OBSESSIVE COMPULSIVE DISORDER (OCD)

Children, adolescents, teenagers, and adults with OCD suffer from a great deal of anxiety that interferes with their everyday lives.  They consistently have troubling thoughts, called obsessions, and are constantly worried and afraid of things that are not deemed as reasonable.  These individuals have a difficult time stopping these thoughts from occurring.  

 

At times time such individuals feel the only way they can stop these thoughts are by doing or performing a compulsion which is a ritualized or repetitive behavior.  These behaviors can be anything from repeatedly checking the door to make sure it is locked, washing their hands over and over again, or using prayers to prevent bad things from happening.  Compulsions vary from individual to individual.  They depend upon on who the person is and the circumstances of the case. 

 

At times an individual can suffer from just obsessions and not compulsions depending upon the severity of the case. A person with OCD can become so obsessive with their ritualistic behaviors that it can interfere with their everyday lives which can then affect their school, social, home and personal life or all of the above.  Treatment is typically cognitive behavioral therapy and exposure-response prevention.