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Dr. No Balls made me chuckle.
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Defining obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD)
What is obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD)? Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is an anxiety disorder characterized by recurrent, unwanted, disturbing thoughts (obsessions) and/or repetitive, ritualized behaviors that a person feels driven to perform (compulsions). Like a needle getting stuck on an old LP, OCD causes the brain to get stuck on a particular thought or action that it just can’t let go. People with OCD often say the symptoms feel like a case of mental hiccups that won’t go away.
The Obsessive Compulsive Foundation reports that 1 in 50 adults in the United States currently experiences OCD, and twice as many have experienced it at some point in their lives. Symptoms of OCD occur in people of all ages and may change in severity over time. Most people with OCD have both obsessions and compulsions, but a minority have obsessions alone (about 20 percent) or compulsions alone (about 10 percent). Compulsions generally accompany obsessions as a result of the brain’s attempt to dismiss or neutralize the obsessions.
Understanding obsessions
What are obsessions? Obsessions are involuntary, seemingly uncontrollable thoughts, images, or impulses that occur over and over again in a person’s mind. The person does not want to have these ideas, finds them disturbing and intrusive, and usually recognizes that they don’t really make sense. They commonly crop up when someone is trying to focus on an intentional thought or activity.
People with OCD may worry excessively about dirt and germs and be obsessed with the idea that they are contaminated or may contaminate others. Or they may have obsessive fears of having inadvertently harmed someone else (perhaps while pulling the car out of the driveway), even though they usually know this is not realistic. Obsessions are accompanied by uncomfortable feelings, such as fear, disgust, doubt, or a sensation that things have to be done in a particular way.
Some common obsessions include:
* Fear of being contaminated by germs or dirt
* Fear of causing harm to oneself or others
* Intrusive sexually explicit or violent thoughts and images
* Excessive focus on religious or moral ideas
* Fear of losing or not having things you might need
* Order and symmetry: the idea that everything must line up “just right.”
* Superstitions: excessive attention to something considered lucky or unlucky
For a more detailed list of common obsessions, visit OCD symptom Inventory, and for a detailed discussion of how obsessions are experienced, visit Obsessions.
Understanding compulsions
What are compulsions? A compulsion is a repetitive behavior – a ritual – that a person feels driven to do and cannot seem to stop doing. Compulsions represent an attempt to manage an obsession by doing something to resolve it. For example, if someone is obsessed with being contaminated, that person might develop elaborate hand-washing rituals. If an obsessive worry is whether or not the door was locked, then a compulsive response might be to check the lock a certain number of times before leaving the house or going to bed.
The ritual is meant to bring relief from the anxiety caused by the obsession, though the ritual itself can cause anxiety if it becomes too demanding or time-consuming. Even if the ritual eases the discomfort caused by the obsession, it will probably return, and the person with OCD feels compelled to repeat the behaviors over and over again.
Some common compulsive behaviors are:
* excessive double-checking
* counting
* hand washing
* cleaning
* ordering/arranging
* touching
* praying
* hoarding
For a detailed list of common compulsions, visit OCD Symptom Inventory (scroll down to Compulsions on Page 3). For a fuller discussion of compulsion, visit Compulsions. For more information about compulsive hoarding, see Hoarding fact sheet.
Signs and symptoms of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD)
What are the signs and symptoms of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD)? Most people, from time to time, go back and double-check that the iron is unplugged or the door is locked before leaving the house. That’s normal, but when someone worries constantly that the door is unlocked and makes a ritual out of checking the lock 40 times before being able to get in the car, that’s an indication that the person’s thoughts and behaviors have risen to the degree of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). The adult with OCD recognizes his or her repetitive thoughts and behaviors as irrational but feels unable to break free from them.
OCD may be diagnosed when compulsive behaviors take up excessive time (an hour or more a day), begin to interfere with your normal activities, or cause great anxiety because they’re so demanding. See Symptoms for a more detailed description of OCD symptoms.
While the onset of obsessive compulsive disorder usually occurs during adolescence or young adulthood, younger children can manifest symptoms of OCD by showing the same behaviors adults with OCD exhibit.
It’s often misdiagnosed in youngsters and adults as another condition such as autism or is overlooked because it occurs with other disorders, such as depression, eating disorders, attention deficit disorders or Tourette’s syndrome. In addition, OCD is often underdiagnosed because people with OCD may feel embarrassed by their thoughts and behaviors and try (often successfully) to hide the signature behaviors of their condition or because they lack access to effective health care. On average, people with OCD see three to four doctors and spend over nine years seeking treatment before they receive a correct diagnosis. Studies have also found that it takes an average of seventeen years from the time OCD begins for people to obtain appropriate treatment.
For a fuller discussion of recognizing OCD in children and adolescents, see Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder in Children and Adolescents (general overview) and When Your Child Has Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (specific advice).Comment
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the mexican people have no respect for a quitter.Comment
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You Vitali haters are a bunch of ****ing ****s
His name is Vitali Klitschko and he can beat the **** out of any human being on the planet.Last edited by WLAD OWNS; 12-22-2007, 12:58 AM.Comment
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LOL That's a good one! Quitali is another ripper also. He calls Quitali Inc a 'Family Operated Business'? More like 'Family Operated Bums!' This guy just wanted to come straight out of retirement straight into a World Title fight? The guy's trippin! That pathetic robe he wore at Ibragimov presser was the most pathetic thing I've seen! Hugh Heffner wears that 'Red Robe' when he goes to the Alps during winter!Comment
i might put this in my sig
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