Shah Shafat Ahmad
Obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) is a mental health disorder that affects people of all ages and walks of life, and occurs when a person gets caught in a cycle of obsessions and compulsions. Obsessions are unwanted, intrusive thoughts, images, or urges that trigger intensely distressing feelings. Compulsions are behaviors an individual engages in to attempt to get rid of the obsessions and/or decrease distress.
Most people have obsessive thoughts and/or compulsive behaviors at some point in their lives, but that does not mean that we all have “some OCD.” In order for a diagnosis of OCD to be made, this cycle of obsessions and compulsions must be so extreme that it consumes a lot of time (more than an hour every day), causes intense distress, or gets in the way of important activities that the person values.
Obsessions are thoughts, images, or impulses that occur over and over again and feel outside of the person’s control. Individuals with OCD do not want to have these thoughts and find them disturbing. In most cases, people with OCD realize that these thoughts are illogical. Obsessions are typically accompanied by intense and uncomfortable feelings such as fear, disgust, uncertainty and doubt, or a feeling that things have to be done in a way that is “just right.”
In India, 4% of the population has OCD, which means that one in every 25 people suffers from OCD,” says Dr. Samir Parikh, Director Mental Health and Behavioural Sciences, Fortis Healthcare.
In the US, approximately 2.3% of the population has OCD, which is about 1 in 40 adults and 1 in 100 children. (Anxiety and Depression Association of America).
OCD statistics by age:
The average age of onset of OCD is 19.5 years old. (Molecular Psychiatry, 2008)
Males make up the majority of very early-onset cases. Almost a quarter of males have onsets before age 10. Most females are diagnosed with OCD during adolescence (after age 10). (Molecular Psychiatry, 2008)
People with an early age of onset have more severe symptoms of OCD and higher rates of ADHD and bipolar disorder. (Psychological Medicine, 2014)
As far as the statistics of Kashmir valley are concerned, a survey released on May 18, highlights that 1.8 million adults in the Valley show symptoms of significant mental distress. The survey was the result of a collaboration between the Kashmir University’s Department of Psychology, and the valley-based Institute of Mental Health Neuroscience (IMHANS). It was conducted between October and December 2015.
According to the survey, 41 per cent of people exhibit symptoms of probable depression, 26 per cent show symptoms of probable anxiety and 19 per cent show symptoms of probable Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).
Causes
The cause of obsessive-compulsive disorder isn’t fully understood but OCD may be a result of changes in our body’s own natural chemistry or brain functions.The other probable cause of OCD may have a genetic component, but specific genes are yet to be identified. The extent of the problem groomed by OCD in a person varies to a good degree. In some patient’s the quantum of problem may alter the mood or impact the person’s liking/disliking. But the problem can go much beyond these minimal implications. A person suffering through the erstwhile soul cancer(OCD) can develop the worst possible implications that I as an OCDian believe are hard to comprehend or think upon.
The extent of compulsions in OCD patients may have ranged from deliberate attempt of escaping a meal/meeting/marriage cermony/ to tossing of head with the hard tiles of washroom wall.
Issues Confronting The OCD Patients
Socially, it is very hard for any ocdian to stop the outage of his problem and by the moment the society knows about any Psychiatric/mental issue the very person suffers, he/she usually finds it quite disturbing and unaccomodative while mixing with people around.
In Kashmir, it is unfortunate enough that the people around don’t recognise the mental disorders in line with other disorders. That is where the gap is initiated and often an OCD patient is labelled a MAD (PAAGAL) on a silly/ordinary mistake that otherwise any normal person can commit multiple times at any moment.
For instance, I entered a public washroom in Karanagar area.I managed hard to get out in minimum possible time yet OCD made it tough though. In the meanwhile somebody knocked the door and knocked heavily, messaging loudly to open the door. Anyways, while opening the door, I replied, “hay tareeq chuinahaz, sugar patient zan asi kanh!”
This lack of responsibility from society may pinch the patients at times.
The grave issue confronting the ocd patients is that they feel detached from social life and the antecedents they cherished before the problem. This acute feeling of derailment from social life is supposedly a major cause of depression-lining in these patients.
Collective Responsibility
In the pretext of the worst scenario where more and more such cases are being reported, a collective cum robust approach is to be initiated from government, NGOs and civil society to educate the common masses on the mental/Psychiatric disorders like OCD.
A wide awareness on the subject can alone adress two issues pertaining to OCD;
a)Wide awareness may help in early reporting/diagnosing the problem in children, teenagers and young people.
b) This will also help in acknowledging the people to recognise and perceive the problem by allowing themselves to adjust with the persons suffering from mental disorders.
Another early measure that should be taken as part of collective responsibility, is the early reportage of the behaviour of children from their schooling days.
Another measure that the Health authorities must consider keeping in view of rising cases of mental issues is the counselling of parents. Parents need to be counselled and educated well before time.A counselling cell for this task is inevitable in all district headquarters.
Well, OCD can land you anywhere, drop you on Earth from the heavens and drag you from the gate of your achievement to nothing but yet I believe OCD is a tough teacher for every patient.
To conclude, I as a keen observer of my interactions with the OCD from the last few years, would strongly recommend to all OCDians the “supplication and prayer” as the twin tools that tend to be much stronger and disciplined than the (ordinary) CBTs while dealing with the OCD.
(Author is a masters student of Political science at CUS Srinagar).