Understading Obsessive compulsion disorder (OCD)
Hello everyone! If you have come across this you may be wondering about Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD). In order to help you better understand OCD, I decided to base my project on this specific disorder. My project's purpose is to try to simulate what it is like to struggle with the symptoms of OCD. Many people have some misconceptions that OCD is just being a neat freak who wants to organize everything, but going through this project I ask that you challenge your previous conceptions about OCD.
The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders characterized OCD as “the presence of obsessions and/or compulsions”(235). To further explain this we must know that an obsession is the over thinking and intruding thoughts on something and a compulsion is the intense desire to do something. In order to diagnose it with certainty the DSM states one of its main criterias as “Recurrent and persistent thoughts, impulses, or images that are experienced, at some time during the disturbance, as intrusive and inappropriate and that cause marked anxiety or distress” (237). One of the most common ways OCD presents itself is through obsessive hand washing. The individual does not obsessively wash their hands because they are scared of germs and want everything to be super clean, instead they do it because they have the strong urge to do it and oftentimes their own thoughts won't leave them alone until they do it. While having obsessions and/or compulsions can happen with any individual, it cannot be diagnosed as OCD unless it is consistent and has a negative effect on the individual's life. According to Black Bear Rehab Center, OCD affects more arounds 2.2 million people in the U.S each year. Most individuals inherit it from their parents’ genetics but it is also possible for individuals to develop OCD due to excessive stress or anxiety . Oftentimes when an individual suffers from OCD, they might also have other disorders such as Tourette’s, anxiety disorders, and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) syndrome. Usually a person gets diagnosed by the age 19 but older onset is not unheard of. Onset is also usually earlier in boys than in girls.
Due to this being such a common mental disorder in the U.S., there are many well known people that struggle with OCD. One of the very well known people is the singer Camila Cabello. She herself didn’t know she had OCD until it got so bad she had to get some help. After that she's been open to it and has done interviews with various magazines on her struggle with OCD. Of course it might have been easier for her to get help due to her great wealth but there are still various support groups people can reach out to if they need help dealing with their OCD . One great organization for this is the International OCD Foundation. They have an office located in the city of Chicago and their support is free of charge and only suggest donating however much you can.
As I said before, I have created a simulation in order to try and show others what it is like to struggle with OCD. OCD has many aspects and feelings to it, oftentimes varying from person to person. After doing my research and watching some TED talks, I came down to the three feelings most individuals with OCD experience: an under pressure feeling to do something, the intense compulsion itself, and the feeling of satisfaction after acting on it. In order to simulate all these feelings, I decided to create an activity for each and then ask the subject to reflect at the end. For the first activity, simulating the under pressure feeling, I decided to choose something of a kind of pressure everyone must have experienced at least once in their life; a timed test. On top of the timed part, there will be a beeping 15 second timer along with the “Just do it “ motivational speech in order to truly ensure some type of pressure is experienced. As for the compulsion itself, I decided to add a red button with a special unknown link. Then I will proceed to tempt the person to click the link or not, if they don't want to. For the final activity I decided to give them a feeling of satisfaction everyone likes - popping bubble wrap!
OCD highly affects the prefrontal cortex as oftentimes there is less activity in this part of the brain in individuals with OCD than in a non-OCD individual. One of the functions of the Prefrontal cortex is to signal safety and predict awarding things. The lack of activity in this part of the brain makes it harder for individuals with OCD to resist their compulsions. While on the topic of brain activity, when going through the simulation it is obvious there will be activity in your brain. Meaning there will be brainwaves involved. So before you start the simulation I recommend checking the chart below.
