Obsessive Compulsive Disorder and Family Health Care Practices
Chapter 1
INTRODUCTION
Background of the Study
Worries, doubts, superstitious beliefs, all are common in everyday life. However, when they become so excessive, such as hours of hand washing, or make no sense at all, such as driving around and around the block to check that an accident did not occur, then a diagnosis of OCD is made. In OCD, it is as though the brain gets stuck on a particular thought or urge and just cannot let go. People with OCD often say the symptoms feel like a case of mental hiccups that would not go away (Anthony, et.al 1998).
People with obsessive-compulsive disorder have either obsessions, or compulsions, or both. The obsessions and/or compulsions are great enough to cause significant distress in their employment, schoolwork, or personal and social relationships. People with obsessions are bothered by thoughts or images that continue to repeat themselves and are almost impossible to ignore. These thoughts, which are annoying, distracting, and inappropriate, tend to cause the person to have moderate to severe anxiety and other emotional discomfort. Common obsessive thoughts include themes of violence, fear of germs and/or infection, and doubts about one’s character and/or behavior. People who suffer from OCD worry excessively and often attempt to avoid or to get rid of the bothersome thoughts by trying to replace them with more pleasant thoughts or actions (Aronson 2l004).
It has been observed that obsessive-compulsive disorder today involves senior citizens particularly in Iloilo although they do not represent any illness. Normal worries, such as contamination fears, may increase during times of stress, such as when someone in the family is sick or dying. Only when symptoms persist, make no sense, cause much distress, or interfere with functioning do they need clinical attention.
This aforementioned scenario has motivated the researcher to determine the relationship between the levels of obsessive- compulsive behavior and the levels of
INTRODUCTION
Background of the Study
Worries, doubts, superstitious beliefs, all are common in everyday life. However, when they become so excessive, such as hours of hand washing, or make no sense at all, such as driving around and around the block to check that an accident did not occur, then a diagnosis of OCD is made. In OCD, it is as though the brain gets stuck on a particular thought or urge and just cannot let go. People with OCD often say the symptoms feel like a case of mental hiccups that would not go away (Anthony, et.al 1998).
People with obsessive-compulsive disorder have either obsessions, or compulsions, or both. The obsessions and/or compulsions are great enough to cause significant distress in their employment, schoolwork, or personal and social relationships. People with obsessions are bothered by thoughts or images that continue to repeat themselves and are almost impossible to ignore. These thoughts, which are annoying, distracting, and inappropriate, tend to cause the person to have moderate to severe anxiety and other emotional discomfort. Common obsessive thoughts include themes of violence, fear of germs and/or infection, and doubts about one’s character and/or behavior. People who suffer from OCD worry excessively and often attempt to avoid or to get rid of the bothersome thoughts by trying to replace them with more pleasant thoughts or actions (Aronson 2l004).
It has been observed that obsessive-compulsive disorder today involves senior citizens particularly in Iloilo although they do not represent any illness. Normal worries, such as contamination fears, may increase during times of stress, such as when someone in the family is sick or dying. Only when symptoms persist, make no sense, cause much distress, or interfere with functioning do they need clinical attention.
This aforementioned scenario has motivated the researcher to determine the relationship between the levels of obsessive- compulsive behavior and the levels of