OVERVIEW
Are you specific about details and pay special attention to them? Should everything be under your control? Do you do some of your things with special condition and situation? Are you often late for the meetings or parties due to spending lots of time getting ready? Is the thought of some things associated with the fear of them happening? Do you wash more than enough? Are you too sensitive about cleaning, discipline and arrangement? Do you regularly check (for instance the door the house, faucet, gas valve, wallet, etc.)? Do you confront many doubts when it comes to religious issues such as prayer and purification and you repeat them? Are you committed to the symmetry of objects? Do you count so many different things? Are specific sentences and phrases constantly repeated in your mind? Do insults and swear words that you like occur to your mind? Do nude images of your intimate family come to your mind? Have you been worried about doing a dangerous thing while you look at a knife? Are you worried about throwing yourself next to a height?
On the condition that answering yes to one or more aforementioned questions is difficult and irritating for you, and you allocate most part of your life to them, it is considered as an obsessive-compulsive disorder.
Obsessive-compulsive disorder is a common disease these days. It is fortunate that good pharmacological and non-pharmacological treatments are available for it. However, the standard treatment for obsessive-compulsive disorder is cognitive-behavioral therapy, which normally requires 12 sessions. Obsessive-compulsive disorder is a slow response disorder and its treatment routine is slow. Recently, the treatment based on commitment and acceptance has illustrated good success. Dr. Afshari has vast experience in the treatment of obsessive-compulsive disorder, and you will be provided with the maximum benefit in the minimum time.
what is obsessive-compulsive disorder?
Obsessive-compulsive disorder is applied to an obsession with mental preoccupations and practical obsessions. These mental or practical obsessions lead to a waste of time and significant disturbance in the normal and natural course of life, work skills, normal social activities or personal relationships.
Obsessive-compulsive disorder symptoms
- Intrusive, persistent and reversible thoughts, desire and perceptions that are experienced in an episode of disorder, in an annoying and unwilling way, and has led to major anxiety and distress in most individuals.
- The individual manages to ignore or suppress these thoughts, tendencies or perceptions as well as trying to neutralize them by engaging in other thoughts or activities, performing a practical obsession, for instance.
Epidemiology
- The lifetime prevalence in the general population is estimated at 2 to 3 percent.
- Obsessive-compulsive disorder is the fourth most common psychiatric diagnosis after phobia, substance-related disorders, and major depressive disorder.
- Although, men and women are equally likely among adults to be affected by this disorder, among adolescents it can be seen that boys are more commonly affected than girls.
- The mean age of onset is about 20 years old. In general, the age of onset age for approximately two-third of affected persons is before 25.
- Single people are more likely to experience OCD disorder than married ones.
- This disorder occurs less often among black people compared to white people.