Archive

Obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) is characterised by anxious thoughts and/or rituals that a person doesn't feel able to control, writes Natalie Valios. They take up at least an hour a day, are very distressing and interfere with a person's daily life. It can affect people of all ages, and about half the adults diagnosed with the disorder had it as a child. It affects one in 50 people and one in 100 children. The cause of OCD is not known for certain, but it may be due to an imbalance in the brain chemical serotonin, which affects mood, emotion, sleep and appetite. Obsessions are recurrent, unwanted thoughts that cannot be controlled, such as fears of contamination through germs and dirt; imagining you have harmed yourself or others; or dwelling on sexual urges that repulse you. The typical reaction to these obsessions is to try to make them go away by performing compulsions, which the person carries out repeatedly, often following certain "rules". Those who are worried about contamination may constantly wash their hands to the point that they become raw and inflamed. A person may count items or touch them over and over again because of an obsession about losing them. Acting out the compulsions provides temporary relief, but not performing them increases a person's anxiety. Treatment includes behaviour therapy and medication, which work most effectively when combined. The aim of behaviour therapy is to teach the person how to control the problem by tackling it in stages so that they can overcome their fear of not carrying out the compulsions. Several anti-depressant drugs have been found to help, including fluoxetine and clomipramine.

For more information go to www.mind.org.uk or www.rcpsych.ac.uk