9781422272398

and the completion of rituals or behaviors meant to ward off catastrophe for her or her loved ones. She was embarrassed by symptoms she didn’t understand that were ruling her life. She told no one about them, not even therapists. She felt powerless, paranoid, deeply depressed, and occasionally suicidal. The most important aspect of her story, however, is that with medication and conscious behavior modifications, she eventually overcame her OCD symptoms to live a fulfilling life. She’s not an unusual case. With constantly improving medical technology, the increasing public awareness of obsessive-compulsive disorder, and the ease of finding information about OCD, it’s becoming ever more possible to combat the symptoms of what many call “the doubting disease.” What is Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder? OCD is a behavioral disorder in which a person’s brain, unprompted, produces disturbing images, thoughts, and fears. The sufferer then feels compelled to perform compulsive acts to eliminate the possibility of a negative consequence associated with those fears. For example, a mother with OCD might become terrified that she will somehow stab her child, so she would lock the kitchen knives in another room and repeat the word “safe” to herself eight times whenever this anxiety surfaces. The fears drive the compulsions , and the compulsions temporarily relieve the fear. These rituals usually only “work” for a short time, and the sufferer typically does not usually have to wait long before worries surface again, prompting another round of compulsive behavior. A person who is terrified about accidentally setting the house on fire, for instance, might ensure that a hair appliance is unplugged—hundreds of times—even though she just reassured herself a few moments ago.

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Behavioral Disorders: Obsessive-Compulsive and Related Disorders