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Imagine being controlled by a puppeteer, a slave to the motions, to your actions and
thoughts. That's what OCD does to a person. A constant battle between logic and impulse. The
fear and/or need to do certain things echo in their brains giving them no choice but to give into
their overbearing thoughts. These thoughts are debilitating for people with OCD. It makes it
extremely difficult for them to possess self control. This disorder controls the person like strings
control a puppet, but it can be overcome with medicines and therapy. OCD can tear a person
compulsions that they feel the urge and need to repeat multiple times, (NIMH, 2016). OCD is a
neurobiological disorder that causes the brain to be hardwired to act and perform in a certain
manner. The issues with the brain are located in the Orbitofrontal Cortex (Social behavior,
Cognitive planning), Caudate Nucleus (Voluntary movement), and Cingulate gyrus (Emotional
and Motivational responses). OCD is associated with low levels of Serotonin. Which is a
neurotransmitter that communicates between brain structure and helps regulate vital processes
like mood, aggression, impulse control, sleep, appetite, temperature and pain.
Victims of OCD are know for the uncontrollable compulsions that comes with the
disease. These compulsions can vary from tics to excessive hand washing or showering. This can
also include preoccupations with numbers, patterns, morality or sexual identity. Tics come in
many different forms, “Motor tics are sudden, brief, repetitive movements, such as eye blinking
and other eye movements, facial grimacing, shoulder shrugging, and head or shoulder jerking.
Common vocal tics include repetitive throat-clearing, sniffing, or grunting sounds.” (Ted talk,
2016 ) OCD has two aspects to it, The intrusive thoughts, images or impulses (Obsessions) and
Behavioral compulsions to relieve the anxiety. The person with this disorder can’t control these
compulsions. They can try to ignore it but that often results in severe anxiety and
uncomfortableness. A common misconception with OCD is that people that have it aren’t aware
of their “odd” actions. But in fact, they know that they are doing these things. Some people with
OCD report being crazy, and think they are going insane due to lack of education about the
disorder. That's why people should be educated about OCD because it is a common issue. OCD
inserts paralyzing fear into some of its victims that prevent them from being able to touch
The struggles that go hand and hand with OCD is not new, OCD has been around and
written about since the 16th century. People hadn’t really taken OCD seriously when it was first
discovered, “In the seventeenth century, obsessions and compulsions were often described as
sometimes Blasphemous Thoughts [which] start in their Minds ... they are exercised in the
Worship of God [despite] all their endeavours to stifle and suppress them ... the more they
struggle with them, the more they increase." (K.H, 2014) OCD victims were dismissed and
covered with religious beliefs that failed to help or have a real explanation for these people’s
actions. However, in the 1700’s John Baptist Scaramelli wrote advice on obsessive thoughts
telling readers “not to fight the thoughts because that only makes the thoughts stronger, but to
accept the thoughts and move on with their day,” (John Bapstist, 2016). This was so much easier
said than done. This tactic would take a lot of time to be effective but it was somewhere to start.
“What causes OCD?” is a common question wondered by the curious and the host of the
disorder. The fact of the matter is, we don’t know. Researchers strongly believe that OCD is
genetic. Ongoing research continues to explore the connection between genetics and OCD which
may help improve OCD diagnosis and treatment. When a mother has OCD and has two children,
it is very likely that the mother will pass on the disorder. OCD can be developed and born with.
A traumatic event such as, physical or sexual abuse in childhood or other trauma can cause OCD.
However, it is easier to spot that find a cause. A common symptom of OCD is excessive hand
washing which comes from the fear of germs, illness and fear of infection or Fear of harming
others. Some other examples are, excessive cleaning, double checking things, compulsive
counting, obsessive organization, walking in patterns and much more. As for treatment, OCD
can be treated with therapy to help correct and deal with the patient's compulsive thoughts and
behaviors. An alternative can be, medicine or “selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors” such as,
fluoxetine, fluvoxamine, or sertraline. These medicines increase serotonin in the brain which
OCD victims have a lack of. These medicines “often require higher daily doses in the treatment
of OCD than of depression, and may take 8 to 12 weeks to start working, but some patients
experience faster improvement,” (NIMH, 2016). As a last option patients can use Electro
compulsive therapy or surgery to correct the issues in the brain. This surgery involves implanting
a device that shoots electrical impulses into the brain. The Impulses are used to correct the
damaged tissue in the brain, this surgery is also used for Parkinson's disease to stop tremors and
tics. However, there are risks to the surgery which is why it's usually used as a last option. Those
risks include bleeding in the brain, stroke, infection, breathing problems, nausea, heart problems
and seizures.
Most people can relate to better understand to an illness if a face is put to it. A well
known comedian and host of “Deal or No Deal” and judge on “America's Got Talent” known as
Howie Mandel, struggles with OCD. Suspicion rose when Howie would refuse to shake or touch
hands with anyone, he would fist pump them instead of touching palms. His battle with OCD
was confirmed when he admitted it accidently on a radio broadcast with Howard Stern. He
opened up about this endeavor with OCD in an interview with ABC News. In the interview the
interviewer said pointing at a picture of Howie and Johnny Carson, “That’s what folks would
think that sets off a panic attack- is sitting next to Johnny Carson, your idol.” to which Howie
responded, “That’s totally different than the fear OCD injects into my life... which is fear-and
terror”. Howie’s fears occasionally becomes too much. When it overflows him to a point of a
breakdown he escapes to a house on the property of the home he shares with his own Wife and
kids. He says in the interview that a few times a month he gets so terrified that he wants to give
up, but he hasn’t and isn't planning to. When he’s on set the makeup used on his face has to be
brand new every time to ease his anxiety which is also eased with the medicine he is taking for
the anxiety that tags along with OCD, which he doesn’t disclose in the interview. He would have
fights in his head, wanting to wash his hands all the time and takes showers because he felt
filthy. He didn’t fit in at school and eventually dropped out. His fears due to OCD were
debilitating. This is only one example how OCD affects the lives of it’s victims.
Dan Millman once said, “You don’t have to learn how to control your thoughts, you just
have to stop letting them control you.” We all might be able to relate to this quote in a point in
our lives. However, people with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder or. OCD, deal with this on a
whole other level. As we established, this disorder can be paralyzing and debilitating. Fear,
impulse, obsessions and compulsions all take over to create an uncontrollable urge to be a slave
to your thoughts. With the right treatment, support and patience OCD can be lived with. With
more time, comes more research and with more research comes more possible cures and
answers. Just remember that it can be overcome and the best thing you can do to help yourself
http://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/obsessive-compulsive-disorder-ocd/index.shtml
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DhlRgwdDc-E
3. K. H. (2014, May 5). When Was OCD First Discovered and Is OCD a New Disorder?
and-is-ocd-a-new-disorder/
4. Howie Mandel Talks About Living With OCD | 20/20 | ABC News. (n.d.). Retrieved
Really good example of what a person with OCD feels like in an everyday situation:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vnKZ4pdSU-s