OCD (Obsessive Compulsive Disorders) is an anxiety disorder & characterized by obsessive thoughts which are recurrent, unwanted & usually anxiety-provoking, & by compulsions, repeated acts which relieve feelings of tension.
Types of OCD
OCD of Mental Contamination and cleanliness: Patients feel mental contamination along with a fear of things that might be dirty or a compulsion to clean.
OCD of Checking for safety: Patients repeatedly check door-locks, alarm systems, ovens, or light switches, etc. They are having irrational fears about safety.
OCD of Ruminations and intrusive thoughts: Patients may experience an obsession with a special line of vulgar thought.
OCD of Hoarding: Patients find it impossible to dispose of anything. Old newspapers, clothes, mails, and other objects are collected for no apparent reason.
OCD of Symmetry and ordering: Patients prefer to have the need to keep things lined up in a specific way. They are obsessed with symmetry and order as they rearrange books, cutlery, or aligning carpets, pillows and cushions, repeatedly to relieve their anxiety.
Symptoms of OCD
- The persistent thought of hands getting contaminated or dirty on touching objects with frequent washing of hands.
- Doubts whether the door is closed or not with checking the door again and again.
- Persistent religious thoughts with excessive praying.
- Avoiding situations of obsessions like shaking hands.
- Unpleasant sexual images repeating in your mind.
- Thoughts of shouting obscenities or inappropriate behavior.
- Getting really affected if things aren’t kept in a particular order or facing in a different direction.
- A fear that you might forget or lose something.
- A strong need to reorder things until they feel “just right.”
- A fear of harming inanimate objects.
- An intense fear that something horrible will happen to a loved one.
- Profound worry that you will do something extremely embarrassing, like screaming out an obscenity at a funeral.
- Believing you may hit someone with your car or injure someone unknowingly.
Severity Of OCD
OCD usually begins in the teen or young adult years. Symptoms usually begin gradually and tend to vary in severity throughout life. Symptoms generally worsen when you experience greater stress. OCD, usually considered a lifelong disorder, can have mild to moderate symptoms or be so severe and time-consuming that it becomes disabling.
Risk factors of OCD
Factors that may increase the risk of developing or triggering obsessive-compulsive disorder include:
Biological factors: Research has found a link between low levels of one neurotransmitter – called ‘serotonin’ and the development of OCD. In addition, there is evidence that a serotonin imbalance may be passed on from parents to children. This means the tendency to develop OCD may be inherited. Some studies that compare images of the brains of people who have obsessive-compulsive disorder with the brains of those who don’t, show differences in brain activity patterns. Certain areas of the brain appear to be affected by the ‘serotonin’ imbalance that leads to OCD. This problem seems to involve the pathways of the brain that link the area of the brain that deals with judgment and planning, and the area of the brain that filters messages involving body movements. In addition, people with obsessive-compulsive disorder who take medications that enhance the action of serotonin (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors- SSRI) often have fewer OCD symptoms.
Family history: Having parents or other family members with the disorder can increase your risk of developing OCD.
Stressful life event: If experienced traumatic or stressful events, your risk may increase. This reaction may, for some reason, trigger the intrusive thoughts, rituals and emotional distress characteristic of OCD.
Other mental health disorders: OCD may be related to other mental health disorders, such as anxiety disorders, depression, substance abuse or tic disorders.
Complications of OCD
Problems resulting from OCD may include, among others:
- Health issues, such as contact dermatitis from frequent hand-washing
- Inability to attend work, school or social activities
- Troubled relationships
- Overall poor quality of life
- Suicidal thoughts and behaviour
Diagnosis
A diagnosis of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is based on your symptoms, medical history, and a physical examination. Your doctor may also want a mental health assessment, which is an evaluation of your emotional functioning and your ability to think, reason, and remember (cognitive functioning). A mental health assessment may include an examination of your nervous system, written or verbal tests, and laboratory tests (such as blood and urine tests) as well as a review of your appearance, mood, behavior, thinking, reasoning, memory, and ability to express yourself.
Homeopathic treatment
Homeopathy treats the person as a whole. It means that homeopathic treatment focuses on the patient as a person, as well as his pathological condition. The homeopathic medicines are selected after a full individualizing examination and case-analysis, which includes the medical history of the patient, physical and mental constitution etc. A miasmatic tendency (predisposition/susceptibility) is also often taken into account for the treatment of chronic conditions.
Natural Homeopathic medicines, with zero side effects, can of great help in the treatment of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. Made of natural substances, Homeopathic remedies strike at the root of the problem and work towards complete treatment. Homeopathic remedies for obsessive-compulsive disorder are completely safe and can only help, never harm.
Homeopathic medicines
Arsenicum Album
Arsenicum Album is the top natural medicine for Obsessive Compulsive Disorder with persistent thoughts of approaching death. Arsenicum Album is of great help for patients of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder who have persistent thoughts of death and thus take no medicine, as they think that their death is very near and at this stage taking any medicine is of no use. Such patients need people around them and cannot remain alone because they feel worse when alone. The thoughts of death accompanied by extreme restlessness, where the patient jumps out of bed and moves here and there with anxiety, can also be treated with natural Homeopathic medicine Arsenicum Album.
Argentum Nitricum
Argentum Nitricum is the best natural medicine for treating patients of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder who have persistent impulsive thoughts. These impulsive thoughts can have different symptom presentations like while travelling in a train the persistent impulsive thought is to jump out of the window; while crossing a bridge over a river, the constant thought is to jump into the river or when standing on high buildings, there is the horrific thought of jumping down. Another marked feature for recommending natural Homeopathy remedy Argentum Nitricum for patients of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder is that the impulsive thoughts make the patient very anxious and restless. This results in extreme and constant walking to get rid of such impulsive thoughts and the person walks till all strength of body is lost.
Natrum Muriaticum
Natrum Muriaticum is the best natural remedy for those patients of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder who are obsessed with the idea that thieves may strike and repeatedly check the locks of doors. The obsession is so persistent that the patient even has dreams of thieves in the house and wakes up to check the doors again and again.
Silicea
Silicea is the ideal natural treatment for patients of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder who have the persistent thought of pins and fearing pins, look for, collect and even count pins again and again.
Calcarea Carbonica
Calcarea Carbonica is a natural medicine of great help for patients of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder who are mentally exhausted and constantly think of going mad or insane. This thought of going mad prevails in the patient’s mind day and night and he or she is unable to put it aside even during sleep. This fear of going mad leads to great distress and to overcome it, the patient leaves all pending work aside and keeps himself or herself busy in breaking sticks or bending pins.
Medorrhinum
Indicated when there is obsession to wash hands repeatedly. There is also an intense fear of going insane and the dark.
Hyoscyamus
Indicated in people who are obsessed with thoughts of sex. They constantly pick at clothes and resort to obscene gesturing.
Nux vomica
The patients who need natural medicine Nux Vomica are oversensitive and of a careful and angry nature who demand all the things done as they want and easily get angry if the order is not followed.
Carcinosinum
Carcinosinum is the natural Homeopathic remedy for Obsessive Compulsive Disorder patients who are very concerned about cleanliness and want a specific pattern to be followed not only in placing things, but also in their dressing style. For instance, they always like color matching while dressing up and also when decorating the room. They demand perfection in every work done to such an extent that it does not seem or look normal.