“People with obsessive compulsive disorder”
Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is an anxiety disorder in which time people have recurring, unwanted thoughts, ideas or sensations (obsessions) that make them feel driven to do something repetitively (compulsions). The repetitive behaviors, such as hand washing, checking on things or cleaning, can significantly interfere with a person’s daily activities and social interactions.
Many people have focused thoughts or repeated behaviors. But these do not disrupt daily life and may add structure or make tasks easier. For people with OCD, thoughts are persistent and unwanted routines and behaviors are rigid and not doing them causes great distress. Many people with OCD know or suspect their obsessions are not true; others may think they could be true (known as poor insight). Even if they know their obsessions are not true, people with OCD have a hard time keeping their focus off the obsessions or stopping the compulsive actions.
The obsessions of clinical OCD are distressing, recurrent, uncontrollable and intrusive thoughts, feelings or ideas. Obsessions tend to cluster around a few major themes: cleanliness and contamination; an insatiable need for symmetry or precision; pathological doubt; thoughts of carrying out acts that are actually reprehensible and repulsive to the person - such as those of a violent, sexual, sacrilegious or blasphemous nature.
There is also a dissolution and distortion of perspective. Consider an actual case - as described in a standard textbook of psychiatry - of a woman who was beset with the pathological doubt that her car door was never properly locked. An initial kernel of doubt inside her would loom large and harden as a certainty, bringing in its wake an intense anxiety that was relieved by checking the car door (an action which is called the compulsion in medical nomenclature). However, that would provide just a temporary relief as the doubt would return, and those compulsive checking needs would have to be performed again, and again, and again. The woman found it impossible to leave her car until she had checked repeatedly. She had broken several car door handles and was often late for work, which led in turn to the loss of several jobs.
Compulsive behavior is defined as performing an act persistently and repetitively without it necessarily leading to an actual reward or pleasure. Compulsive behaviors could be an attempt to make obsessions go away. The act is usually a small, restricted and repetitive behavior, yet not disturbing in a pathological way.
Compulsions and obsessions may take up many hours of a person’s day and can interfere with family and social relationships. They can also have a negative effect on education and employment.
As OCD becomes more severe, ‘avoidance’ may become an increasing problem. The person may avoid anything that might trigger their obsessive fears. OCD can make it difficult for people to perform everyday activities like eating, drinking, shopping or reading. Some people may become housebound. OCD is often compounded by depression and other anxiety disorders, including social anxiety, panic disorder and separation anxiety.
People with OCD are often acutely embarrassed about their symptoms and will put great effort into hiding them. Before the disorder is identified and treated, families may become deeply involved in the sufferer’s rituals, which can cause distress and disruption to family members.
How to overcome OCD through group therapy :
There are several types of beneficial groups. First, there are treatment (or therapy) groups. A mental health professional (therapist) leads this type of group. However, the therapist’s role is to facilitate discussion among group members, rather than to direct, lead, or teach. Therapy groups may have a specific focus such as exposure and response prevention therapy or cognitive therapy. Regardless of the specific focus, the needs of the group members set the tone, content, and pace of the group. In this type of group, members learn from each other, aided by the therapist’s support and guidance.
A second type of group is a skills-training group. These groups are also led by a mental health professional. However, the therapist is more active and directive. The therapist’s role is to teach, train, and coach group members to develop and practice new skills. These groups are generally very structured and each meeting has a specific learning objective and a defined agenda.
A third type of group is a support group. These groups may or may not be led by a trained professional. The emphasis in support groups is to meet with others struggling with similar conditions or circumstances. Group members offer each other encouragement, hope, and support. These groups tend to be informal and may not meet as frequently as treatment-oriented groups.
