Obsessive Compulsive disorder (OCD)

• OCD is a disorder of the brain and behaviour
• It causes severe anxiety
• OCD sufferers have both obsessions and compulsions that affect the daily lives of these people.

OBSESSIONS:

• These are thoughts, images or impulses that happen over and over and is not controlled by the person with OCD.
• These can be disturbing to the OCD sufferer.
• They have intense uncomfortable feelings, like fear, disgust, doubt, and that things have to be done in a certain way that is only right in their eyes.
• These obsessions can become very time consuming and take over their normal daily activities.
• OCD – is a psychological disorder, and not just an obsessive personality trait of someone.
• A person who suffers from OCD, has a hard time when being told they have an obsession, because for them it feels like it diminishes their struggle with their symptoms of OCD.
• With most people worry about the safety of a loved one, or about getting sick for example, but for people with OCD, these thoughts cause extreme anxiety that gets in the way of their daily routines, as these thoughts occur frequently and then has the triggers of anxiety.

COMPULSIONS:

• These are repetitive behaviours and thoughts that a person with OCD uses to counteract, or make their obsessions go away.
• They know it is only a temporary solution, but it helps these OCD sufferers cope and offers them a temporary escape.
• Compulsions include avoiding situations where their obsessions get triggered.
• This may also be time consuming, and interfere with their daily routines.
• The function and context of behaviour has to be looked at, for example bedtime routines, religious practices, or other things that are repetitive activities, and are positive and functional in a part of daily life. But for someone that has OCD, they feel driven to engage in compulsive behaviour and would rather not do these time consuming things as it is torturous for them.
• People with OCD, this compulsive behaviour is done with an intention of escaping or reducing their anxiety or the actual presence of obsessions.

• OCD – is a problem with the communication between the front part of the brain as well as the deeper structures of the brain.
• These brain structures use a chemical messenger called serotonin.
• In people with OCD, shows that the brain circuits become normal with medication that affect serotonin levels (SRIs), or cognitive behaviour therapy.

• By using a FDA approved device that monitors brain waves, it can assist doctors in diagnosing addictions in children and adults.
• This is a non-invasive brain mapping test that takes 15-20 min, which uses sensors on the scalp of the person to monitor their brainwaves. Addiction patients have clogging and fogginess in their front lob.
• After a practitioner takes a detailed MAP of the patient. They will perform a set of tasks such as playing Pac Man with the brain.

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