Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder
Obsessive-compulsive disorder, also known as OCD, is a misunderstood mental illness that causes one to have extremely unwanted, reoccurring obsessions or compulsions. Obsessions are unsuppressed, reoccurring thoughts or images in one’s head and compulsions are repetitive actions that one tries to help relieve the discomfort with. Having these obsessions and compulsions bring about a lot of uneasiness, distress and panic. These obsessions and compulsions will cause one to double check things, count things, touch things in a particular order, obsess over locked doors, or even wash their hands over and over again to rid themselves of all the germs and dirt. OCD affects numerous people to varying degrees. Some people …show more content…
Some people experience only obsessions, or only compulsions, or sometimes both. “OCD affects about 2.2 million American adults. It strikes men and women in roughly equal numbers and usually appears in childhood, adolescence, or early adulthood” (Who Is At Risk? pp. 2. n.d.). Usually for males, obsessive-compulsive disorder appears in childhood or adolescence. While in females, OCD starts to appear in their late teens, early adulthood. OCD affects people with higher IQs and higher education more often than others. Whether male or female, if someone is going to develop OCD, someone is more likely to start having symptoms before the age of 15. “In the United States, about 1 in 40 adults and 1 in 100 children have OCD” (OCD is a Treatable Condition. n.d.). This number is increasing drastically as time goes on though, because OCD is becoming a more recognized mental …show more content…
It impacts all aspects of society such as the family, workplace, school and the economy. A person with obsessive-compulsive disorder impacts the society because they cannot function in a normal environment. OCD can cause an impact in the workplace because if one does not show up to work, then the company may not get the job done, or they will have to pay someone overtime so they can cover their shift. The economy is also affected because billions of dollars are spent each year on OCD. At school, having obsessive-compulsive disorder can cause one to be bullied because other kids think that they are different than them. Also, having OCD sometimes can cause people to learn in a different way than others and if they are just being taught one way, it could hold them back. With the family, having obsessive-compulsive disorder may cause stress, anger, or sometimes even embarrassment. Stress comes about because the person’s family may not know how to deal with the mental illness. Another thing is one’s family could be embarrassed of the compulsive behavior. Having OCD can also cause a lot of anger and resentment between family members. The person with OCD may take away all of the parent’s attention which makes the others feel left out or not as important. Unfortunately, not everyone understands the severity of
Obsessive-compulsive disorder, also known as OCD, is a misunderstood mental illness that causes one to have extremely unwanted, reoccurring obsessions or compulsions. Obsessions are unsuppressed, reoccurring thoughts or images in one’s head and compulsions are repetitive actions that one tries to help relieve the discomfort with. Having these obsessions and compulsions bring about a lot of uneasiness, distress and panic. These obsessions and compulsions will cause one to double check things, count things, touch things in a particular order, obsess over locked doors, or even wash their hands over and over again to rid themselves of all the germs and dirt. OCD affects numerous people to varying degrees. Some people …show more content…
Some people experience only obsessions, or only compulsions, or sometimes both. “OCD affects about 2.2 million American adults. It strikes men and women in roughly equal numbers and usually appears in childhood, adolescence, or early adulthood” (Who Is At Risk? pp. 2. n.d.). Usually for males, obsessive-compulsive disorder appears in childhood or adolescence. While in females, OCD starts to appear in their late teens, early adulthood. OCD affects people with higher IQs and higher education more often than others. Whether male or female, if someone is going to develop OCD, someone is more likely to start having symptoms before the age of 15. “In the United States, about 1 in 40 adults and 1 in 100 children have OCD” (OCD is a Treatable Condition. n.d.). This number is increasing drastically as time goes on though, because OCD is becoming a more recognized mental …show more content…
It impacts all aspects of society such as the family, workplace, school and the economy. A person with obsessive-compulsive disorder impacts the society because they cannot function in a normal environment. OCD can cause an impact in the workplace because if one does not show up to work, then the company may not get the job done, or they will have to pay someone overtime so they can cover their shift. The economy is also affected because billions of dollars are spent each year on OCD. At school, having obsessive-compulsive disorder can cause one to be bullied because other kids think that they are different than them. Also, having OCD sometimes can cause people to learn in a different way than others and if they are just being taught one way, it could hold them back. With the family, having obsessive-compulsive disorder may cause stress, anger, or sometimes even embarrassment. Stress comes about because the person’s family may not know how to deal with the mental illness. Another thing is one’s family could be embarrassed of the compulsive behavior. Having OCD can also cause a lot of anger and resentment between family members. The person with OCD may take away all of the parent’s attention which makes the others feel left out or not as important. Unfortunately, not everyone understands the severity of