All You Need to Know About Obsessive Compulsive Disorder

OCD is a very common trait in people and as the name suggests it involves the compulsions with regard to tasks that are part of the normal day-to-day activities of a person. It can be witnessed in people across various age groups starting from age 7. It is more common in boys than girls in childhood but in adulthood, women are more affected than men. 0.6% of children and adults get affected in India.

Types of OCD

Checkers: Keep checking on things multiple times

Washers: Keep everything around you very clean

Sinners: Expecting perfection in anything and everything

Counters: Obsessed with order and symmetry

Hoarders: Unwillingness to throw things away

Here are a few things that will help you understand more about OCD:

  1. OCD is a chronic disease and cannot be cured like fever or cold. There are a lot of self-help techniques that can help you get out of it but if it is not practised the chances of relapse are high.
  2. There are medicines to treat OCD but most of the time it is not the same drug that is used in the treatment; it varies from person to person.med
  3. Writing down things that you obsess about again and again whenever you feel it can ultimately weaken the power of obsession.Write-It-Down
  4. Create a ‘worry period’ for ten minutes everyday and tell yourself that you will obsess only at that particular time; make sure it’s not close to bedtime.
  5. It’s a good practice to hold on and delay for a bit before you perform your ritual. In this way you will be able to get your obsession under control.
  6. Being independent and learning to manage your OCDs by yourself is very important. Seek professional help if it gets worse.3
  7. Cognitive or Behavioural therapy which involves multiple training sessions is an effective treatment compared to counselling sessions.
  8. Telling yourself that it’s ok to not be perfect all the time can help during times of anxiety.
  9. It helps a lot when the affected patients read more about OCD as it helps them deal with it in better ways.

 

References

http://beyondocd.org/expert-perspectives/articles/ten-things-you-need-to-know-to-overcome-ocd

https://iocdf.org/expert-opinions/25-tips-for-ocd-treatment/

http://yourdost.com/blog/2015/09/12-essential-tips-to-deal-with-ocd.html