Here is the estimated minute by minute schedule for this simulation, along with the predicted brainwave activity for each part :
1 min - do the math test (beta β )
2 min - decided whether you want to click the link or not ( β )
3 min - keep thinking if needed ( beta β )
4 min - pop bubble wrap for satisfaction ! ( alpha α )
5 min - reflect on the activities ( alpha α )
( β waves are usually active when engaged in a tasks which involves mind work. α waves are usually active in relaxing tasks that don't require lots of brain activity)
After going through the simulation I hope you have a better understanding of OCD. Next time you meet or hang out with a person with OCD don't treat them as if they are neat freaks. Know that they are simply acting on their compulsions in order to feel a sense of satisfaction and freedom from the obsessive thoughts that often fill their mind. Also remember putting them under more anxiety than they are can have a serious effect on their compulses and worsen their state. Finally have patience, oftentimes people with OCD struggle doing daily tasks and tend to take longer due to their obsessive thoughts . Waiting up for them instead of rushing them will help them feel more relaxed and comfortable. I hope these tips have helped and you now know at least a little more about OCD.
As I said before, I have created a simulation in order to try and show others what it is like to struggle with OCD. OCD has many aspects and feelings to it, oftentimes varying from person to person. After doing my research and watching some TED talks, I came down to the three feelings most individuals with OCD experience: an under pressure feeling to do something, the intense compulsion itself, and the feeling of satisfaction after acting on it. In order to simulate all these feelings, I decided to create an activity for each and then ask the subject to reflect at the end. For the first activity, simulating the under pressure feeling, I decided to choose something of a kind of pressure everyone must have experienced at least once in their life; a timed test. On top of the timed part, there will be a beeping 15 second timer along with the “Just do it “ motivational speech in order to truly ensure some type of pressure is experienced. As for the compulsion itself, I decided to add a red button with a special unknown link. Then I will proceed to tempt the person to click the link or not, if they don't want to. For the final activity I decided to give them a feeling of satisfaction everyone likes - popping bubble wrap!
OCD highly affects the prefrontal cortex as oftentimes there is less activity in this part of the brain in individuals with OCD than in a non-OCD individual. One of the functions of the Prefrontal cortex is to signal safety and predict awarding things. The lack of activity in this part of the brain makes it harder for individuals with OCD to resist their compulsions. While on the topic of brain activity, when going through the simulation it is obvious there will be activity in your brain. Meaning there will be brainwaves involved. So before you start the simulation I recommend checking the chart below.
Here is the estimated minute by minute schedule for this simulation, along with the predicted brainwave activity for each part :
1 min - do the math test (beta β )
2 min - decided whether you want to click the link or not ( β )
3 min - keep thinking if needed ( beta β )
4 min - pop bubble wrap for satisfaction ! ( alpha α )
5 min - reflect on the activities ( alpha α )
( β waves are usually active when engaged in a tasks which involves mind work. α waves are usually active in relaxing tasks that don't require lots of brain activity)
And finally for the simulation itself ! Enjoy :
After going through the simulation I hope you have a better understanding of OCD. Next time you meet or hang out with a person with OCD don't treat them as if they are neat freaks. Know that they are simply acting on their compulsions in order to feel a sense of satisfaction and freedom from the obsessive thoughts that often fill their mind. Also remember putting them under more anxiety than they are can have a serious effect on their compulses and worsen their state. Finally have patience, oftentimes people with OCD struggle doing daily tasks and tend to take longer due to their obsessive thoughts . Waiting up for them instead of rushing them will help them feel more relaxed and comfortable. I hope these tips have helped and you now know at least a little more about OCD.
Works cited :
“Beyond OCD Support Group.” International OCD Foundation, iocdf.org/support-groups/beyond-ocd-support-group/.Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders: DSM-5. American Psychiatric Association, 2017.Huey, Edward D, et al. “A Psychological and Neuroanatomical Model of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder.” The Journal of Neuropsychiatry and Clinical Neurosciences, U.S. National Library of Medicine, 2008, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4476073/#:~:text=Imaging%2C%20surgical%2C%20and%20lesion%20studies,%2Dcompulsive%20disorder%20(OCD).
TEDxTalks, director. Living With #OCD | Samantha Pena | TEDxYouth@TCS. YouTube, YouTube, 29 May 2015, www.youtube.com/watch?v=btO3kE2RrEY.
“Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder.” Black Bear Lodge, blackbearrehab.com/mental-health/obsessive-compulsive-disorder/.
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