Carbonell Institute
Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder
Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD)
Symptoms
Obsessions: These are recurrent and persistent ideas, thoughts, images, or impulses that the person knows are not real, are not produced voluntarily, and are experienced as intrusive, which is why the person tries to avoid them. Compulsions: These are repetitive behaviors or mental acts that the individual feels compelled to perform in response to an obsession or according to certain rules that must be strictly followed. The goal of these behaviors or mental operations is the prevention or reduction of distress or the prevention of some negative event or situation; however, these behaviors or mental operations are either not realistically connected to what they intend to neutralize or prevent, or they are clearly excessive.
Types of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder
Eight types can be distinguished within OCD:
Cleaning: These are people plagued by obsessions related to contamination through specific objects or situations. Checkers: These are people who excessively inspect things to prevent a particular catastrophe from occurring. Repeaters: These are individuals who insist on performing repetitive actions. Orderers: These are people who demand that their surroundings be arranged according to rigid patterns, including symmetrical layouts. Hoarders: These are people who collect insignificant objects that they cannot part with. Mental Ritualizers: These people tend to resort to repetitive thoughts or images to counteract the anxiety provoked by these ideas or images, which constitute their obsessions. Purely tormented and obsessive: These individuals experience repeated negative thoughts that are uncontrollable and quite disturbing. Sexual: This consists of recurrent sexual thoughts, which include, above all, an exaggerated fear of being homosexual. The most common types overall are cleaning and checking, with cleaning being much more common in women.
Causes of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder
Although the exact cause of OCD is unknown, we do know several contributing factors:
Biologicals:
Genetic factors: This disorder has a hereditary component. There is a 10-12% concordance rate among first-degree relatives. Neurotransmitters: On the one hand, there is a serotonin deficiency and on the other, an excess of dopamine. Alterations in brain structures (basal ganglia and prefrontal cortex).
Psychological:
They feel good doing it (e.g., tidying up). Parenting styles. Modeling: copying parental behaviors.
Social Studies:
Rigid educational styles. Very religious environment.
Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) affects 2.5% of the population and is slightly more prevalent in women. The most typical onset in men is between the ages of 6 and 15, while in women it occurs between the ages of 20 and 29.
Course and prognosis:
OCD usually has a gradual onset, and although it doesn't completely disappear, as it's a chronic disorder, there are periods when the symptoms are significantly lessened. The fluctuation of symptoms depends both on the effectiveness of the treatment and on the presence of stressful situations. Therefore, during periods of heightened stress, the symptoms tend to intensify again.
