The Science Behind: OCD

We all have that one friend that needs everything to be perfect, and absolutely perfect! Do they get annoyed by the simplest things? Why do people act very annoyed when something is just not right in their perspective? Why does it bother them so much?

OCD stands for Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder. It is a disorder that creates unnecessary thoughts and fears of a person's brain. Some examples of this might include sorting things in a specific order or being afraid of the dark.

What causes OCD?

Does anyone really know the exact cause of OCD? Doctors and researchers say that it might be inherited or maybe a problem with the brain and how it processes things. In some research cases, OCD has been found to run through blood relations, meaning that genes are might be the key to this development. Many believe that if a child's parents had a very stressful life or an illness related to OCD symptoms, it passes on to the offspring. However, you don't necessarily inherit OCD from your parents from the moment you are born. It can start to affect one mainly during childhood or adulthood life. On the other hand, there are some people who believe that this is just a type of disorder.

So, is there a cure for this disease?

Unfortunately, no. Since OCD in basic terms, all have to do with how a person's brain thoughts get triggered, there is not a certain way to completely cure the disorder. However, you can get treatment to help you.

Most of us mistakingly think that all those people who need things to be perfect or always react in a certain way when something happens have OCD. Now, that is not necessarily true. Everyone has something that they are an obsessed bout that makes them feel or act a certain way. For example, let's say you love a certain song, that makes you want to dance with joy uncontrollably every time you hear it. This doesn't mean you have OCD. OCD is towards the negative side thee brain can make you feel or react. It is something that you over and over again fear about. No matter how hard you try, you can't seem to calm yourself. So, in order to take that fear away, you react to it in a certain way. Let's say you have a fear of germs. You get dreams about and you just can't see to get that fear to go away. So, you obsessively wash your hands over and over again even when it is unnecessary. That is a sign of having OCD.

So, those are the misconceptions and facts about OCD. I hope you enjoyed reading!

Keep learning,

Aishwarya

Don't forget to keep your hands clean during this pandemic time!

Sources:

https://iocdf.org/about-ocd/what-causes-ocd/

https://www.psychiatry.org/patients-families/ocd/what-is-obsessive-compulsive-disorder

https://medlineplus.gov/ency/article/000929.htm