Causes And History Of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD)

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Intro A light switch flips on, then off, then on, then off, then on, then off, then on, then off and finally on again. Now Charlie was able to enter his appartment after a long night shift at work. The reason why it seemed like Charlie was playing with the light switch is because he sufferes from the mental illness known as Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD). OCD is a disease that includes both obsessive and compulsive tendincies. It is a common disorder that effects individuals of all ages from child to adult. Defined by the National Institute of Mental Health, "Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder is a common, chronic and long lasting disorder in which a person has uncontrollable, reoccurring thoughts (obsessions) and behaviors (compulsions) that …show more content…
Individuals with mental illnesses were seen to be possessed by a demon, or have upset a spirit, God, or something supernatural that would explain for why the individual was cursed with the disability. But as the world aged around came the nineteenth century which gave birth to a few individuals who took an interest in OCD and brought light to the disorder. Obsessions were seperated from delusions, while compulsions got seperated and distinguished from impulsions. Near the end of the nineteenth century and into the twentyth century came two psychologists who seperated OCD from Neurasthenia. The names of the psychologists are Pierre Janet and the "Father of Psychology," Sigmund Freud. These two individuals paved the road for OCD research and treatment. Sigmund Freuds view on OCD was that the individuals mind responds differently to unconscious impulses and the world of reality. He believed that their way of thinking was what caused their "magical thoughts," superstitious compulsive acts and also produced doubting. He believed that individuals developed OCD through their defenses of intellectualization, isolation reaction and undoing formations. These defence mechanisms were what …show more content…
With medications, the hypothesis behind treatment is that a major component in the pathophysiology of OCD is a deficet in serotonin function. The medications generally block serotonin reuptake by pre-synaptic neurons which feeds greater amounts of serotonin to the post-synaptic receptors. The number of patients who experience positive results from medications are in between 40%-60%. If one drug does not work, they could try another since there are so many different kinds available on the market, such as Fluvoxamine, Paroxetine, Seutraline, Clomipramine, Risperidone, Buspirone, Olanzapine, Trazodone, Tryptophan, Pindolol, Niacinamide, Gabapentin, Cloonazepam, and Lorazepan. Now that is not every drug for available for OCD, just a few of them. A lot of the time when a patient is on medication they are also attending therapy. A mixture of proper medication and therapy is the most effective way in treating the disorder. When a patient has finished their therapy and are able to function in society it is vital that they continue to take their medication. Data suggests that if a patient stops taking their medication they will revert to what they were like before treatment withing the span of a few months. Even after years of successfully treating the disorder, data shows that the patient will revert if pharmacotherapy is not continued. So as long as the individual sticks with their therapy,

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