OCD: When and how to help those who suffer from it?

Obsessive compulsive disorder or OCD is a condition of psychological origin that negatively affects people who suffer from it.

It affects around 1% of the population and can generate a great deal of anguish around those who suffer from it and their families.

This is a chronic disorder, so it has no cure, however with treatment people can improve until they are functional.

Obsessive compulsive disorder is generally diagnosed in adolescence or early adulthood, however symptoms may also appear in children.

The causes that produce this disorder are specifically unknown, but there is evidence that supports its relationship with risk factors.

Among those that are genetics, since it is more likely that people who have close relatives with this disorder suffer from it as well.

What is OCD?

This is a disorder that integrates two elements, obsessions and compulsions.

There are cases in which the disorder may have only one of the elements, however, they usually appear together and symptoms appear earlier in men than in women.

Obsessions are intrusive, unwanted and distressing thoughts that invade the heads of people with OCD. In general, there is a common pattern within the type of thinking that generates these obsessions, the most common are:

• Fear of germs, contamination or external agents such as viruses that can make the body sick or infect the body

• Anguish generated by not knowing what will happen in future events

• Obligation to keep things clean and in some specific order

• Persistent fear of aggressive thoughts against self or others

• Unpleasant sexual thoughts

• Thoughts about religion that generate displeasure and anguish

• Doubts that the doors, windows or jets are properly closed

On the other hand, compulsions are actions that are carried out to momentarily decrease the anguish caused by obsessive thoughts.

These compulsions are repeated many times and do not cause pleasure, in general they tend to disturb the normal development of people in their daily lives.

The most common obsessive rituals are:

• Cleaning the body or objects

• Repetitive registration of objects such as doors, locks, etc.

• Counting

• Organization

• Strict follow-up of routines

• Turn off or unplug all sound-making appliances, so you can remain silent

Symptoms that we can notice before diagnosis

We can show obsessions and compulsions in behaviors such as:

• Difficulty or inability to control thoughts or behavior

• Big time investment in these intrusive thoughts and repetitive behaviors

• Do not do these compulsive activities for pleasure, but to reduce anxiety

• Problems in daily life from these thoughts and behavior

• Great distress caused by cluttered environments

• Need to organize the elements around you

• Distress about not controlling your own behavior

• Avoid social situations

• Repeated washing of hands to the point of becoming rough

• Going back to do the same activity over and over again

• Count objects or acts in a specific way

• Silently repeating phrases or words

The diagnosis must be made by a professional, if you have repetitive thoughts and behaviors that interrupt your daily life and cause you anxiety, do not hesitate to consult a mental health specialist.

The treatment of obsessive compulsive disorder is based on a combination of psychotherapy and drugs.

In general, cognitive behavioral therapy has been effective in treating OCD patients to control their thoughts and behaviors.

How to help as a family or co-workers?

It is important that we validate as support figures the experience of people with obsessive compulsive disorder, the thoughts are really distressing and uncontrollable.

Let's avoid making comments that stigmatize your disorder, on the contrary, be interested in supporting your treatment.

Encourage and accompany this person with OCD to their therapies and ask what they can do from their position to help. Sometimes your simple presence will be helpful, be understanding and empathetic about the situation.

It is also important to eat a healthy diet and adhere to an adequate sleep schedule that allows the body to be well in order to promote advances in therapy and to have a check-up with your doctor in case of needing drugs.