It's a habit!

 

 

We all have habits and routines in our daily lives, such as brushing our teeth before bed, showering, and sleeping. However, for people with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), patterns of behavior get in the way of their daily lives. OCD is an illness that causes people to have unwanted thoughts  and to repeat certain behaviors over and over again. OCD is an anxiety disorder, which, like all anxiety disorders, is neurobiological in nature.  It equally affects men, women and children of all races, ethnicities and socioeconomic backgrounds.  In the United States, about 1 in 40 adults and 1 in 100 children have OCD.

 

Like a needle getting stuck on an old record, OCD causes the brain to get stuck on a particular thought or urge. Your brain contains complex chemical networks of neurons, neurotransmitters and receptors that work together to communicate messages for mood, body movement and behavior. OCD is a mental health condition resulting from low neurotransmitter levels that may improve with changes in nutrition habits.

 

Common themes in OCD center on feeling contaminated, being anxious about possible harm to self or loved ones, body imperfections or sexual preoccupation. The perpetual obsessions increase anxiety, and the anxiety escalates until the compulsion is carried out. This happens in a cycle that does not end without intervention.

For example, if the person has a great fear of getting dirty, he or she might be afraid of touching door knobs of public places or have a bottle of disinfectant spray everywhere he or she goes to spray everything she/he is about to come in contact with. If the person is obsessed with order and symmetry, he or she might take a very long time getting things arranged the ‘right’ way. Adults with this obsession feel a need to have objects placed in a certain order or position, or tasks or events to be completed in a set way. For example, "I need to sort all my clothes by color and have them face the same direction. Otherwise, it just does not feel right!"; "I just scratched my right arm twice and now I need to balance it out by scratching my left arm twice."

 

The video below demonstrates what an individual with OCD experiences in his daily routine. Millions of Americans suffers from OCD and one of those Americans is the famous comedian Howie Mandel. One stage he makes millions of people laugh, but off stage he can’t shake hands with them, touch a door knob or even be with his family at times.