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Obsessive-Compulsive Disorders

Obsessive-compulsive disorders have been thoroughly studied for the past decade so that we now have several explanations for those behaviors which can range from the annoying to the life-destroying. Some explanations for OCDs will be examined, as well as the drugs which prove beneficial in their treatment.

In the late 1980s, television talk shows saw a steady stream of people who talked about a condition that had nearly wrecked their lives--obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). They wanted to tell others about the disorder and present the hope offered by a new experimental drug.

Ten years ago, OCD was thought to be comparatively rare; however, as the response to TV talk shows demonstrated, thousands of people were suffering from the same disorder. Zamula (1992) notes that as many as five million people in the United States could suffer from OCD (p. 6). She goes on to give a good description of the actions once dubbed by Freud as "secret doings":

What are the "secret doings" that Freud spoke of? They are repetitive acts called compulsions, performed to relieve anxiety caused by excessive thoughts or urges or images. Individuals with OCD realize that these thoughts are senseless and struggle unsuccessfully to resist them. They know that the compulsive actions, or rituals, they perform are also senseless, but feel that if they don't do them, something bad will happen to them or others. (Zamula, 1992, p. 6)

The American Psychiatric Association outlines the essential features of OCD, noting that occasional obsessive-compulsive thoughts are not indicative of OCD. The essential feature of OCD is the presence of recurrent obsessions, compulsions, or both, sufficient to cause marked distress, a waste of time (over an hour a day), or interference with a person's normal routine.

The degree to which one suffers from OCD is determined by the psychiatric professional and the individual. Most people with OCD carry on wi...

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Obsessive-Compulsive Disorders. (1969, December 31). In LotsofEssays.com. Retrieved 17:58, March 28, 2024, from https://www.lotsofessays.com/viewpaper/1707343.html