Common Mental Disorders

Obsessive Compulsive Disorder

Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) is a common mental disorder. Around one in every fifty people will experience obsessive compulsive disorder at some point in their lives. There are three main components of OCD: obsession (intrusive, unwanted thoughts), compulsion (responses that fight the unwanted obsessions), and the accompanying anxiety. Common types of OCD include: 

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• Checking

• Contamination

• Intrusive thoughts

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The psychology and medical field believe OCD is caused by an interaction between biological, psychological and environmental factors. Biological factors include chemical imbalance in the brain and family inheritance; Psychological factors include faulty cognition; Environmental factors include stress (work, financial, interpersonal relationships).

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On the cognitive level, people with OCD will have obsessive thoughts. These thoughts bring along anxiety and physical sensations that leads to compulsion to neutralize these uncomfortable feelings and sensations. In the long run, the thoughts, physical sensations and behaviours will form a vicious cycle and lead to greater distress.