Hi friends,
First let us understand what OCD
is.
Obsessive Compulsive
Disorder or OCD is a disorder characterized by obsessions, compulsions or both.
An obsessive thought as described in psychiatry is quite different from the
general usage of the word obsession in English. An obsessive thought is
described as irrational and egodystonic (not in keeping with the person’s usual
thinking style) besides being intrusive, excessive and repetitive. In other
words, besides being preoccupied with something, it is also perceived as weird and
strange. People can have obsessive images of some random object coming to their
mind repetitively, seemingly serving no purpose. A lot of people have thoughts
that they have not cleaned their hands/ house etc when they are aware that this
is not the case. Many people have obsessive fears that they may cause harm to a
near and dear one while in reality they do not want to do this at all.
A compulsion is something
that is done in response to an obsession or something that is done in a
ritualistic manner according to rigidly applied rules. For instance washing
hands in response to the thought that hands are not clean; or, walking in a to
and fro manner for a pre-designated number of times. Sometimes, the compulsions
can be mental, that is, thinking of something to undo the effects of the
obsessive thought.
Although both obsessions and
compulsions are likely present in people suffering from OCD, it is possible to
have isolated obsessions or compulsions only.
Now let us come to the
question. If one has weird/ absurd thoughts once in a while, does this mean he/
she has OCD?
No! A lot of otherwise
normal people can have an occasional thought/ act that would qualify to be
called an obsession and/or compulsion. This is not considered as OCD and it is not
necessary that they will progress to a full blown OCD. In fact, in a lot of
people they probably won’t progress at all!
So when should one seek
help? If one finds that these thoughts are progressing, taking a lot of time,
interfering with daily activities or producing considerable distress, then they
might warrant seeing an expert.
So that was what I had to discuss this time
around. Please let me know if there is anything that you want me to discuss in
particular, by typing in the comments section below.
Write in at stayhappy.prakash@gmail.com
So until next time, STAY HAPPY!
Dr. Sathya Prakash, MD, Dip. CBT
Consultant Psychiatrist, Psychotherapist
and Behavioural Sciences Expert
Hello sir my name is ajit singh age 24 mechanical engineer,sir from last one year i am suffering so much due to rotational shift and unhealthy life schedule past may 2016 i had my first anxiety attack with chronic insomnia during this period and extreme job stress i broke down,so i decided to consult with phycatrist in safdurganj,there without any backlog and counselling they gave me a medication of mirtazapine and stillnock 15mg n after this i found new worsening condition both in physical and mental aspects 1 month is passed and same medicines didn't work and more severe depressive feeling occur after that i consulted with lots of doctors but they didn't diagnose my illness and several medicines with combinations of different types of antidepressant,benzodiazepine started and i did not understand what is going with me,finally i went to dr Tuleshwar singh and he started 0.5mg of clonazepam at night,20mg of escitalopam,10mg of paxotus,5mg of olanzapine and my condition gets more worst and i felt my body is not accepting these drugs cz after these medicines i cut myself from everyone i left my job even more i am in my state to talk with anyone,blurry vision does,trembling hands,shaking body,problem in remember,daily activities became so tough...
ReplyDeleteFinally i decided to stop this medicines and to get rid out of these serious side effects which i was facing so i stopped all my medicines from last couple of weeks..
So my question are
1. Can i treat my condition without these drugs and if yes how?
2. How we reduce anxiety and panic attack naturally is there any method to overcome ?
3.what kinds of withdrawal symptoms usually occurs both physically and mentally to stop these medicines suddenly?
Dear Ajit, Thanks for your question. This is a somewhat complex situation for which there is no simple one line answer. I suggest you meet me so that we can discuss the problem properly and see what can be done. Take care!
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