulsions - and this is where the misunderstanding arises usually in spite of being partly true, the obsessions do not always lead to compulsions . Obsessions tend to exist for themselves, while compulsions are many needs in fact a core obsession, but that does not mean that compulsions can not exist by themselves (sometimes confused with Tourette syndrome, OCD compulsions differ they are "voluntary" as the tics are inadvertent - You could say that Tourette syndrome is TOC coughing is to clear one's throat).

Symptoms of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder
Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder symptoms are, as mentioned above, split into the following two categories

Obsessions

As with many symptoms of anxiety disorder, obsessive thoughts can cause high levels of tension, distress and, yes – you guessed it, anxiety. Common obsessions include: concerns over cleanliness – the conviction that everything around oneself is unclean and hence harmful and needs to be cleaned before anything is done in that environment; worries over disease and ill health – constant fear or suspicion of having contracted a deadly disease, this can often appear as a strong case of Hypochondria ( Hypochondriasis); a necessity for things to be ordered or done in a certain way– there is not necessarily a logic to the order but to the person concerned failure of objects or other people to adhere to it can cause great concern despite the lack of any real consequence.

Less apparent and certainly more distressing are the kinds of obsession that obsessive-compulsives are less likely – and unsurprisingly so – to talk about as they generally involve thoughts of extreme violence either done unto them by someone else, or – much more distressingly – the thought of themselves committing these acts on their friends, family or even a complete stranger. Thoughts of a graphic sexual nature are also possible; ranging from kissing to extremes such as rape and pedophilia, these thoughts can be about anyone or indeed, anything, of any age or sex and can often lead to doubt over one's sexuality. Much though these sorts of thoughts are generally considered psychotic, although very disturbing, they are by no means a sign of Psychosis as generally they are recognized as being completely unacceptable and often lead to disgust with oneself for thinking such things. Thoughts and doubts of this nature can sometimes lead to cases of Social Anxiety Disorder in sufferers of OCD due to a lack of confidence in one's ability to withstand the temptation to give in to one's mind and a subsequent reluctance to participate in social activities. Hyperthyroidism or ‘excessive sweating as it is more commonly known can arise as another side effect of the suppression of these concepts when in public - which often serves only to increase anxiety levels and further enthuse them to stay at home.

It is possible for Obsessions to exist on their own without any sign of Compulsions, this is informally termed Pure-O OCD and is estimated to account for just over half of all cases of OCD. The problem with Pure-O is that while a casual onlooker may pick up on somebody carrying out their Compulsions and recognise that they have OCD, it is very hard to tell when somebody has Pure-O and often leads to confusion and anxiety amongst friends and family as they seek a reason or motivation for the avoidance of situations and even go so far as to put it down to some form of mild Autism.

Compulsions

As previously mentioned, many compulsions are the result of obsessions, for instance, concerns over cleanliness usually lead to excessive cleaning and – a common stereotype of OCD – the compulsive washing of one's hands throughout the day despite no immediately obvious reason for it; it may appear harmless, or might even be considered ‘playing it safe, however, it can lead to dermatitis and permanent damage of one's hands if care is not taken. Another common compulsion is the organization of objects into patterns: alphabetical, by color, size, or placing items parallel and at right angles to each other. A need to touch certain objects and people can also arise and be dangerous in certain circumstances such as when sharp objects are concerned.. Repeated actions are also common as is the obsessive counting of objects, a precise daily routine, the checking of locks and many many more.

While compulsions can often seem strange and unnecessary to other people, failure to carry them out can cause the sufferer considerable distress to the extent that it can cause panic attacks even if – as many do – they recognize them as irrational. The mental turmoil caused to people with extreme cases of OCD can produce symptoms that often draw parallels to Bipolar Disorder – sudden unexplained fits of irritation, anxiety and anger that are swiftly followed by embarrassment, sadness and guilt once the compulsion has been fulfilled. That is not to say that it is anywhere near as severe as the symptoms of Bipolar Disorder, however, similarities can certainly be drawn.

Obsessions and compulsions based around perfection, the necessity of order, routine, rules and organization are often associated with OCD and they are considered symptoms when present along with others. However, when isolated it is often a sign of Obsessive-Compulsive Personality Disorder (OCPD) or just Perfectionism.