Beauty and Nails

An Anxiety Disorder that is characterized by the presence of the need to do something insignificant, inconsequential or tedious – to extreme, dangerous, illegal or pathological is referred to as an anxiety disorder known as OCD or Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder.  

OCD is one of the primary forms of anxiety disorder It is typically diagnosed in patients prior to age 35.  They also typically exhibit other symptoms, including signs of Tourette’s Syndrome, eating disorders, extreme morbidity and suicidal tendency.  Finally, included in this category of disorder is the driving hunger or need to risk their life or take the lives of others. While sufferers of GAD or Generalized Anxiety Disorder are faced with intermittent bouts of panic and abject fear, the OCD sufferer feels the obsession constantly – with the frequent addition of panic attacks as well.

Obsessive behavior – the primal symptomatic element – is key here and it is manifest in both an undeniable need to do ‘X’ coupled with an equally strong need to repeat it endlessly (such as the need to wash their hands dozens of times a day, with no sign or indication of un-cleanliness).  

The symptoms of OCD are the following:

a.  An extreme need for things to be in a certain place, order or arrangement – with an associated panic attack if they are not.

b.  Obsessing over germs and unnecessary cleanliness

c.  A belief that your actions will harm others.

d.  Constant touching or safeguarding of especially trivial objects

e.  Repetitive thinking or re-reviewing that which does not require review 

The causes of OCD have been theorized and argued by experts for decades without clear evidence of any final judgments.   We know that there are links to other forms of psychosis and that there is an association with Bipolar, extreme depression, and eating disorders. While there is a high incidence of suicidal tendency in OCD patients this is assumed to be the affect rather than a cause.  Finally, there are an excessively high percentage of OCD sufferers with physical brain abnormality or damage. What is interesting is the frequency addition resulting in abnormalities in the brain does not favor damage over disease-driven pathology.

The treatment of OCD typically include both drug prescription drugs in the tranquilizer and antidepressant categories with deep behavior modification to minimize both the onset of that which is obsessive along with the training for the patient  to be able to relieve the anxiety itself that is coupled with the obsessive thoughts.  Anxiety Attacks are often reduced and  such reduction alone often mediates the effect of and severity of the compulsion.