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Obsessive Compulsive Disorder ( Ocd )

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Abstract
This paper will distill information from the four articles provided to provide a more thorough understanding of the effects Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, otherwise known as OCD, has on an individual. The paper will explain and interpret the link between obsession and compulsion that is characteristic of being diagnosed with OCD. In addition, this paper will describe the impact having this disorder can have on an individual in their day to day lives. This paper will clearly articulate exactly what the definition of having OCD is and how often it is self-diagnosed in error. In addition, the paper will provide symptoms along with real world examples of how these symptoms would manifest themselves in the real world. The paper will …show more content…

The primary intention when writing this paper is to clearly articulate how chronic and severe OCD is for those with the diagnosis and to help to remove the stigma and embarrassment associated with it (Pittenger, C., et al 2005, November). To begin to understand this disorder, one must look to the historical origins of it. In the 1600s, having symptoms of OCD were perceived as symptoms of melancholia, a form of severe depression. For hundreds of years, OCD went misunderstood and undiagnosed. It was not until the beginning and middle of the 20th century that two figures brought OCD to the level of understanding and diagnosis that we have as a combined disorder today (Karr, L. J. 2010, August 29). These two men were Sigmund Freud and Pierre Janet, both pillars of the modern psychology. While these men disagreed about the causes of compulsive behaviors and obsessions, they created a better understanding of OCD through their theories and research. This paved the way for the research done by future psychiatrists and mental health professionals into the relationship between anxiety, obsessions, and compulsive behavior.
Symptoms/Diagnosis Criteria Obsessive-compulsive disorder can be best understood as a combined disorder, because individuals afflicted with it experience symptoms of both obsession and compulsion. The obsessions are the feelings that intrude on an

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