There are not that many people who have never heard of obsessive compulsive disorder. However, most people do not know what exactly it is, even though they have heard of it.
History of obsessive compulsive disorder
Obsessive compulsive disorder has been among people for a long period of time. According to the experts, this disorder even dated back to the 14th century. Back in the 14th century, a person who had sexual, obsessive or blasphemous thoughts was considered to be possessed by the devil. Due to that fact, such a person underwent an exorcism in order for the evil to vanish from a person who was thought to be possessed. This was considered to be the best and only way of treatment at that time.
Sigmund Freud claimed that obsessive compulsive disorder occurred due to the certain conflict which was unconscious and therefore showed certain symptoms of the disorder. According to Sigmund Freud, the disorder starts in early childhood, when a person has a very strong urge to touch some item. Due to this fact, it was considered that it is the case of typical “touching phobia”. As a response to this desire, a person develops something of an external prohibition against such touching. However, the prohibition does not remove the need for touching entirely. Sigmund Freud claimed that this prohibition can only force the desire into deep unconsciousness.
There were a lot of people throughout the history who suffered from obsessive compulsive disorder. For instance, a British poet called Samuel Johnson had various rituals when passing through doorway and used to walk up and down the steps, counting them all the way.
David Beckham is another person who suffers from obsessive compulsion disorder. David Beckham needs to count all of the clothes he possesses and makes sure that all of the magazines are lined up in a straight line.
Prognosis for Obsessive Compulsive Disorder
A person who suffers from obsessive compulsive disorder needs to know that with proper treatment and therapy he or she will seriously reduce the symptoms he or she is experiencing due to the disorder. However, people need to know that the cases where a person is completely free of the symptoms are extremely rare. It is more common that a person experiences the symptoms even after the treatment but at moderate levels. People should also be aware that obsessive compulsive disorder is a lot more common in people who have a high IQ.
Treatment options for obsessive compulsion disorder
According to some experts and psychiatrists, the first treatment options that should be used in case of obsessive compulsion disorder are behavioral therapy, cognitive behavioral therapy and the consumption of certain medications. Apart from these treatment options, people should know that psychodynamic psychotherapy is also considered as a proper treatment option for the disorder as it can manage certain aspects of the obsessive compulsive disorder.
Both behavioral therapy and cognitive behavioral therapy are known to use certain techniques which are known as exposure and ritual prevention. These techniques will allow a person to get to know to tolerate the anxiety which is present when a person is not performing the ritual behavior. The exposure would be touching a thing that is only mildly contaminated like a touched tissue for example. Not washing after it would be the ritual prevention. This type of treatment is considered to be the best possible for people who suffer from obsessive compulsive disorder.
When psychotherapy is considered, experts agree that it should not be performed without the use of psychotropic medications because the combination of the two is considered to be far more effective than just one.
A person suffering from obsessive compulsive disorder who is on medications as a part of the treatment will usually be using selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors like paroxetine and fluoxetine for instance and tricyclic antidepressants such as clomipramine.
Apart from these most commonly used types of treatment, there are some other treatment options which are not that common but are effective. For instance, electroconvulsive therapy is considered to be quite effective in cases when a person is suffering from severe obsessive compulsion disorder. Psychosurgery is another option, even though not a lot of people prefer to use it. This is considered to be the last option if none of the treatments seemed to have reduced the symptoms of the disorder. A certain study claimed that 30% of all the patients who underwent the procedure actually experienced some benefits from it.
People should also know that some experimental treatments are being tested.
Relevant Statistical Data
According to the data, only in 20% of all cases the symptoms are not seen before the patient has turned 18. A certain study from 1980 claimed that the prevalence of obsessive compulsive disorder in the towns of the United States was 2.5%. Education is very important in this case. Male patients are also known to develop the disorder when they are a bit younger than female patients.
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