Obsessive Compulsive Disorder - For Starters

Preamble

I thought I would begin discussing OCD today, however my aim is to do this in several blog entries, the aim is also not to simply repeat what can easily be found elsewhere online. However, this post in particular will contain information from elsewhere, this is simply for convenience and because these terms will be used frequently. My purpose is to describe the disease in my own terms, in terms of my own journey with the illness, both the ups and the downs.

A Few Technical Terms

Obsession:

1. Recurrent and persistent thoughts, impulses, or images that are experienced, at some time during the disturbance, as intrusive and inappropriate and that cause marked anxiety or distress.
2. The thoughts, impulses, or images are not simply excessive worries about real-life problems.
3. The person attempts to ignore or suppress such thoughts, impulses,or images, or to neutralize them with some other thought or action.
4. The person recognizes that the obsessional thoughts, impulses, or images are a product of his or her own mind.

Compulsion:

1. Repetitive behaviors or mental acts that the person feels driven to perform in response to an obsession, or according to rules that must be applied rigidly.
2. The behaviors or mental acts are aimed at preventing or reducing distress or preventing some dreaded event or situation; however, these behaviors or mental acts either are not connected in a realistic way with what they are designed to neutralize or prevent or are clearly excessive.

The above terminology is taken from:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Obsessive-compulsive_disorder

Spike:

The thought or event which causes the sufferer to obsess.

A Couple of Examples of Spikes:

1) A heterosexual man is making love with his wife when the name of his male best friend happens to flash through his mind.

2) A passenger is waiting on a train platform while the train is coming.He has a thought of what if he did a sudden erroneous movement and fell under the train.

The above are both taken from http://www.neurointerests.com/?p=19 this site talks about a slightly different form of OCD called Pure-O which I will probably touch upon in further entries.

Some Good OCD Websites:

www.neuroticplanet.com - This is a good website for articles on OCD and some further links, it also has an active discussion group with many people struggling with OCD. Forum requires registration.

http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/the_scrupe_group/ - An excellent forum monitored by a former Lutheran pastor for those suffering with Scrupulosity (Religious Obsessions). Forum requires registration.

http://www.ocdonline.com - A very good site with lots of articles on OCD written by an expert in the field, as with all things in my opinion some articles are stronger than others, the one most people recommend is the article on Homosexual OCD & Relationship OCD called I Think it Moved, the site is worth a visit for all suffering with OCD.

http://www.ocdaction.org.uk - Home of the biggest UK charity of OCD, it has links to a variety of resources and excellent information on available treatments.