What is Obsessive Compulsive Disorder?
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder is a mental health disorder in which a person gets entangled in a chain reaction of obsessions and compulsions. Obsessions are repeated thoughts, urges, or mental images that cause anxiety (https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/obsessive-compulsive-disorder-ocd/index.shtml). Compulsions are irresistible urges to behave in a certain way, especially against one's conscious wishes to combat the obsessions. Common obsessions are contamination, losing control, harm, and perfectionism and are often associated with uncomfortable feelings, such as fear, disgust, and doubt (https://iocdf.org/about-ocd/). Obsessions hinder the person’s daily life as they cannot be controlled, they …show more content…
The caudate nucleus is a cluster of brain cells in the basal ganglia and filters thoughts; it is also an important part of managing habitual and repetitive behaviors. The prefrontal orbital cortex affects social behavior. This directly relates to the need to be neat and meticulous as well as the fear of acting in a way that is deemed socially unacceptable. The cingulate gyrus contributes to the need to perform compulsions to relieve the anxiety caused by the obsessions. All of these areas are directly affected by serotonin. A biological factor of OCD that is still being researched in depth is the effects of streptococcus, this is the bacteria that causes strep throat. As of now, some researchers believe that an infection with streptococcus can cause a development of OCD in children when the body tries to produce antibodies to fight the infection that end up reacting to the basal …show more content…
The behavioral theory indicates that people with OCD associate certain objects or situations with fear and learn to avoid the things they fear or to perform tasks that reduce that fear. This cycle is usually most prominent in times of high emotional stress simply because these periods make us more vulnerable to fear and anxiety. Even things that were thought of to be neutral prior to a high-stress time period can become triggers to fear, such as catching an illness from using a public toilet. After the fear is established to the object or situation, that object or situation is avoided as much as possible. When forced to engage with that fear, he or she will perform extensive rituals to reduce the level of fear, such as cleaning the toilet seat, door handles, and following a detailed washing procedure. This association can spread to other, similar
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder is a mental health disorder in which a person gets entangled in a chain reaction of obsessions and compulsions. Obsessions are repeated thoughts, urges, or mental images that cause anxiety (https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/obsessive-compulsive-disorder-ocd/index.shtml). Compulsions are irresistible urges to behave in a certain way, especially against one's conscious wishes to combat the obsessions. Common obsessions are contamination, losing control, harm, and perfectionism and are often associated with uncomfortable feelings, such as fear, disgust, and doubt (https://iocdf.org/about-ocd/). Obsessions hinder the person’s daily life as they cannot be controlled, they …show more content…
The caudate nucleus is a cluster of brain cells in the basal ganglia and filters thoughts; it is also an important part of managing habitual and repetitive behaviors. The prefrontal orbital cortex affects social behavior. This directly relates to the need to be neat and meticulous as well as the fear of acting in a way that is deemed socially unacceptable. The cingulate gyrus contributes to the need to perform compulsions to relieve the anxiety caused by the obsessions. All of these areas are directly affected by serotonin. A biological factor of OCD that is still being researched in depth is the effects of streptococcus, this is the bacteria that causes strep throat. As of now, some researchers believe that an infection with streptococcus can cause a development of OCD in children when the body tries to produce antibodies to fight the infection that end up reacting to the basal …show more content…
The behavioral theory indicates that people with OCD associate certain objects or situations with fear and learn to avoid the things they fear or to perform tasks that reduce that fear. This cycle is usually most prominent in times of high emotional stress simply because these periods make us more vulnerable to fear and anxiety. Even things that were thought of to be neutral prior to a high-stress time period can become triggers to fear, such as catching an illness from using a public toilet. After the fear is established to the object or situation, that object or situation is avoided as much as possible. When forced to engage with that fear, he or she will perform extensive rituals to reduce the level of fear, such as cleaning the toilet seat, door handles, and following a detailed washing procedure. This association can spread to other, similar