Quirky behavior or something more serious? Obsessive Compulsive
Disorder or OCD affects nearly two to three percent of the U.S.

population. OCD affects both males and females, but males start to
show signs of OCD at an earlier age, between the ages of six and
fifteen, while in females it tends to occur later. Obsessive
Compulsive Disorder.OCD.

http://athealth.com/athealth31.cfm?topic=22(1 April 2000). A
good example of OCD can be viewed in the movie As Good As It Gets.In this movie, Jack Nicholson plays a character who uses a bar of
soap once, then throws it away, constantly checks the locks on doors
to make sure theyre locked before leaving.

He must sit at the same
table, in the same restaurant and have the same waitress every day.If his routines are changed, in any way, it causes to have an anxiety
attack. OCD. http://www.

mayohealth.org/mayo/9809/htm/ocd.htm(29
March 2000).Just being quirky or a perfectionist doesnt mean someone
has OCD. Because people always get things done ahead of time, or have
weird obsessions, doesnt mean that they are Obsessive Compulsive
it may be that they hold themselves to a higher standard of living.Only when the behaviors begin to interfere with everyday living, is
it considered to be OCD.

OCD.http://www.mayohealth.org/mayo/9809/htm/ocd.htm(29 March 2000).


One of many causes of OCD is felt to be, an imbalance in
serotonin, which is a chemical that occurs naturally in the brain and
is believed to control the receptive behaviors. The belief is
strengthened due to the fact that medication taken to enhance the
action of serotonin appears to help the patients greatly. Childhood
ailments, such as throat infections may induce OCD, also, genetic
factors may play a role in the contraction of the disorder. A study
done at the MAYO clinic, is that, some people have a biological
predisposition to react strongly to stress, a reaction that for some
reason evokes the intrusive thoughts, anxieties and ritual
characteristics of Obsessive Compulsive Dissorder.OCD.

http://www.mayohealth.org/mayo/9809/htm/ocd.htm(29 March 200).There are a lot of different treatments for OCD.

One of which is
Behavior therapy. Behavior therapy helps a lot of people by exposing
them to a feared object or obsession, while not allowing the person
to do their anxiety-reducing compulsion. An example of this would be
making a person touch something that they considered to be
contaminated, but not allowing them wash their hands afterwards. This
type of treatment lasts about seven to ten weeks and has a 50 to 90
percent chance of improving the patients behavior.
Another form of treatment is medication, such as Paxil, Zoloft,
Prozac, and Luvox. Paxil, or paroxetine, is prescribed for depression
and OCD.

The usual dosage is about 20 to 50 mg a day. Its
side-effects include somnolence, agitation, tremor, anxiety, nausea,
diarrhea, dry mouth, asthenia, vomiting, abnormal ejaculation,
changes in libido, and sweating. Paxil.http://adhost.

com/athealth/Consumer/mcabinet/mcdis
det.cfm?brand=paxil&cls=0
Prozac is an antidepressant, its generic name is fluoxetine. It
also prescribed for the treatment of OCD and depression. The daily
dosage is 20 mg to about 80 mg. The side-effects of this drug are the
chills, anxiety, insomnia, drowsiness, fatigue, anorexia, nausea,
decreased libido, abnormal ejaculation, diarrhea, dizziness and
lightheadedness.Prozac.

http://adhost.com/athealth/Consumer/mcabinet/mcdis
det.cfm?brand=prozac&cls=0
Another drug is Zoloft, Zolofts generic name is sertraline. It
is an antidepressant that is chemically unrelated to tricyclic, or
tetracyclic, or other available antidepressant agents.

The usual
dosage for Zoloft is about 50 mg to 200 mg every day. The most common
side-effects are dry mouth, sweating, dizziness, tremor, nausea,
diarrhea, insomnia, sexual dysfunction, and somnolence.Zoloft.http://adhost.

com/athealth/Consumer/mcabinet/mcdis
det.cfm?brand=zoloft&cls=0
The last of the commonly prescribed drugs is Luvox, it is also
called fluvoxamine. Its indicated for the treatment of obsessions
and compulsions in patients with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. Its
also approved for OCD in children and adolescents. The daily dose
range is 100 to 300 mg a day, and the common side-effects are nausea,
insomnia nervousness, abnormal ejaculation, and sweating. In children
and adolescents, the most common side-effects are agitation and
hyperkinesia.

Luvox.http://adhost.com/athealth/Consumer/mcabinet/mcdis
det.cfm?brand=luvox&cls=0
When families have to deal with loved ones with OCD, they tend
to get angered at the fact that their loved one cannot control their
rituals. But eventually they learn to try and help, instead of trying
to change them. By just small praises and lowering your expectations
for how much they change can help the person out a lot.

Just by
cutting down hand washing, as an example, by 10 minutes a day may be
insignificant to their family, but a giant step for them.OCD.http://www.nimh.

nih.gov/publicat/ocd.htm(2 April 2000).Not everyone with OCD has bad problems. Some people can go to a
psychologist, talk to them and take their medication and be
completely fine, while others have to go through a lot more
counseling and take many prescriptions. But with enough treatment
almost everyone with OCD can be helped, and live a happy and normal
life.

OCD.http://www.nimh.nih.gov/publicat/ocd.

htm(2 April 2000).A lot of people think they have OCD when in actuality, they are
only doing things that seem a little weird, or out of the ordinary.That doesnt necessarily mean that you are obsessive or compulsive.If people check the light switches or the stove a lot to make sure
its off before you leave, they may just be worried about or stressed
about something else. When someone washes their hands 200 hundred
times a day, or constantly counting things, like stripes on clothes
or the cracks in the sidewalk, those are typical compulsions with
obsessive people.


Many people with OCD refuse to admit that they have it, or they
know they do and try and to hide it from their friends and family. If
someone has the disorder, they should get help as soon as possible.If no steps are taken to help the people with the disorder, they will
only get worse and worse with time. People are afraid or ashamed to
admit that they need help, the main reason is because it is something
that the people can not control. With out proper help, the people
with the disorder will go on through life still not knowing how to
handle themselves.Obsessive Compulsive Disorder is a very serious disease, it
isnt a very well-known topic, and people should learn more about it.

It affects a lot more people than everyone thinks, but with the
proper treatment and counseling the people who live with OCD can
continue to live happier and without fear or shame of the unknown.WORKS CITED:
Works Cited
* OCD http://www.mayohealth.org/mayo/9809/htm/ocd.htm(29 March
2000).


* OCD.http://athealth.com/athealth31.cfm?topic=22(1 April 2000).
* Paxil.

http://adhost.com/athealth/Consumer/mcabinet/mcdis
det.cfm?brand=paxil&cls=0
* Prozac. http://adhost.

com/athealth/Consumer/mcabinet/mcdis
det.cfm?brand=prozac&cls=0
* Zoloft. http://adhost.com/athealth/Consumer/mcabinet/mcdis
det.cfm?brand=zoloft&cls=0
* Luvox.

http://adhost.com/athealth/Consumer/mcabinet/mcdis
det.cfm?brand=luvox&cls=0
* Obsessive Compulsive
Disorder.http://www.

nimh.nih.gov/publicat/ocd.htm(2 April 2000).