Severe obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) is a serious mental health condition. With this disorder, a person’s extreme fears and thought patterns cause him to behave in an obsessive manner and exhibit compulsions. A person with a severe case of OCD typically becomes consumed with his OCD symptoms and has great difficulty leading a life that most people would consider normal. Essentially, in such a case, the obsessive thoughts and repetitive behaviors are the only things for which the patient has time. Unfortunately, treatment may not free a person from symptoms completely, but it may help to reduce their effect on his life.
When a person has severe OCD, he typically struggles with obsessive thoughts and ideas on a regular basis. He usually has no control over his obsessive thoughts, and they are often illogical. While the focal point of severe OCD may vary from patient to patient, many people with this condition have a fear of dirt or germs. They may feel the need to have things around them organized in a certain way and at all times. In some cases, a person with severe OCD struggles with persistent sexual thoughts or has impulses to behave in an aggressive manner.
The obsessive thoughts a person has with severe OCD are typically unwanted, but the patient is usually helpless to stop them. For example, a person may have repeated images of a loved one suffering harm. Sometimes a patient may even have images of hurting a loved one himself. His OCD may cause him to fear touching others or even touching surfaces that have not been thoroughly and repeatedly cleaned. He may be fearful of leaving an appliance on or a door unlocked and check these things repeatedly.
A person with severe OCD may begin to have other symptoms that stem from the repetitive behavior. He may, for example, develop raw, irritated skin because of washing his hands so frequently. Likewise, he may develop bald sections in his scalp because of repetitive hair pulling. Additionally, a person with severe OCD may feel a crippling anxiety or have panic attacks when things are not organized or handled in keeping with his obsessions.
Severe OCD is often treated with a twofold approach. Patients are often treated with psychotherapy as well as medications to control symptoms. Unfortunately, severe OCD can be a challenge to treat, and many people are never cured. Instead, doctors may focus on controlling and minimizing symptoms so an OCD patient can lead a basically normal life.
By Nicole Madison