Repeatedly check obsessive-compulsive disorder

Do you repeatedly check whether you have taken your belongings with you before going out? Do you often go back to check after going out because you are worried that the door is not locked? Do you have a unique obsession with washing your hands and taking a bath? Against the backdrop of social pressure, the number of people with obsessive-compulsive disorder is increasing, and the types of obsessive-compulsive disorder are also increasing. Repeated checking is also a type of obsessive-compulsive disorder. Let us understand together, what is the cause of repeated checking obsessive-compulsive disorder?

Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is a type of anxiety disorder. It is a group of neuropsychiatric diseases with obsessive thoughts and compulsive behaviors as the main clinical manifestations. It is characterized by the coexistence of conscious compulsion and anti-compulsion. Some meaningless or even contrary to one's own will thoughts or impulses repeatedly invade the patient's daily life. Although patients experience that these thoughts or impulses come from themselves and try their best to resist, they are still unable to control them. The intense conflict between the two makes them feel great anxiety and pain, affecting their study, work, interpersonal relationships and even daily life.

Statistics in recent years suggest that the incidence of obsessive-compulsive disorder is rising. Studies have shown that the lifetime prevalence of obsessive-compulsive disorder in the general population is 1% to 2%, and about two-thirds of patients develop the disease before the age of 25. Due to its early onset and prolonged course, obsessive-compulsive disorder often has a great impact on patients' social functions and quality of life. A global disease survey conducted by the World Health Organization (WHO) found that obsessive-compulsive disorder has become one of the 20 diseases with the heaviest disease burden among young and middle-aged people aged 15 to 44. In addition, patients often fail to seek medical treatment in time at the beginning of the disease for various reasons. Some patients who are afraid of dirt and repeatedly wash their hands may not seek medical treatment until their symptoms become so severe that they cannot live a normal life. The onset of the disease and the first visit may be as long as ten years, which invisibly increases the difficulty of treatment. Therefore, we should increase our attention to obsessive-compulsive disorder and detect and treat it early.

Causes

The cause of obsessive-compulsive disorder is complex and there is no definitive answer. It is currently believed to be mainly related to psychosocial, personality, genetic, and neuro-endocrine factors.

Many studies have shown that patients often suffer from some adverse life events when they first develop the disease, such as strained interpersonal relationships, challenges in marriage, setbacks in study and work, etc. Obsessive-compulsive disorder patients have a tendency to pursue perfection and to set high standards and strict demands on themselves and others. Some patients have obsessive-compulsive personality before the onset of the disease, which manifests as excessive caution, excessive sense of responsibility, and the desire for everything to be perfect. As a result, they lack flexibility in dealing with adverse life events and find it difficult to adapt. The conflicts and anxieties experienced by the patient can only be expressed through compulsive symptoms.

In addition, a large number of studies in recent years have found that the onset of obsessive-compulsive disorder may involve a certain genetic tendency, and there are also functional disorders in the neuro-endocrine system, which causes an imbalance in neurotransmitters such as serotonin and dopamine, and makes it impossible for them to perform their physiological functions normally.

Clinical manifestations

The symptoms of obsessive-compulsive disorder can be mainly summarized as obsessive thoughts and compulsive behaviors.

Obsessive thinking can be divided into obsessive ideas, obsessive emotions and obsessive intentions. The contents are varied, such as repeatedly doubting whether the doors and windows are closed tightly, whether one will get sick if one touches dirty things, why the sun rises in the east and sets in the west, and having the urge to jump down when standing on the balcony. Compulsive behaviors are often actions that have to be taken in order to reduce the anxiety caused by obsessive thinking. Patients know that it is irrational, but they have to do it. For example, if a patient has doubts about whether the doors and windows are closed tightly, he will check them repeatedly to ensure safety; if a patient is afraid of getting sick due to touching dirty things, he will wash his hands repeatedly to keep them clean. Some patients with prolonged illness often repeat certain actions and form a certain routine over time. For example, when washing hands, they must start from the fingertips and continue to the wrists. If the order is reversed or the wash is interrupted in the middle, they have to start over again, which often wastes a lot of time and is very painful.

Obsessive compulsive symptoms have the following characteristics:

1. It is the patient's own thoughts or impulses, not imposed by the outside world.

2. There must be at least one thought or action that the patient is still resisting in vain, even if the patient no longer resists other symptoms.

3. The idea of ​​performing the action itself makes the patient feel uncomfortable (simply relieving tension or anxiety is not considered to be truly pleasant), but if it is not performed, it will cause great anxiety.

4. Thoughts or urges recur unpleasantly.