Obsessive-compulsive Behaviors Essay -- essays research papers

Obsessive-Compulsive Behaviors     "Compulsive" and "obsessive" have become everyday words. "Imcompulsive" is how some(prenominal) people describe their need for neatness, punctuality,and shoes lined up in the closets. "Hes so compulsive is shorthand for callingsomeone uptight, controlling, and not much fun. "Shes haunt with him" is away of saying your friend is hopelessly lovesick. That is not how these wordsare used to describe Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder or OCD, a other andfascinating sickness of ritual and doubts run wild. OCD can begin suddenly andis usually seen as a problem as soon as it starts.     Compulsives (a depot for patients who mostly ritualize) and obsessives(those who think of something over and over again) rarely have rituals orthoughts about nuetral questions or behaviors. What are their rituals about?There are several come-at-able ways to list symptoms of OCD. All sources agree tha tthe most common preoccupations are dirt (washing, germs, touching), checking forsafety or closed spaces (closets, doors, drawers, appliances, light switches),and thoughts, often thoughts about impossible violent, sexual, or crudebehavior.     When the thoughts and rituals of OCD are intense, the victims work andhome life disintigrate. Obsessions are persistant, experienceless, worrisome, andoften times, embarrassing, or frightening thoughts that repeat over and over inthe theme in an imperishable loop. The automatic nature of these recurant thoughtsmakes them difficult for the person to ignore or restrain successfully.      The essence of a Compulsive Personality Disorder is normally found in arestricted person, who is a perfectionist to a degree that demands that othersto submit to hisher way of doing things. A compulsive personality is also often irresolute and excessively devoted to work to the exclusion of pleasure. Whenpleasure is co nsidered, it is something to be planned and worked for.Pleasurable activities are usually postponed and sometimes never even enjoyed.With severe compulsions, endless rituals dominate each day. Compulsions areincredibly repetitive and seemingly purposeful acts that result from theobsessions. The person performs certain acts according to certain rules or in astereotypi... ...ty to discard worn out or worthless      objects." (A.P.A.,80)     So much is asked about where our everyday lives stop and OCD begins.The behind of Obsessive -Compulsive Disorder is still unknown. The inference for abiological cause is compelling but unfortunately it is still necessary to speakof the biology of behavior in vague terms. The effect of a drug, and thenormality of many of the families with an OCD kid makes the importance of "poorupbringing" as a cause of OCD uncertain to say the least. This is a disease thatmay be thought of as doubts gone wild. Patients doubt their very own senses.They cannot believe any reasurance of everyday life.     Reassurance does not work. The notion that there is a biological basisfor a sense of "knowing" has interesting philosophical implications. We arenormally convinced that what we see and feel is truely there. If this is a"doubting disease," and if a chemical controls this sense of doubt, then is ourusual, normal belief in what our everyday senses and common sense tell ussimilarly determined by our brain chemistry?