Self-doubt and Obsessive Compulsive Disorder

In this article, you will learn what is OCD? Obsessive-compulsive disorder - commonly abbreviated as OCD is a psychiatric condition that generally takes control of a person during the early adolescent years. OCD is an anxiety disorder. It is estimated that about 2% of American population suffer from OCD at some point in their lives. People suffering from OCD mostly are unaware that it is a psychiatric condition and continue to suffer from it before the actual diagnosis is made. OCD is 2-3 times more common than schizophrenia and bipolar disorder.

Diagnosis and Possible Causes of OCD

Heredity is found to be the primary cause of OCD. There is a 25% chance that one of the immediate family members will have OCD. It is found to run in families.

OCD usually starts in a very subtle way. A person with OCD experiences significant fear and self-doubt. A person affected with OCD will have obsessions (intrusive thoughts). In order to manage the obsessions, the person will engage in some repetitive compulsive behavior. This may significantly interfere with the person's normal routine. The person's occupational functioning, social activities and relationship with others get affected.

The symptoms of OCD increase during situations like school examinations, office inspections, important business meetings, or when there is a change in normal life situations. The sufferers of OCD have a hard time managing their constant intrusive thoughts followed by anxiety. Most of the sufferers do not receive any support or guidance from people closer to them due to lack of awareness of OCD among people.

For children with OCD, education may be significantly affected due to this psychiatric condition. Generally, people with OCD fail to disclose their problem and at times the family members fail to understand the suffering of the person and fail to provide the healing touch. Children in their early adolescence are the silent sufferers of this psychiatric condition. The grades of OCD children may be severely affected and some children even discontinue their education when the condition gets worse.

OCD according to psychiatrists is caused due to a chemical imbalance in the brain. Psychiatrists believe that OCD is caused due to deficiency of a chemical called serotonin which is a neurotransmitter. The neurotransmitters are the chemicals that carry information from one neuron to another within the brain. As a result of serotonin deficiency, the information processing in the brain gets delayed and hence the person suffering from OCD may have persistence of a single thought for long periods of time and this may cause considerable anxiety.

Empower your Mind - Tame your OCD:

Combining psychiatric treatment with regular meditation practice has been very effective in treating OCD. Meditation strengthens the mind and eases the anxiety. Meditation brings self-confidence. Meditation can be used very effectively along with regular psychiatric consultations in treating OCD. Finally, you are more powerful than your OCD. Your mind has the power to change the working of your brain.