Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder is commonly described as an anxiety disorder. Though I am not particularly familiar with medical terms (nor do I have a background in science or psychology), I will do my best to try to explain what this means in a practical sense.
First, there should be some definition of terms. "Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder" (abbreviated OCD) is typically considered to be the main expression of a disorder that typically revolves around the idea of intrusive thoughts. The one who has this disorder experiences thoughts entering their head throughout their day that tells them a problem that continues to bother them until the problem is seemingly solved [1].
For example, the OCD person may be lying in bed and suddenly get the sudden thought that the front door is not locked. This thought will continually irritate this person's mind, presenting scenario after scenario for why the door should be locked (whether these scenarios are logical or illogical is irrelevant to the person), until they either go and check to make sure the door is locked or develop enough mental control to push the thought away. If the person goes and checks to make sure the door is locked, the intrusive thoughts may go away, or they may continue to plague the person even after checking. Am I sure the door is locked? Did I accidentally unlock it when I checked it? Depending on the strength of these thoughts, they may persist even if the person has personally gone to check the front door four or five times during the night
This is not to be confused with "Obsessive-Compulsive Personality Disorder" (abbreviated OCPD). This is to be understood as a personality disorder rather than an anxiety disorder. Whereas OCD has to do with intrusive thoughts that give the person anxiety, OCPD has more to do with daily rituals and thoughts that simply "feel correct" or "proper" [2]. Those with only OCD typically understand that their thoughts are intrusive and not necessarily correct, whereas those with OCPD presuppose from the beginning that their thoughts are correct and the proper way of doing things.
For example, the OCPD person may eat the same breakfast every Friday for years and years. If you approach this person and ask them why they eat that breakfast every Friday, they may be confused. They might never have really thought about it before. It is just something that is "right" and what they do simply because they feel it is the correct thing to do. They may not stop and question it at all because there is no reason for them to do so. If they deviate from this schedule, they might then feel anxious or feel that they are doing something wrong.
OCPD may also exhibit other symptoms, such as excessive planning, meticulous attention to details, and the need to always be as clean as one can be. The character of Adrian Monk from the TV show "Monk" is a prime (though at times extreme) example of this disorder.
OCPD is typically found alongside OCD in people. The amount of similar symptoms between the two disorders is high enough that it can sometimes be indistinguishable; nevertheless, they are two separate disorders and should be kept separate from each other unless it is clear that the sufferer has distinct symptoms from both disorders.
My preference is to use "obsessive-compulsive" as a catch-all term for those with OCD and those with OCPD. Some may object to simply lumping both disorders together, but I do so for the sake of simplicity until it is clear that the person is either OCD, OCPD, or a mixture of both. I also do not like suggesting that it is a "disorder" in the sense that a person is entirely broken or that their mental capacities are hindered entirely because of a particular disorder. I will address that later on in more detail; however, for the sake of clarity, I will continue to use the word with the understanding that it is a general scholarly term that may or may not fully represent those with the issue.
In my next blog post concerning OCD/OCPD, I would like to talk about my personal experiences with both of these disorders. As one who has both disorders, I feel uniquely qualified to give a layman understanding concerning the symptoms that I experience on a daily basis and address how I cope with the day-to-day difficulties that comes with having to deal with these issues.
If you feel that I have made a mistake in my representation of OCD and OCPD, please feel free to comment below. I am only human and my knowledge is decidedly limited, so if anybody can shed additional light or correct my mistakes or provide a more reputable source of medical information, I would be most grateful.
--------------------
[1] For a more emotional demonstration, please visit: http://www.ocfoundation.org/whatisocd.aspx
[2] http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0001938/
No comments:
Post a Comment