Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder Josephine Beker Thomas Jefferson University Description of condition Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is a heterogenous, chronic condition which can be further divided into subgroups dependent on the symptoms presented (Bjorgvinsson, Hart & Heffelfinger, 2007). It is characterized by obsessive thoughts or images, which cause stress or anxiety for the patients, as well as compulsive behaviors, which are often repetitive in nature and used to reduce the feelings of distress (McGuire, Lewin, Horng, Murphy & Storch, 2012). Signs/Symptoms - the manifestations…
In the movie Mommie Dearest, actress Joan Crawford slowly slips into madness by showing several examples of each disorder throughout the movie. The four disorders I will be comparing are borderline personality disorder, histrionic personality disorder, narcissistic personality disorder and obsessive personality disorder. All of these disorders and their symptoms heavily affected and influenced Joan and everyone around her. For example, her daughter Christina grew up with a mother that insisted that everything was done her way or no way at all. Crawford desperately wanted to give her two adopted children all her love and affection but wasn’t quite ready to handle every aspect of motherhood.…
Its basis is that the unwanted cognitive intrusions (unpleasant thoughts and images) found in OCD are experienced by most people in the general population[1, 2]. While healthy individuals regard them as meaningless events, OCD patients appraise them as real threats posed by the individual, leading to an obsession and, consequently, a compulsive behaviour to avoid any harmful events associated with the intrusion[1, 2]. An example would be an image of stabbing their own child. While most people would just ignore it, some might think that the intrusion will lead to them losing control and actually carrying it out. This appraisal leads to stress and anxiety, and motivates the person to suppress the intrusion (for example, by replacing the image with a pleasant one) and to prevent any harmful events that may arise from the intrusion (e.g., by avoiding all knifes and constantly checking the safety of the child)[1,…
Obsessive compulsion disorder, also known as O.C.D, is a mental disorder where a person feels the need to repeat things over and over again until he or she feels satisfied. Psychologist call the need to repeat things over and over again a ritual. While only 2.3% of the U.S population has O.C.D (mHMR), not all O.C.D is the same. One person may feel the need to always wash their hands, while another may feel the need to turn a doorknob a certain amount of times. Doctors do not know what cause O.C.D, but they can most likely assume it is from genetics, stress, trauma, or a chemical imbalance in the brain.…
Criteria A in the DSM-5 indicates that to have an Obsessive Compulsive Disorder a person must show signs of having obsessions, compulsions, or signs of both (Nolen-Hoeksema & Marroquin, 2017). According to Nolen-Hoeksema and Marroquin (2017) obsessions are defined by two things, the first by having “recurrent and persistent thoughts, urges, or images that are experienced, at some time during the disturbance, as intrusive and unwanted, and that in most individuals cause anxiety or distress” (p. 140). The second thing is that the “individual attempts to ignore or suppress such thoughts, urges, images, or to neutralize them with another thought or action”; for example, having a compulsion (Nolen-Hoeksema & Marroquin, 2017, p. 140). Such “compulsions are defined by having repetitive behaviors like hand washing, ordering, and checking or having mental acts like praying, counting, or repeating words silently which drives the individual to perform in response to an obsession or to something that must be done rigidly” (Nolen-Hoeksema & Marroquin, 2017, p. 140). It is also defined by having “behaviors or mental acts that help prevent or reduce anxiety or distress, or preventing a dreaded event or situation” (Nolen-Hoeksema & Marroquin, 2017,…
Silver Linings Playbook is a film about a developing love story between the two main characters Tiffany and Pat. They develop a relationship through their shared struggles of mental illness and help each other deal with their symptoms indirectly. The theme of mental illness and the way that it gets in the way of normative functioning is a reoccurring theme within the film. Pat’s father deals with his own struggles of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) which hinders his ability of normative function in certain scenarios. Diagnostic literature identifies OCD as the presence of a variety of different symptoms and issues that interrupt normative action and thoughts.…
For example, someone is driving down an icy highway and suddenly they see an 18-wheeler coming straight to their side while the car is sliding on the road and the person is panicking and freaking out, that can be considered a panic disorder because they are panicking and having sudden thoughts of fear. Phobic disorders are sudden thoughts of fear of certain things that people normally try to avoid. For example, a lady has phobic disorder of getting kidnapped while running so she usually tries to avoid going running by herself. Obsessive Compulsive Disorder is an anxiety disorder where people have repeated thoughts, feelings, and ideas about certain things known as obsessions or behaviors that make them feel like they have to keep doing them known as compulsions that usually end up interfering with their daily life. An example of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder is someone keeps thinking a certain dishware is dirty after washing it so they continue to wash the dishware fifteen times before they are finally convinced that it clean.…
Background What is OCD? The first step in understanding the stigma that surrounds OCD is to understand Obsessive Compulsive Disorder itself. The disorder itself is…
Someone who has obsessive-compulsive disorder gets thoughts that are unwanted that cause them to do repetitive behaviors (Rathus, 2010). For example, people with OCD have the obsession to clean everything spotless, like Joan Crawford when she had to clean under a plant that would be easily forgotten by anyone else. One night in the Crawford household when the children were still young, Joan walked into the bedroom where Christina was sleeping to hang a dress and found a wire hanger, a long with a “messy bathroom”. Instantly, Joan snapped and woke-up her sleeping daughter, beat her with the wire hanger, and yelled at her to clean the bathroom floor. Christina insisted she cleaned it that day and said “It isn’t messy, Mommie.…
ntroduction Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is a fairly common illness, but it can be debilitating. This paper discusses OCD, its symptoms and treatment, and the view of it held by society in general. Discussion In regard to the last point, one thing comes to mind immediately. The protagonist of the hugely successful TV show Monk suffers from OCD.…
Childhood is made of building blocks—small little numbers that add up, up, up into something greater. Letters become words, words become sentences, sentences: thoughts and dreams. My little life was dictated by letters and numbers. My name: L-U-C-Y. Age: 10.…
It’s all that, but more. OCD stands for Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. It’s a mental illness in which people have unwanted or repetitive thoughts, feelings, ideas, and obsessions. The cause of OCD is unknown, but it is thought to be the result of a brain malfunction. Nearly one half of all cases begin in childhood.…
In order to be diagnosed with OCD, these obsessions or compulsions must be time-consuming; for example, a compulsion can last up to one hour a day, or cause clinically significant distress or impairment in social,…
For diagnosis, the condition must be time consuming, and it must not be attributed to other physiological or medical effects. According to Solomen and Grant in, “Obsessive Compulsive Disorder,” “compulsions are meant to neutralize or reduce the person’s discomfort or to prevent a dreaded event,” which may be why they occur repetitively (2014, pg. 646). Bokor and Anderson state in their article, “Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder,” that “preoccupation with…
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder(OCD) is a disorder that many struggle with in their daily life. It can be life altering and change the person’s quality of life dramatically. The treatment for OCD consists of medication or therapy that will help one cope with this disorder. Many believe this disorder occurs because one fixates on over analyzing, washing their hands, or checking and rechecking (Fawcett, 2015). Researchers have not yet to identify the main cause of this disorder, but it has been studied that it is from an imbalance in chemicals and other factors that play a part (Steketee & McCorkle, 2012).…