Kolkata Psychiatrist, Dr Sagnik Mukherjee explains What is Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder?

Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder or OCD is a mental illness that makes someone feel the uncontrollable urge to do specific actions. These intrusive urges are repetitive and can cause the patient to do the same unnecessary task repeatedly.

Obsessions can be very powerful and sometimes, it can be as simple and silly as washing dishes or hands several times frequently or checking the power button off electrical appliances repeatedly, or checking if the windows are locked. These can affect the life of the individual and the quality of daily lifestyle badly.

People with OCD feel compelled to do specific tasks or as we call them compulsions. These acts of compulsions provide temporary satisfaction to the anxiety that the patient is feeling at a particular moment.

What are obsessions?

Obsessions are not the same for all patients; for some, it could be devastating thoughts about the effect of natural calamities. At the same time, for another affected person, it could be the insecurities related to any relationships, or it could be memorizing and worrying about how many stairs the room has, or how many switches the room has or how many bottles are in the fridge, like that. Obsessions cause anxiety in patients and force them to perform certain activities that provide relief.

There are several kinds of obsessions, some of the common ones are:

Counting and maintaining the number of inhalations and exhalations in a minute

Counting and maintaining the number of times one blinks in a minute
Having Doubts on partners for adultery without reasons

Washing hands every time after touching the doorknob, handle, or any other common objects

Feeling extreme of fear that closed or loved ones can be a victim to a natural calamity or any illness.

The Fear of leaving the house or car or office unprotected

Intense ideas like committing suicide or murder

Imagine the scenarios of being held as hostages in a mass killing situation.

Always trying to maintain symmetry or ordering everything is the same manner.

Having hatred for anyone who does not meet all hygiene standards

The personal and Professional life of any person affected by Obsessions can be destroyed. Severe mental distress created by these obsessive thoughts can be relieved temporarily by doing things repeatedly. However, they take up an inordinate amount of time and interfere with their everyday life.

What are compulsions?

Compulsions are some actions performed by patients suffering from obsessive-compulsive disorder to provide temporary relief to the anxiety in them. These actions can be physical as well as mental & affected persons always try to justify their obsessions with these compulsions.

The most common forms of compulsive actions are:

Noticing things that can bring the end.

Washing thing excessively

Raging fear of common sharp objects

Prayer, and keep doing.

Treatment of OCD or Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder in Kolkata:

All the above-mentioned symptoms of OCD or Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder can be visible altogether or any particular one. Whatever the scenario is, OCD can make a life measurable for the patient and for others. Consult a mental health professional Dr Sagnik Mukherjee, the best psychiatrist in Kolkata to free life from OCD. Making fun is easy, but we have to choose between what is easy and what is RIGHT.