Kacycarr

OCD Symptoms - Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder Causes Panic Attacks & Depression



Posted: Monday, May 18, 2009

by Kacycarr
http://www.spotthepimple.com

Its hard to believe the amount of people diagnosed with obsessive-compulsive disorder who don't know the full ins and outs of the condition. There is more to OCD than just washing your hands over and over again or having to keep the things around you in an orderly manner, or other. Over-compulsive disorder is not a disease to be taken likely, in fact and depending on severity of the condition a patient may struggle to keep normality in his or her life. Obsessive-compulsive disorder is an illness which can be very serious in some cases. It causes people to have unwanted thoughts (obsessions) and to repeat specific behaviors (compulsions) over and over. OCD sufferers - although their compulsions and obsessions may be the same as another person's the way they handle or cope with them can differ greatly.

People with OCD, patterns of behavior tend get in the way of their daily lives and no matter how hard they try to brush aside the symptoms they find it impossible to do. This may sound to the non-sufferer stupid but being a sufferer myself I can clarify this to be true, and I believe my fellow sufferers will agree on this. Most obsessions and compulsions may make no sense but we who pain still find it hard to ignore them.

Obsessions

To get a better picture it is best you know about and understand the illness more deeply. Obsessions are ideas, images and impulses that run through a person's mind repeatedly. Sometimes these thoughts only come every now and again and slightly irritating. Other times, a person with OCD will have obsessive thoughts every hour of the day.

Compulsions

When a person has obsessive thoughts it can leave them anxious and afraid. They then tend to deal with these feelings by carrying out certain behaviors according to a "system" made up by them self. These behaviors are called compulsions (Rituals.) For example, a patient suffering from OCD may have obsessive thoughts about germs, and as a result of this is they experience a compelling urge to wash their hands several times. After such practice the anxious feelings might only go away for a short period of time. The routine will then once again commence when the fear and anxiousness returns.

Common obsessions may include

Common compulsions may include

There was a time when obsessive-compulsive disorder was an illness not considered common like other disorders; in fact it was a rare condition to have. Nonetheless this was soon to change with time. Study has shown that it has affected 3 million Americans aged 18 to 54 at some time. This is approx 2.3% of the people in this age group. No gender is exempt. As we speak there is no concrete evidence to pinpoint a specific cause for OCD. While scientific research goes on for a definite reason, we can however go off what has been given to date for the disease happening. Some research came back with the illness being duly caused through chemicals in the brain that carry messages from one nerve cell to another. One chemical in particular called serotonin helps people control the urge to repeat the same behaviors over and over. Unfortunately some patient's do not have as much serotonin as others. These same patients seen their condition improve and found they functioned better after taking medication which increased the amount of serotonin in their brain.

People with OCD may have to deal with other upsets of which maybe include different kinds of anxieties such as phobias (fear of spiders or flying) even panic attacks. Then there is the issue of depression being another major concern. Other problems are eating disorders or learning disorders namely dyslexia being one. Having one or more of the above mentioned at the same time can make diagnosis difficult.

Medication for treating OCD will vary, this is because of severity stages of the condition, and also on the individual them self. Usual medicines include: clomipramine (brand name: Anafranil), fluoxetine (Prozac), sertraline (Zoloft), paroxetine (Paxil) and fluvoxamine (Luvox). Although these particular drugs are specially formulated to help soothe or cure a condition, they can however cause side effects. Dry mouth, nausea and drowsiness are a few to name. Remember that medicines can take time to work and to see an improvement in your behaviors could take weeks.

If particular medicines are not working for you then you could go for the other method used for treating OCD and that is therapy. Behavioral therapy is a practice where people will be asked to face situations that cause their obsessions and anxieties to flare up. At no time throughout the session will the trained therapist who is helping you, ask you to do something you are uneasy with.

About Depression

A person that complains about being depressed is usually a person who is fed up with different things happening in their life like, had an argument, lost their job, or had their car repossessed. Issues of this nature are what we call the ups and downs of daily life. With true depression you have a low mood and other symptoms every day for at least a fortnight or longer. Depression can be so severe in a patient that they find it hard to get through a normal day. Many people who depressed may not even realize that they are. They may however suspect something isn't right but can't quite put their finger on it.

List of depression symptoms

Physical symptoms of depression may include headaches, palpitations, chest pains, and general aches. If you have any of the above then you could be suffering from mild depression, however should there be several of the symptoms mentioned then this could indicate the more severe type of depression. See your GP if you're not feeling well whether in relation to depression, panic attacks or OCD.

Panic Attacks

Just the name alone is alarming, however panic attacks often referred to as anxiety attacks bring disturbing symptoms but not of serious threat. There are many types of effective treatments and therapy to help overcome anxiety and panic attacks. Panic attacks are the most intense sign of panic disorder an anxiety response resulting from an over-production and under-use of adrenalin, the bodily chemicals that cause them. When the anxiety reaction has no more need for adrenalin, this mighty hormone can create a set of physical reactions which can peak with the pattern of a panic attack. Whatever stories you hear that may imply this disease labels you a mad man; well it has nothing to do with mental or physical illness or chemical imbalances. You are as sane as the next person.

Panic attack symptoms are normally a powerful side of the symptoms experienced during generalised anxiety. These include:

Don't suffer alone. Seek help for your obsessive-compulsive disorder so you can get back to leading a normal life.

www.overcompulsivedisorder.com is a personal website with solutions to most male and female problems
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