Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is a mental ailment characterised by recurrent unpleasant thoughts or feelings (obsessions) or the need to repeat a behaviour (compulsions). Obsessions and compulsions can coexist in some persons.

Many people with OCD are aware that their thoughts and behaviours are illogical. They do things not because they enjoy them, but because they are unable to stop. If they quit, they get so depressed that they begin again.

Obsessive thoughts can include the following:

● Concerns about yourself or others being hurt

● Blinking, breathing, or other body sensations are constantly observed.

● Suspicion of infidelity in a partner with no reason to believe it

Compulsive behaviours can include:

● Performing things in a precise order or a certain "acceptable" number of times

● Counting items, such as steps or bottles

● Fear of shaking hands, touching doorknobs, or using public restrooms

Symptoms-

Obsessions are defined by

● Recurrent and persistent thoughts, urges or images that are experienced, at some time during the disturbance, as intrusive, unwanted, and that in most individuals cause marked anxiety or distress.

● The individual attempts to ignore or suppress such thoughts, urges, or images, or to neutralize them with some thought or action (i.e., by performing a compulsion).

Compulsions are defined by

● Repetitive behaviors (e.g., hand washing, ordering checking) or mental acts (e.g., praying, counting, repeating words silently) that the person feels driven to perform in response to an obsession, or according to the rules that must be applied rigidly

● The behaviors or mental acts are aimed at preventing or reducing distress or preventing some dreaded event or situation. However, these behaviors or mental acts either are not connected in a realistic way with what they are designed to neutralize or prevent or are clearly excessive.

The obsessions or compulsions are time consuming (e.g., take more than 1 hour per day) or cause clinically significant distress or impairment in social, occupational, or other important areas of functioning.

Causes -

Certain causes or events may enhance a person's risk of acquiring OCD or trigger an episode of the disorder:

● Moving, getting married or divorced, or starting a new school or work are all examples of changes in living situations.

● A loved one's death or another emotional trauma

● Abuse in the past.

● Illness (if you get the flu, for example, you may start a cycle of obsessing about germs and washing compulsively).

● Low amounts of serotonin, a brain chemical that helps maintain mental equilibrium.

● Overactivity in certain parts of the brain.

● Workplace or school issues

● An vital relationship is having issues.

Treatment -

● Psychoeducation: Proper psychoeduation includes a discussion about the length of treatment. Don't expect a significant change in obsessions and compulsions after only one week. Explain that, at first, your client will simply be resisting their compulsions. It won't feel great. After a week or more of practice, their anxiety will slowly begin to diminish. And then, in time, their obsessions and compulsions will also begin to fade (which will further reduce the anxiety).

● Medications: Drugs called serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SRIs), selective SRIs (SSRIs) and tricyclic antidepressants may help. They increase levels of serotonin. Examples include clomipramine, fluoxetine, fluvoxamine, paroxetine and sertraline.

● Psychotherapy: usually a type of therapy that helps you face your fears and obsessive thoughts without "putting them right" with compulsions.