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New research into OCD

The article looks at new research into Obsessive Compulsive Disorder and explains how the disorder is currently treated.

Author: Catherine Barron

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It’s estimated there are about four million people with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) in the US. This is a disorder where people find their lives dominated by repeated behavioral patterns and rituals, and it’s often associated with depression. According to the International OCD Foundation, the disorder mainly affects adults with only about 2% of children and teens at risk. One of the difficulties faced by those who suffer this disorder is the element of social shame. As the condition progresses, the rituals become more dominant and so harder to hide in everyday life. Take insecurity about whether a door is properly closed. Around the home, it might not be immediately obvious that one family member is now opening and closing doors “just to make sure”. But, as the pattern develops, it will slowly reveal itself to the others who share the same space. This is not something that would immediately spread outside the home. We can lives our everyday lives without feeling responsible for checking that all the doors we pass are properly closed. The difficulty is that, once one ritual is established, others can follow. It can therefore become necessary either to explain or suffer the bemusement of people outside the home. Left untreated, this can lead to social anxiety disorder or, in the worst cases, agoraphobia.

Individual therapy is considered the best long-term hope for those with OCD. As the disorder is becoming better understood, not the least because of TV programs like Monk, it’s easier to admit the disorder and feel less hostile judgements. There are also an increasing number of support groups being established as more people with the disorder reach out for fellow sufferers and establish a network for self-help.

John Hopkins University is now running a study, looking for genetic markers that might identify a cause. With a cause, it’s always possible to look for a cure. The study involves taking blood samples from at least two generations in the hope that shared or non-shared genes may suggest where the problem lies. While we wait for news, the established forms of treatment rely on two elements. The first is medications. There are a range of drugs including Valium (Diazepam) used for this purpose and the current research suggests that, with the medication alone, the obvious rituals decline by about 40%. This is socially useful but the cost, in both physical and financial terms, makes this difficult to justify over the longer term as side effects become as much of a problem as the OCD. Drugs like Valium (Diazepam) are best used in short bursts to break the cycle of behavior. The second form of treatment is psychotherapy. This is more effective because it identifies the situations that trigger the rituals and devises ways of avoiding the trigger. If the individual is still in the family, the rest of the family is involved in the treatment both to learn more patience and to establish new household routines to reduce the number of triggers. Put the two together and Valium (Diazepam) will produce a calm and more receptive state of mind in which to go through the therapy. The combination is the most effective and the most likely to produce long-lasting improvement.

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New research into OCD