OCD is sometimes difficult to explain to parents. More than merely excessive hand washing or being germaphobic, OCD is an anxiety disorder that can take different forms. According to the National Institute of Mental Health, OCD can be described as: People with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) have persistent, upsetting thoughts (obsessions) and use rituals (compulsions) to control the anxiety these thoughts produce. Most of the time, the rituals end up controlling them.
Even that definition doesn’t really explain OCD. This excerpt from Helping Your Child With OCD:
In people with OCD there appears to be a neurological “glitch” that makes an individual more sensitive or reactive to potential danger. This glitch makes it more difficult for a person to dismiss danger warnings, even when these warnings are false alarms. Experiencing these alarms leads to behavior aimed at avoiding or reducing distress. These actions feed back and make the alarms seem more believable. We call this “the cycle of uncertainty.”
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Barney Fife described it as a “compelsion.” He told Andy once, “You know, like a hand-washing compelsion. They can’t help it.” And that was back in the 60′s. Man, they were cutting edge.
Do all of us have a tendency toward that? I mean, we’re all told to pray before bedtime, or wash our hands so we don’t get sick. Do all of us have the capability to become obsessively compulsive?
When I was a child, there were things I did that I felt leaned toward the compulsive (although I did not know it at the time). But I did recognize that it wasn’t normal, and I would take steps to overcome it through discipline. When I watch shows on the topic of OCD, I am amazed at how bad it can become. What are some examples of mild forms of OCD? Have you seen them in milder forms?
Jason,
Think of OCD as normal, only more so. We all have checked to make sure we really did turn off the light – normal behavior. The one who suffers from OCD feels distress at the thought a light may have been left on.
It’s the issue of acute distress (or the lengths we go to avoid it) that is at the heart of OCD… not whether or not we’ve experienced certain behaviors.
Jason,
A quick example. I have a friend who doesn’t like for her food to “touch”. We give her a hard time; like asking her if she would like an extra plate for each dish (a “Monk” plate).
It doesn’t cause her distress. She will still eat her meals; it doesn’t stop her from eating out or going to friend’s houses for dinner. It is merely a personal preference that doesn’t – other than a little good natured ribbing – cause her any distress or inconvenience at all.
A little quirky? Yes; but not OCD.
You know, Monk is one of my favorite shows. He is truly quirky, like when he has to keep checking to be sure the letter went down into the mail box. Or any other of a number of things.
I remember one particular episode where they were going to let him back onto the police force, and all he had to do was pass a test. It was a test that was timed, and he had to fill in the little circles with a pencil. The instructor told him that he could not mark outside the little circle, or the computer would count it wrong. In the time alloted him, he could not get off of question one, because he was so obsessed with making sure no lead went outside the line. What a great show!
I would post about this but I can’t get my keyboard keys to line up just right. Sorry.
Josh
“…the word of God is not bound.”
–2 Timothy 2:9