OCD, or obsessive-compulsive disorder, is an anxiety disorder in which the mind is flooded with persistent, uncontrollable and unwanted thoughts and the individual is compelled to repeat actions that interferes with everyday life. (Davison, Neale, & Kring, 2003) Obsessions are recurring thoughts or urges. Compulsions are, repetitive behaviors that are driven by obsessions. (American Psychiatric Association, 2013) In the DSM-5 Obsessive compulsive disorder is not categorized under an anxiety disorder but as its own category along with PTSD. There are both obsession and compulsion symptoms. Some symptoms of obsession are, aggressive impulses, repeated unwanted thoughts, and thoughts of hurting others. Compulsion symptoms include, constant counting or checking of items, repeatedly washing objects or your hands, and arranging objects in a certain way.
Although many like to claim the have obsessive compulsive disorder, there is specific criteria you need to meet in order to be diagnosed with the disorder. According to the DSM-5 you must either suffer from obsession, compulsions or both, obsessions are defined as persistent and recurring thoughts urges and images and the individual attempts quell these thoughts images and urges. Compulsions are defined as repetitive behaviors, such as excessive hand washing, or mental acts like repeating words a certain number of times in your head. To be diagnosed these obsession and compulsions must also be time consuming and make it hard to maintain things like relationships. These symptoms may also not be due to other factors such as drug use or any other medical condition. It can also not be better described by another type of psychological disorder. Such as excessive worry being categorized as generalized anxiety disorder instead of OCD (American Psychiatric Association, 2013).
It is often argued over if the cause of this disorder is due to nature or nurture. It has been found that head injuries, brain tumors and encephalitis, which is inflammation of the brain, have been linked with the development of obsessive compulsive disorder (Davison, Neale, & Kring, 2003). It is also believed that an imbalance of neurotransmitters, serotonin and glutamate, is linked to OCD. This disorder also could have been inherited from parents or other close relatives. Some environmental causes such as stressful and traumatic events have also been reported just months before the symptoms of OCD developed. (Nicholas, 2018). People who have experienced abuse, either physical or sexual, are at a higher risk of developing obsessive compulsive disorder. It has also been found that children experience symptoms of OCD after contracting streptococcal infection. (National Instituate of Mental Health , 2016).
The brain is of course affected by this disorder. Studies have shown differences in the frontal lobe of the brain in people diagnosed with obsessive compulsive disorder (National Instituate of Mental Health , 2016). According to studies done on OCD it is caused by damage to the basal ganglia, damage can be caused by bacterial infections and a lack of oxygen to the brain. A brain region called, anterior cingulate cortex, which monitors our actions and checks for mistakes, is hyperactive in those with OCD
There are many myths and misconceptions surrounding obsessive compulsive disorder as there is for all mental disorders. One of the most popular myths is that people with OCD love being neat and organized. While cleanliness is one of the compulsions of the disorder it doesn’t necessarily mean that everyone who likes being organized has OCD, and vice versa, not everyone with OCD necessarily has to be neat and organized (Ryback, 2016). Another Misconceptions is that obsessive compulsive disorder is interchangeable with germophobe. Similar to the myth of being neat and organized, OCD is different in everyone that has the disorder. Only a portion of people with OCD actually have a fear of germs. (International OCD foundation, 2017).