Did you know that Obsessive Compulsive Disorder is the fourth-most-common mental disordered diagnosed in America, and is nearly as common as asthma or diabetes? To me this is crazy. I am interested in researching this topic because I have definitely been exposed to many obsessive compulsive individuals throughout my life, and I wanted to find out just exactly why they do what they do.
Obsessive compulsive disorder is an anxiety disorder in which intrusive thoughts will pop into a person’s head and cause the person to become distressed or uneasy. More commonly, though, people refer to someone with OCD as paranoid. Now most of you probably would not consider yourselves paranoid. But, have you ever been walking and tried to only step on a certain color of tiles? Or do you repeatedly check your car to make sure it is locked before you leave it? What about being ridiculous in the number of times you wash your hands each day? These things, and a number of other repetitive actions that people often engage in, are all symptoms of OCD. However, not all repetitive behaviors (such as a bedtime routine) that people do each day are considered OCD behaviors. It all depends on the context in which the behaviour is performed.
The thing I find most ironic about this disorder is that OCD sufferers most often times recognize that their thoughts and their behaviors are irrational, yet this realization only serves to make them more distressed and anxious. How funny is that! They know that they are being ridiculous sometimes, yet it is hard to break free of this disorder’s clench.
After having researched this topic, I have come to the conclusion that everyone struggles with OCD in some form or another. However, there are those few people who struggle with it a lot, and quite frankly, I find it amusing. This disorder is obviously not a good thing and would be a real struggle to overcome, but lets be real. Have you ever met someone with full blown obsessive compulsive disorder? It's fascinating.
Works Cited
"Obsessive Compulsive Disorder." Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia. Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. 22 July 2004. Web. 10 Aug. 2004.
“Obsessive Compulsive Disorder.” Canadian Mental Health Association. Web. 2010
*** Want to know if you struggle with OCD? Go to http://psychcentral.com/ocdquiz.htm to find out! :)
It is funny that you say this amuses you since it is such a serious matter. Some people flip out about having things their way and they can't help it. I wish that I could say that I am not OCD about things but I am pretty sure there is something I do constantly without realizing it.
ReplyDeleteI really liked your post! It made me step back and ask myself, "Do I have OCD?" I have come to the conclusion, I probably do! I do wash my hands an awful lot and I do find myself not stepping in cracks in the sidewalk! Gulp, I guess I'm OCD!Somehow I think I shall survive life! Good job! :)
ReplyDeleteHaha I took the test. Yes, they did tell me it is likely I have OCD.... that explains a lot.
ReplyDeleteWow I didn't realize that this was such a common mental disorder— I'm sure that more people have OCD than we realize!
ReplyDeleteYeah, i definitely think everyone has some degree of OCD for like certain things. But this was really interesting, i didn't know that it was such a big problem, right up there with asthma and diabetes, wow!
ReplyDeleteEvery night I jump to my bed because for some reason I think someone is going to grab me if I have my appendages hanging off the bed. I realize that thats stupid because if someone wanted to grab me, it wouldn't matter where on my bed I was. I guess this means I'm OCD.
ReplyDeleteI can see mild OCD/irrational tendencies as amusing. I think we all have those: I know several of mine, and even though I logically know how irrational it is, I have to follow through with what I feel compelled to do (particularly re-checking that I've locked doors even when I clearly know I've locked them).
ReplyDeleteHowever, like all mental illnesses, there comes a point when OCD is definitely not amusing and is life-inhibiting, leading to depression and other very serious problems. I have known people with serious OCD and their lives are no laughing matter. Imagine being seized with compulsion that you felt you had no control over; imagine if you felt you had to wash your hands over and over and over till they bled, and you didn't want to, but you couldn't break free of the compulsion. Many of the things we turn into jokes are very serious and very painful to some people. Not trying to turn this into a sermon; I think it's important to find things to laugh about, to keep a sense of humor. But I think there's a balance; just don't ever let love of laughter override compassion for others.
Love the link at the end, by the way. Though I think the questions are kind of vague . . . hasn't everyone "at some point" thought of the things they mention?
Very interesting topic, as can be evidenced by the abundance of comments, I'd bet. And you're right: the funny thing about anxiety disorders is that it's a vicious cycle. Most often the afflicted recognize the problem, but because they're in that anxious mind frame it only serves to make them that much more freaked out.
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