How To Deal With Compulsive Behavior

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This article was co-authored by Ran D. Anbar, MD, FAAP. Dr. Ran D. Anbar is a board-certified pediatric medical consultant and counselor in pediatric pulmonology and general pediatrics, providing clinical hypnosis and counseling services at Center Point Medicine in La Jolla, California and Syracuse, New York. With more than 30 years of training and medical practice, Dr. Anbar has also served as professor of pediatrics and medicine and director of pediatric pulmonology at SUNY Upstate Medical University. Dr. Anbar has a BA in Biology and Psychology from the University of California, San Diego and an MD from the Pritzker School of Medicine at the University of Chicago. Dr. completed Anbar did his pediatric residency and pediatric pulmonary fellowship training at Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School and is also a past president, co-consultant, and approved consultant for the American Society of Clinical Hypnosis.

How To Deal With Compulsive Behavior

How To Deal With Compulsive Behavior

There are 19 references cited in this article, which can be found at the bottom of the page.

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Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) is characterized by irrational fears or obsessions that cause a person to engage in compulsive behavior to reduce or relieve their anxiety. OCD can range from mild to severe and can also include other mental health problems.

[1] X Trusted Source International OCD Foundation A non-profit organization dedicated to helping all people affected by Obsessive Compulsive Disorder and related disorders to live full and productive lives. Go to the source

Dealing with OCD can be difficult, especially if the sufferer does not seek professional help. Psychiatrists use different types of therapy and medications to treat people with OCD. OCD sufferers can also do things like keep a journal, join a support group, and use relaxation techniques to help them cope with OCD. If you think you may have OCD, you should seek professional help from a mental health professional. Read on to learn more about coping with OCD.

This article was co-authored by Ran D. Anbar, MD, FAAP. Dr. Ran D. Anbar is a board-certified pediatric medical consultant and counselor in pediatric pulmonology and general pediatrics, providing clinical hypnosis and counseling services at Center Point Medicine in La Jolla, California and Syracuse, New York. With more than 30 years of training and medical practice, Dr. Anbar has also served as professor of pediatrics and medicine and director of pediatric pulmonology at SUNY Upstate Medical University. Dr. Anbar has a BA in Biology and Psychology from the University of California, San Diego and an MD from the Pritzker School of Medicine at the University of Chicago. Dr. completed Anbar did his pediatric residency and pediatric pulmonary fellowship training at Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School and is also a past president, co-consultant, and approved consultant for the American Society of Clinical Hypnosis. This article has been viewed 342,566 times.

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The content of this article is not intended as a substitute for professional medical advice, examination, diagnosis or treatment. You should always consult your doctor or other qualified healthcare professional before starting, changing or stopping any type of healthcare treatment. You’re driving your usual route home from work when you hit a small bump. what was that You look in the rearview mirror but see nothing. You try to keep driving, but your anxiety rises. It keeps climbing until it’s unbearable.

Finally, give in to your anxiety and turn around. All you have to do is check that you haven’t hit any animals or people. Go round and round until your anxiety subsides.

Obsessions are persistent and intrusive thoughts, images, or urges that trigger intense anxiety. Regardless of the focus, all OCD obsessions have a few things in common: they are unnecessary, repetitive, and distressing.

How To Deal With Compulsive Behavior

Compulsions are behaviors (external actions or internal thoughts) that you perform in an attempt to get rid of unwanted thoughts and feelings. Compulsions are driven by an intense desire to reduce fear and anxiety.

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For example, if you think you hit a person or animal every time you go over a pothole, this would be considered an obsession. The compulsion would be to turn around and drive back to the pothole (maybe several times) to make sure you didn’t hit anything.

Consumed by obsessions and compulsions. But it’s not unusual for these distressing thoughts to take up several hours a day.

OCD is often referred to as a “vicious” cycle because obsessions and compulsions occur in a loop that can be extremely difficult to break. The longer you stay in the ring, the more momentum and strength it will gain, making it even more difficult to escape.

OCD obsessions vary greatly from person to person and can revolve around any topic you can imagine. Some of the more common types of obsessions include thoughts about germs, religion, sexuality, magical thinking, or violence.

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Obsessions can be distressing and egodystonic, meaning they don’t match your beliefs or self-concept. They can be especially annoying if you attach significant meaning to them or if you have low levels of information.

As you might expect, very distressing OCD obsessions cause significant levels of anxiety and fear. In fact, for several decades, OCD was classified as an anxiety disorder in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders.

People with OCD often misinterpret high levels of anxiety to mean that something really bad is going on. This further contributes to the idea that the mind is real. Then, in an attempt to reduce overwhelming anxiety and fear, you feel compelled to compromise.

How To Deal With Compulsive Behavior

Compulsions are the rituals you perform to try to get rid of distressing feelings of anxiety. These can be external behaviors or internal thoughts.

Overcoming Obsessive Compulsive Disorder

For example, suppose you have an obsession that your mind can cause a natural disaster like an earthquake or hurricane. This thinking is typical of the “magical thinking” of OCD, where you believe that your thoughts can make bad things happen.

In this case, the compulsion may be that you have to mentally “smear” 100 times to keep everyone safe.

Once you’ve finished your compulsion, you may feel good for a while. The calmer feeling won’t last long, however, as OCD has a way of continually creating more obsessions.

The OCD cycle is fueled by high levels of anxiety and fear, as well as an intense desire to reduce that fear.

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Although it sounds counterintuitive, experts recommend that you practice accepting your thoughts and refraining from fulfilling your compulsions. This is the basis of exposure and response prevention (ERP) therapy.

If you can “give in” and accept the “worst case scenario”, you will encourage your natural thoughts and feelings to return. This trains your brain to recognize that your OCD isn’t so scary after all.

There are several things you can do to help break the cycle of OCD, including medication and therapy, as well as everyday strategies.

How To Deal With Compulsive Behavior

The OCD cycle consists of 4 basic parts: obsessions, anxiety, compulsions, and temporary relief. It’s considered a “vicious” circle because once you’re drawn into it, it gains momentum and strength, making it even harder to get out.

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The best way to end the cycle is to practice exposure prevention and response. This means you “accept” the thoughts, live with the uncertainty, and refrain from engaging in the compulsions.

If you or a loved one is living with OCD, don’t hesitate to contact a mental health professional to discuss your treatment options. She’s halfway down the driveway, juggling car keys and coffee in one hand, a briefcase and papers in the other, when suddenly “The Worry” comes to mind, like every morning. “Did I remember to lock the front door?” listen in your mind. The question is more of an accusation than a question.

Like a highly trained soldier doing a turn, the woman turns 180 degrees and returns twice to the house. He then twists, turns, shakes, distracts and attacks the front door handle. After a brief struggle, she is relieved that the door is closed.

With a sigh of relief he returns to the car, climbs in, takes a deep breath and starts the engine. Just then a sharp tinge of worry cuts through his new calm. “But I actually turned the doorknob hard enough to know if it was really locked, really?” Biting her bottom lip as the seconds tick by. She can’t be 100% sure.

Coping With Ocd

Regardless, he quickly gets out of the car, trots down the driveway one more time, and vigorously tries the door handle again (Round Two). “Okay, don’t be ridiculous,” she mutters to herself. Anxiety begins to subside, replaced by frustration and shame.

He heads down the driveway for the third time that morning. Putting the car into gear, he heads down the street. Looking at his watch he thinks “Not bad, I can still make it work on time”. Just then another thought comes

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