There are habits and there are compulsions. There are thoughts and there are obsessions. The only difference between each two are the uncontrollable and volatile nature that is intrinsic to compulsions and obsessions. Together, they become the genetic condition of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, or OCD.
Imagine repeatedly checking if a door is locked nine times every night before bed. Imagine obsessing over a conversation that occurred many years ago that nobody remembers. Imagine never being able to stop thinking about little issues and trivial situations. That is what OCD is like. OCD can consume someone so they become weak with anxiety and are unable to function. Anxiety acts like an alarm or signal in the brain that something is wrong. OCD can make it feel like everything is or can go wrong.
OCD affects 3% of Americans and is found in all ages and ethnicities (Understanding OCD, 2003). Symptoms of OCD include excessive and unreasonable obsessions and/or compulsions that interfere with daily life (Mayo Clinic, 2013). Obsessions can include themes of “washing, counting, checking, and demanding reassurance” (Mayo Clinic, 2013). The obsessions cause someone to have brief and sometimes debilitating anxiety. Compulsions usually follow the obsessions as a reaction. Compulsions include washing hands, checking doors to see if they are locked, …show more content…
This is because OCD is caused by a defective Serotonin neurotransmitter. Serotonin is a neurotransmitter in the brain that controls mood, appetite, and sleep (NCBI, 2015). If one’s body does not receive enough Serotonin, a communication breakdown occurs within the nerves (IODCF, 2013). The gene for Serotonin is located at SLC6A4. That gene can be found on the q arm of chromosome 17 at location 11.2 (Gene Cards, 2014). Serotonin deficiencies are also related to other anxiety-related disorders that are related to the location SLC6A4 (OMIM,
Imagine repeatedly checking if a door is locked nine times every night before bed. Imagine obsessing over a conversation that occurred many years ago that nobody remembers. Imagine never being able to stop thinking about little issues and trivial situations. That is what OCD is like. OCD can consume someone so they become weak with anxiety and are unable to function. Anxiety acts like an alarm or signal in the brain that something is wrong. OCD can make it feel like everything is or can go wrong.
OCD affects 3% of Americans and is found in all ages and ethnicities (Understanding OCD, 2003). Symptoms of OCD include excessive and unreasonable obsessions and/or compulsions that interfere with daily life (Mayo Clinic, 2013). Obsessions can include themes of “washing, counting, checking, and demanding reassurance” (Mayo Clinic, 2013). The obsessions cause someone to have brief and sometimes debilitating anxiety. Compulsions usually follow the obsessions as a reaction. Compulsions include washing hands, checking doors to see if they are locked, …show more content…
This is because OCD is caused by a defective Serotonin neurotransmitter. Serotonin is a neurotransmitter in the brain that controls mood, appetite, and sleep (NCBI, 2015). If one’s body does not receive enough Serotonin, a communication breakdown occurs within the nerves (IODCF, 2013). The gene for Serotonin is located at SLC6A4. That gene can be found on the q arm of chromosome 17 at location 11.2 (Gene Cards, 2014). Serotonin deficiencies are also related to other anxiety-related disorders that are related to the location SLC6A4 (OMIM,