Debunking the myths of OCD Natascha M. Santos
There’s a common misconception
that if you like to meticulously
organize your things,
keep your hands clean,
or plan out your weekend
to the last detail,
you might have OCD.
In fact, OCD, which stands
for obsessive compulsive disorder,
is a serious psychiatric condition
that is frequently
misunderstood by society
and mental health professionals alike.
So let’s start by debunking some myths.
Myth one: repetitive or ritualistic
behaviors are synonymous with OCD.
As its name suggests,
obsessive compulsive disorder
has two aspects:
the intrusive thoughts, images,
or impulses, known as obsessions,
and the behavioral
compulsions people engage in
to relieve the anxiety
the obsessions cause.
The kinds of actions that people often
associate with OCD,
like excessive hand washing,
or checking things repeatedly,
may be examples of obsessive
or compulsive tendencies
that many of us exhibit from time to time.
But the actual disorder is far more rare
and can be quite debilitating.
People affected have little or no
control over their obsessive thoughts
and compulsive behaviors,
which tend to be time consuming
and interfere with work,
school or social life
to the point of causing
significant distress.
This set of diagnostic criteria is what
separates people suffering from OCD
from those who may
just be a bit more meticulous
or hygiene obsessed than usual.
Myth two: the main symptom of OCD
is excessive hand washing.
Although hand washing is the most common
image of OCD in popular culture,
obsessions and compulsions
can take many different forms.
Obsessions can manifest
as fears of contamination and illness,
worries about harming others,
or preoccupations with numbers,
patterns, morality, or sexual identity.
And compulsions can range from
excessive cleaning or double checking,
to the fastidious arrangement of objects,
or walking in predetermined patterns.
Myth three:
individuals with OCD don’t understand
that they are acting irrationally.
Many individuals with OCD actually
understand the relationship
between their obsessions
and compulsions quite well.
Being unable to avoid
these thoughts and actions
despite being aware of their irrationality
is part of the reason
why OCD is so distressing.
OCD sufferers report feeling crazy
for experiencing anxiety
based on irrational thoughts
and finding it difficult
to control their responses.
So what exactly causes OCD?
The frustrating answer
is we don’t really know.
However, we have some important clues.
OCD is considered
a neurobiological disorder.
In other words, research suggests
that OCD sufferers brains
are actually hardwired
to behave in a certain fashion.
Research has implicated
three regions of the brain
variously involved in social behavior
and complex cognitive planning,
voluntary movement,
and emotional and motivational responses.
The other piece of the puzzle
is that OCD is associated
with low levels of serotonin,
a neurotransmitter
that communicates between brain structures
and helps regulate vital processes,
such as mood, aggression, impulse control,
sleep, appetite,
body temperature and pain.
But are serotonin and activity
in these brain regions the sources of OCD
or symptoms of an unknown
underlying cause of the disorder.
We probably won’t know until
we have a much more intimate
understanding of the brain.
The good news is there are
effective treatments for OCD,
including medications, which increase
serotonin in the brain
by limiting its reabsorption
by brain cells,
behavioral therapy that gradually
desensitizes patients to their anxieties,
and in some cases,
electroconvulsive therapy,
or surgery, when OCD doesn’t respond
to other forms of treatment.
Knowing that your own brain
is lying to you
while not being able
to resist its commands can be agonizing.
But with knowledge and understanding
comes the power to seek help,
and future research into the brain
may finally provide
the answers we’re looking for.