Community Magazine September 2009

OBSESSIVE- COMPULSIVE DISORDER (OCD) “When I finally got the house clean and organized, I wanted to lock the door and never use the house again. Keeping the house clean was the one thing I could control in my life and I was totally consumed with keeping everything perfect.” “The rituals I created for myself distracted my mind from thinking about the things I didn’t want to face. It was the only way I could get control of my runaway, irrational thoughts.” Obsessive-compulsive disorder is a potentially disabling illness that traps people in endless cycles of repetitive thoughts and behaviors. People with OCD are plagued by recurring and distressing thoughts, fears, or images (obsessions) that they cannot control. The anxiety (nervousness) produced by these thoughts leads to an urgent need to perform certain rituals or routines (compulsions). The compulsive rituals are performed in an attempt to prevent the obsessive thoughts or make them go away. The ritual may relieve the anxiety temporarily, but the person must perform the ritual again each time the obsessive thoughts return. This OCD cycle can progress to the point of consuming hours of the person’s day and significantly interfering with normal activities. People with OCD may be aware that their obsessions and compulsions are senseless or unrealistic, but they cannot stop themselves. Sarah, a 37 year-old mother of three, described her painful experience with OCD: “My family was so frustrated with me and kept telling me to ‘snap out of it.’ They thought I was weak because I couldn’t get control of the rituals. I was beginning to think I was crazy because, although I knew the rituals were irrational, I couldn’t stop doing them.” But telling someone with OCD to stop the rituals is about as unrealistic as telling a paraplegic to stop being lazy and get up and walk. According to the National Institute of Mental health, OCD can, in most cases, be successfully treated with medication, cognitive-behavior therapy, or both. With ongoing treatment, most people can achieve long-term relief and resume normal functioning. PANIC DISORDER “When I’m in the throes of a panic attack, I feel like the world is closing in on me. I lose complete control.” “In between attacks there is this dread and anxiety that it’s going to happen again. I’m afraid to go back to places where I’ve had an attack. Unless I get help, there soon won’t be any place where I can go and feel safe from panic.” Mental ( Health ) Notes MOZELLE MIMRAN, LCSW Part III ANXIETY DISORDERS Everyone experiences anxiety or worry at various times in their life – before a test, on a job interview and when getting married. Anxiety becomes disordered when it begins to control a person’s life, preventing them from coping and at times even paralyzing them into inaction. The following real-life cases from our own community, can help readers recognize OCD and panic disorder, the most common anxiety disorders, so that they can identify when a sufferer may need outside help. 96 CoMMUniTy MagazinE