OCD: The facts and the truth

With all the Pain there is hope

Obsessive Compulsive Disorder: The Facts

OCD, also known as Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, is marked by obsessive thoughts and distressing compulsions. It affects 2% of the US population, or
around 5,000,000 people. There is no evidence that it affects only a certain race, age, or gender. It affects various people of various backgrounds.
Like Bipolar Disorder and Depression, OCD is an affective mood disorder, which also includes schizophrenia and panic attacks. They are caused by chemical imbalances in the brain. In other words, there is not enough serotonin or dopamine causing depression or too much causing mania. The symptoms of these disorders are very deceptive because a person could have another disorder and not even know it or a person who has these symptoms could not even have the
disorder at all.

Obsessive Compulsive Disorder is characterized not only by effects in mood, however. These obsessions and compulsives that I have written earlier can a take
up a large amount of a person's time. For example, someone watching a film can obsess about a certain person in that film and then go online writing a fan
page. But that same person is also distressed by it and feels really bad about those particular behaviors.

Obsessive behaviors include watching a certain amount of footage over and over again, thinking about a certain someone to the point where that person consumes your every thought, or having other irrational thoughts that cause anxiety.

Compulsive behaviors would include excessive hand washing, avoiding certain numbers, or avoiding saying certain things because they fear something bad might
happen to them that in reality probably won't happen. A person with OCD might feel like they are going crazy or out of control. They may also have trouble
keeping a job, keeping friends, or in extreme cases, be suicidal.

There is help, however, for those who are diagnosed with OCD. For many, a combination of therapy and medications help. For others, it may just be therapy
or medication. There are a line of medications including Paxil, Luvox, Carbamazapine, and Anafranil that help those with OCD, panic attacks, and other
affective mood disorders.

**This information is from a young woman who has been diagnosed with it last year. It is a serious condition that needs treatment. We are not crazies. We are sick people who need help. Pray for those who have OCD and other mental and emotional problems.