O C D Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, Hypochondria and similar disorders

Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD)

Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) Obsessive

Obsessions are anxiety-inducing thoughts. Obsessive worrying is more irratinoal and much more distressing than generalized worry. With an obsession, we dwell on the consequences of the thoughts as well as the consequences in reality. We may have repeated thoughts and images that cause distress. The thoughts and images are usually overwelming, implausible, and irrational.

We may worry about harming oneself, harming others, becoming contaminated, getting someone sick, losing control, doing something unacceptable, not being able to get rid of an image in one's mind, losing things, forgetting things, not being perfect, and more. We may have unwanted sexual thoughts, reupulsive thoughts, violent thoughts, and other disturbing images. We may obsess over blapheme, religious consequences, or punishment.

Compulsions or rituals are behaviors performed to reduce the anxiety of the obsession. Sufferers believe that these actions will supress or prevent the dreaded event from occuring.

Compulsion examples:

Cleaning
Confessing
Checking
Repeating
Hoarding
Touching
Over-Preparing

Many rituals are "mental rituals" in which the sufferer tries to neutralize their distressing thoughts using their own thoughts

Mental Ritual Exmaples:

Excessive self-reassurance
Counting
Reviewing conversations
Replacing bad thoughts with better thoughts
Preventing distressing images from popping into the mind using more positive images

Obsessions: The person has persistent pre-occupations, impulses, thoughts or images in one's mind that the person feels are intrusive, uncomfortable or inappropriate.

Compulsions: The person performs behaviors in which the person feels he/she "has to" carry them out. The obsessions seem to drive the person to the compulsion. Certain acts like repeating words before doing tasks, checking, counting, compulsive cleaning, excessive hand washing and dozens of other rituals that are performed before doing daily activities are considered compulsions.

Medication for OCD

Hypochondriasis (Health Anxiety/ Imaginary Illness)

Hypochondria Hypochondriasis (hypochondriacal neurosis or health anxiety) is a somatoform disorder. Hypochondria is very similar to Obsessive-Compulsive disorder (OCD). Both Obsessive Compulsive Hypochindriacs and Obsessive worriers perform rituals/compulsions to reduce their anxiety. Hypochonriacs may perform rituals centered around a health theme such as checking their pulse, seeking reassurance from doctors, friends, the internet, or books, and they may perform mental rituals such as checking their own internal state of well-being. Obsessive worriers may perform rituals centered around the theme of contamination such as excessive hand-washing, cleaning, and using tissues to open doors. . Obsessive hypochonriacs may focus a large amount of their attention on things such as bodily functions (breathing rate, heartbeat, etc.). They may also experience heightened awareness of normal sensations but interprut them as illness. For example, a hypochondriac may think he/she has a lot of tingling in the legs, an extreme stomach ache, numbness, noise in the ears, visual imparment, etc. The excessive focus preoccupies a large amount of their day. Hypochondriacs also tend to self-diagnose their symptoms. In addition, hypochondriacs / health anxiety sufferers may become very alarmed if they hear news of a friend or family member's illness. Phobic Hypochondria involves an extreme fear of anything medical such as hospitals, physicians, blood, reading about or seeing medical procedures and illnesses, etc. Depressive Hypochondria involves a higher degree of despair. A depressive hypochondriac may not believe that they are capable of being helped and they may believe that they are afflicted with a life-threatening illness

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