Obsessive Compulsive Disorder is a book written by Bruce M Hyman and talks about OCD, the symptoms, treatments and the affect on families.
Symptoms and Treatment:
The key features of OCD are recurrent obsessions that one must do which take time (over an hour a day). This obsessions or compulsions are excessive and once they are done the particular task the individual gets a feeling or relief an calmness.
It is not uncommon for someone who has OCD to have only one compulsion although it is more likely they will have a few. For example, a sufferer who has a compulsion to check thing (oven, stove, etc.) may also have one to wash, which includes hands as well as the house in general.
The signs of OCD could not mean that someone has it, the following list could be behaviour done when a certain person is stressed. The list is as follows, excessive concern for dirt and germs, frequent hand washing, avoiding to touch things, doing things in a particular order, and so on.
Prayer and worrying is not OCD unless it is an excessive amount. We all have our own beliefs and some of us pray every day. At the same time we all worry at times, it's only when these things take over our life when they can be classed as OCD.
Although no known cure is available for this disorder, there are several treatment options. The two most effective are told to be medication and cognitive behaviour therapy. Anti-depressants have been found highly effective to treat OCD. Medications are often used alongside therapy in order to increase its effectiveness. Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT) helps as it breaks down problems (in the case of OCD compulsions and obsessions) into smaller parts and allows the sufferer to deal with them more effectively.
