Obsessive compulsive disorder is an extremely disruptive form of mental illness that deeply affects the behavior of those afflicted. It's often characterized by repetitive physical rituals, but not always. The rituals themselves are often indicative of deeper anxieties hidden beneath the surface. Thankfully, a good therapist can help the patient deal with his OCD and teach him coping mechanisms that diminish the impact of both the rituals and the thoughts that cause them. The first step is identifying the primary symptoms.
Obsessions
The primary symptoms of OCD entail intrusive thoughts or ideas that enter the patient's mind. The thoughts vary widely--many OCD patients exhibit a fear of dirt or contagion, while others have thoughts of committing inappropriately aggressive acts. Some have a need for numerical symmetry or excessive order, while others are afraid of an intruder breaking into their homes. Regardless of the nature of the thoughts, they are extremely upsetting to the patient, who often feels that there's something "wrong" with him for having them.
Compulsions
Compulsions arise as a coping mechanism for the obsessive thoughts. The patient engages in repetitive rituals in order to "diffuse" the obsessive thoughts or keep them at bay. Again, the particular vary widely by patient (and some OCD patients don't have rituals at all). They can include maintaining an excessively neat home, checking a door to see that it is locked numerous times, repeatedly counting unimportant items such as the tiles on a ceiling, or obsessively scrubbing one's hands to keep them clean. The rituals can be extremely elaborate in some cases, involving numerous steps before they are complete.
Intrusion
Though compulsive rituals may be mild in some cases, in others they are extremely intrusive. A patient may spend hours engaged in them, helpless to break free or do anything else. Most OCD patients are quite aware of the irrational nature of their compulsions, but continue to engage in them lest the anxiety of their obsessive thoughts becomes overwhelming.
Depression and Social Problems
The intrusiveness of OCD can have a profound impact on the quality of the patient's life. He may be repeatedly late for work or school, leading to difficulties in holding down a job. The intrusive thoughts may lead to deep depression and even suicidal behavior in some cases. Relationships are easily disrupted and the patient may turn to drugs or alcoholism as a way of easing the pain.
Skin Conditions
Though not all OCD patients engage in hand-washing, those who do may exhibit an additional symptom. Washing your hands too often may eventually scrub the skin raw, leading to dermatological conditions such as contact dermatitis and infection.
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