What is O.C.D., and what are its' effects? It it bad?

Question

Curious.

Answer 1

Yes its bad.

Obsessive-compulsive disorder (ocd) is a psychiatric disorder most commonly characterized by a subject's obsessive, distressing, intrusive thoughts and related compulsions (tasks or "rituals") which attempt to neutralize the obsessions. Thus it is an anxiety disorder. It is listed by the World Health Organization as one of the top ten most disabling illnesses in terms of lost income and diminished quality of life.

Symptoms may include some, all, or perhaps none of the following:

* Repeated hand-washing.
* Repeated clearing of the throat, although nothing may need to be cleared.
* Specific counting systems—e.g. counting in groups of four, arranging objects in groups of three, grouping objects in odd/even numbered groups, etc.
o One serious symptom which stems from this is "counting" steps, e.g. feeling the necessity to take twelve steps to the car in the morning.
* Perfectly aligning objects at complete, absolute right angles, or aligning objects perfectly parallel etc. This symptom is shared with OCPD and can be confused with this condition unless it is realized that in OCPD it is not stress-related.
* Having to "cancel out" bad thoughts with good thoughts. Examples of bad thoughts are:
o Imagining harming a child and having to imagine a child playing happily to cancel it out.
o Sexual obsessions or unwanted sexual thoughts. Two classic examples are fear of being homosexual or fear of being a pedophile. In both cases, sufferers will obsess over whether or not they are genuinely aroused by the thoughts.
* A fear of contamination (see Mysophobia); some sufferers may fear the presence of human body secretions such as saliva, sweat, tears, vomit, or mucus, or excretions such as urine or feces. Some OCD sufferers even fear that the soap they're using is contaminated. [1]
* A need for both sides of the body to feel even. A person with OCD might walk down a sidewalk and step on a crack with the ball of their left foot, then feel the need to step on another crack with the ball of their right foot. If one hand gets wet, the sufferer may feel very uncomfortable if the other is not. These symptoms are also experienced in a reversed manner. Some sufferers would rather things to be uneven, favoring the preferred side of the body.
* An obsession with numbers (be it in math class, watching TV, or in the room). Some people are obsessed with even numbers while loathing odd numbers (they cause them a great deal of anxiety and often make the person uncomfortable or even angry) or vice versa.
* Twisting the head on a toy around, then twisting it all the way back exactly in the opposite direction.(see even body section)

Answer 2

O.C.D. - Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. Its where the person has either unreasonable fears, or severe habits, which interfere with their ability to live a normal life.
Say for example that your compulsion was fear of germs, and you stopped going anywhere, because you were afraid that you might catch something, and you spent all your time at home cleaning, in case a germ got in, and you couldn't sleep at night because you might breathe in some germs. That would be O.C.D.
Or if you can't do something until you've tapped the power points 3 times. There is no need to do it, but you feel it would make the world stop or something if you didn't. That could be O.C.D.
Basicly the unreasonable fears, or compulsive habits stop the person being able to live a normal life.

Answer 3

O.C.D. - Obsessive Compulsive Disorder.

I have it. It hasn't killed me. It isn't fun, but my case isn't so bad. I have to fill my glass FULL three times and dump it before I can fill it a final time and drink it. I am worried about germs. (NOT "afraid" like everyone assumes.) I know I worry about it more than other people, but it keeps me out of the hospital, right? My point is, you can only decide for yourself if it is bad based on your own compulsions. I would not consider medication for mine - it's a mild case. If it gets worse, I might some day seek help. There is such a stigma attached to mental health issues. Please don't make it worse for others by labeling an illness as "good or bad." I'm not happy about my problems, but I would be less happy if I weren't me!

Answer 4

Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder

It can be bad if the person isn't able to control it. It can eventually take over a person's life. They become obsessed over minute details. Some have to touch a doorknob a certain number of times before opening it, others are terrified of germs and go to extreme measures to control them. Generally, there are things that they just have to have control over or they can't cope. Most people have it to some degree. It's only a disorder when it invades the person's life to an uncontrollable degree.

Answer 5

Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is a psychiatric disorder most commonly characterized by a subject's obsessive, distressing, intrusive thoughts and related compulsions (tasks or "rituals") which attempt to neutralize the obsessions. Thus it is an anxiety disorder. It is listed by the World Health Organization as one of the top ten most disabling illnesses in terms of lost income and diminished quality of life.
The phrase "obsessive-compulsive" has worked its way into the wider English lexicon, and is often used in an offhand manner to describe someone who is meticulous or absorbed in a cause (see also "anal-retentive"). Such casual references should not be confused with obsessive-compulsive disorder; see clinomorphism. It is also important to distinguish OCD from other types of anxiety, including the routine tension and stress that appear throughout life. A person who shows signs of infatuation or fixation with a subject/object, or displays traits such as perfectionism, does not necessarily have OCD, a specific and well-defined condition.

To be diagnosed with Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, one must have either obsessions or compulsions alone, or obsessions and compulsions, according to the DSM-IV-TR diagnostic criteria. The Quick Reference to the diagnostic criteria from DSM-IV-TR (2000) describes these obsessions and compulsions:

Obsessions are defined by:

1. 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.
2. The thoughts, impulses, or images are not simply excessive worries about real-life problems.
3. The person attempts to ignore or suppress such thoughts, impulses, or images, or to neutralize them with some other thought or action.
4. The person recognizes that the obsessional thoughts, impulses, or images are a product of his or her own mind, and are not based in reality.
5. The tendency to haggle over small details that the viewer is unable to fix or change in any way. This begins a mental pre-occupation with that which is inevitable.

Compulsions are defined by:

1. Repetitive behaviors or mental acts that the person feels driven to perform in response to an obsession, or according to rules that must be applied rigidly.
2. The behaviors or mental acts are aimed at preventing or reducing distress or preventing some dreaded event or situation; however, these behaviors or mental acts either are not connected in a realistic way with what they are designed to neutralize or prevent or are clearly excessive.

In addition to these criteria, at some point during the course of the disorder, the sufferer must realize that his/her obsessions or compulsions are unreasonable or excessive. Moreover, the obsessions or compulsions must be time-consuming (taking up more than one hour per day), cause distress, or cause impairment in social, occupational, or school functioning (Quick Reference from DSM-IV-TR, 2000). OCD often causes feelings similar to those of depression.

Answer 6

Obsessive Compulsive Disorder

It is bad in some ways. It is not (usualy) life threatening. However the person who has OCD can not controll their compulsions.

For example wach Monk, on USA network. The main charactor has OCD and he needs everything to be neat and clean, and he can't help but to fix it.

Other people have other compulsions, and they can be really wierd and disrupt their life or make being around them difficult.

Answer 7

It stands for Obsessive compulsive Disorder. Too some degree we all have a little OBS, you know when you cross the line when you miss appt. or social occasions, because of your compulsion. Does this help???

Answer 8

OCD stands for Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder

I am not able to say whether it's good or bad