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A Study On Obsessive Compulsive Disorder

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The summer of 2010, my sister was diagnosed with a tumor the size of a walnut pressing on the frontal lobe of her brain. With a hopeful prognosis of slow growth and surgery scheduled in late fall, the outlook was promising. When she went in for surgery the doctors found a lesion instead of the tumor they had diagnosed her with. The seemingly positive news turned dark as they explained they’d need to biopsy the tissue to understand what had caused it. In the middle of my second fall semester at Edmonds Community College, my sister underwent endless scans and tests. When she began experiencing severe migraines, aural hallucinations, seizures, and severe mood destabilization, I drove to as many of her appointments in Seattle as I could and spent weekends with her where she lived with my mother in Centralia. Though we avoided discussing her condition, I couldn’t stop imagining the potential fatal outcome. Previously diagnosed with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, they advised my sister to start an aggressive treatment approach as her O.C.D. was possibly a result of a lesion and their growth would aggravate the disorder.The doctors expected lesion growth and possible appearance of more lesions over time alongside a decline in her cognitive function. Neither my sister nor I handled this news well. While her decline was sharp and her depression set in quickly, I struggled with making it to class and completing my assignments. Each day I pushed myself to be present and

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