Obsessive Compulsive Disorder
Essay by 24 • August 25, 2010 • 979 Words (4 Pages) • 2,003 Views
Quirky behavior or something more serious? Obsessive Compulsive
Disorder or OCD affects nearly two to three percent of the U.S.
population. OCD affects both males and females, but males start to
show signs of OCD at an earlier age, between the ages of six and
fifteen, while in females it tends to occur later. "Obsessive
Compulsive Disorder.
"OCD."http://athealth.com/athealth31.cfm?topic=22(1 April 2000). A
good example of OCD can be viewed in the movie "As Good As It Gets."
In this movie, Jack Nicholson plays a character who uses a bar of
soap once, then throws it away, constantly checks the locks on doors
to make sure they're locked before leaving. He must sit at the same
table, in the same restaurant and have the same waitress every day.
If his routines are changed, in any way, it causes to have an anxiety
attack. "OCD." http://www.mayohealth.org/mayo/9809/htm/ocd.htm(29
March 2000).
Just being "quirky" or a "perfectionist" doesn't mean someone
has OCD. Because people always get things done ahead of time, or have
weird "obsessions", doesn't mean that they are Obsessive Compulsive
it may be that they hold themselves to a higher standard of living.
Only when the behaviors begin to interfere with everyday living, is
it considered to be OCD."OCD."
http://www.mayohealth.org/mayo/9809/htm/ocd.htm(29 March 2000).
One of many causes of OCD is felt to be, an imbalance in
serotonin, which is a chemical that occurs naturally in the brain and
is believed to control the receptive behaviors. The belief is
strengthened due to the fact that medication taken to enhance the
action of serotonin appears to help the patients greatly. Childhood
ailments, such as throat infections may induce OCD, also, genetic
factors may play a role in the contraction of the disorder. A study
done at the MAYO clinic, is that, some people have a biological
predisposition to react strongly to stress, a reaction that for some
reason evokes the intrusive thoughts, anxieties and ritual
characteristics of Obsessive Compulsive Dissorder."OCD."
http://www.mayohealth.org/mayo/9809/htm/ocd.htm(29 March 200).
There are a lot of different treatments for OCD. One of which is
Behavior therapy. Behavior therapy helps a lot of people by exposing
them to a feared object or obsession, while not allowing the person
to do their anxiety-reducing compulsion. An example of this would be
making a person touch something that they considered to be
contaminated, but not allowing them wash their hands afterwards. This
type of treatment lasts about seven to ten weeks and has a 50 to 90
percent chance of improving the patients behavior.
Another form of treatment is medication, such as Paxil, Zoloft,
Prozac, and Luvox. Paxil, or paroxetine, is prescribed for depression
and OCD. The usual dosage is about 20 to 50 mg a day. Its
side-effects include somnolence, agitation, tremor, anxiety, nausea,
diarrhea, dry mouth, asthenia, vomiting, abnormal ejaculation,
changes in libido, and sweating. "Paxil."
http://adhost.com/athealth/Consumer/mcabinet/mcdis
det.cfm?brand=paxil&cls=0
Prozac is an antidepressant, its generic name is fluoxetine. It
also prescribed for the treatment of OCD and depression. The daily
dosage is 20 mg to about 80 mg. The side-effects of this drug are the
chills, anxiety, insomnia, drowsiness, fatigue, anorexia, nausea,
decreased libido, abnormal ejaculation, diarrhea, dizziness and
lightheadedness."Prozac."
http://adhost.com/athealth/Consumer/mcabinet/mcdis
det.cfm?brand=prozac&cls=0
Another drug is Zoloft, Zoloft's generic name is sertraline. It
is an antidepressant that is chemically unrelated to tricyclic, or
tetracyclic, or other available antidepressant agents. The usual
dosage for Zoloft is about 50 mg to 200 mg every day. The most common
side-effects are dry mouth, sweating, dizziness, tremor, nausea,
diarrhea, insomnia, sexual dysfunction, and somnolence."Zoloft."
http://adhost.com/athealth/Consumer/mcabinet/mcdis
det.cfm?brand=zoloft&cls=0
The last of the commonly prescribed drugs is Luvox, it is also
called fluvoxamine. It's indicated for the treatment of obsessions
and compulsions in patients with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. It's
also approved for OCD in children and adolescents. The daily dose
range
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