OCD is a mental illness consisting of obsessive thoughts, ideas and impulses called obsessions and repetitive behaviors and mental actions called compulsions. If obsessive thoughts reach a level that affects our daily lives and restricts our daily functions, it is called OBSESSIVE-COMPULSIVE DISORDER (OCD). Mental illness should come to mind.
Obsessions are thoughts, ideas, images and impulses that a person cannot prevent from entering his mind or cannot remove from his mind. They come against the person's will, are perceived by the person as irrational or absurd, and cause intense distress and unrest, that is, anxiety. Compulsions are repetitive, uninhibited behaviors and actions performed to reduce or eliminate the intense distress and unrest caused by obsessions.
It has been determined that OCD is seen in 2-3 out of every 100 people. In other words, its incidence in the population is around 3%. Although it usually begins in adolescence and in the 20s-30s, it can be seen at any age, including preschool children. Although it starts at an earlier age in men, it is generally more common in women. It is supported by research that genetic causes, deterioration in brain functions and serotonin, childhood traumas are effective in the formation of the disease.
OCD SYMPTOMS 1-Contamination Obsession and Cleaning Compulsion Factors such as dirt, germs and dust on the person's body and clothes; It is his/her obsessions about being contaminated with chemicals, detergents, poisons, urine, feces and other body secretions and his/her behaviors to relieve the distress caused by these obsessions. 2-Doubt obsession and control compulsion It is one of the most common obsessions and compulsions. The person may have left objects such as stove, combi boiler, water heater, door, lock open, iron etc. He/she suspects that the plugs of electrical appliances may be stuck in the socket (Doubt obsession) and feels the need to check again and again to be sure
(Checking compulsion). These doubts and controls can manifest themselves in many areas of life. 3-Aggression obsessions: Obsessions such as harming others or uncontrollable aggressive behavior. Sometimes patients He/she may have obsessions such as causing discomfort or harm to others without doing so, uttering unpleasant words, or unintentionally harming the people around him/her. 4-Sexual obsessions: There are sexually explicit thoughts and images that are embarrassing and unacceptable for the person. 5- Obsessions with religious content The person cannot stop himself from thinking obsessive thoughts and images of religious content in a way that is completely opposite to his beliefs and views and in a way that causes intense distress. 6-Symmetry/order obsessions and compulsions: The need for symmetry and order obsessions are also common symptoms. The need for symmetry and orderliness dominates the person's entire life. 7-Counting and repeating compulsions Some OCD patients engage in the behavior of counting and performing that action repeatedly, thinking that if they do any daily activity without counting up to a certain number, their work will not be successful. 8-Hoarding and storage compulsions are a common type of compulsion. A person may even collect/store items that will not be needed, with the thought that "they may be needed in the future." Accumulations that may become garbage houses in the future are the most extreme examples of this compulsion. 9-Somatic Obsessions It is a state of extreme anxiety that leads to suspicion that you have a serious illness such as cancer or AIDS, and to have many unnecessary tests to detect and control it. However, in order for such thoughts and behaviors to be considered a disease from a medical perspective, they must be severe and intense enough to affect, restrict and disrupt our daily functions.
HOW IS OCD TREATED? OCD is a disease that can seriously limit daily living activities, cause significant functional losses in family, professional and social life, and reduce the quality of life. The high probability of chronicity increases the importance of treatment.
Drug treatment is very useful in the treatment of OCD. This group of drugs called Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors (SSRIs) is widely used in the treatment of OCD. It is necessary to wait up to three weeks for the drug effects to be seen. At least 8 weeks should be waited to decide whether the drug is effective or not. If it is determined to be effective, the treatment should be continued for at least two years, increasing the daily dose if necessary. dirt. Cognitive-behavioral Psychotherapy Obsessive patients try to cope with anxious thoughts by escaping or avoiding these thoughts. However, as you try to escape from your thoughts, these thoughts increase even more, thus creating a vicious circle. The aim of behavioral treatments is to confront the patient with thoughts [obsessions] that cause anxiety and cause escape and avoidance behaviors because they create anxiety, and to prevent repetitive behaviors [compulsions] that come into play to reduce the anxiety created by this comparison. Cognitive and behavioral therapies have a very important place both in the treatment of the disease and especially in the prevention of relapses, and they can be used sometimes alone or together with drug treatments. Cognitive behavioral therapy has the most important place among the treatment options and its effectiveness in the treatment of the disease has been scientifically proven.
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