Terrifying thoughts began shortly after the birth of his first child.
Struggling to support his wife and young son by holding two jobs, taking night classes and delivering pizza on the weekend, this young father had a horrifying thought when he walked through his kitchen. “What if I should take a butcher knife, go into my son’s bedroom, and stab him?”
The man immediately repelled the thought. The possibility of harming his beloved child was not only impossible, but also insane. But insanity was, in fact, where he felt he was headed.
The recurring thoughts dogged him and he avoided going into the kitchen. Finally, he removed all sharp objects from his home.
A young mother feared poisoning her family. She began checking the labels on cans and packages. Her concern about germs, spoiled foods, and even poisons in pre-packaged foods grew larger.
Developing an elaborate and time consuming set of rituals, she boiled and sterilized containers and utensils. Naturally, her behavior worried her family and friends. She, herself, knew these obsessions and compulsions were irrational and excessive, but she was unable to control them. The next step was to hide her behavior.
Recent research estimates that one in every 40 individuals suffers from obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). This fairly common potentially disabling anxiety affects men and women and usually appears in adolescence or early adulthood.
The exact cause of OCD is not known but many authorities believe it is primarily caused by a disturbance in the chemistry of the brain and heightened by psychological factors and stress. OCD appears to run in families and is commonly seen in association with depression.
Examples of common obsessions and compulsions are:
• Fear and worry over contamination with dirt, germs or touching someone. Compulsions like excessive, ritualized hand washing may develop.
• Repeatedly checking to see that doors are locked, appliance turned off or unplugged.
• Recurrent blasphemous thoughts by a religious person.
• Compulsions to repeat a task or perform a ritual of certain number of times in order to prevent a catastrophe or ensure safety.
Individuals suffering from OCD may signal the problem to others by exhibiting some of the following behaviors:
• Need for excessive, constant reassurance.
• Exaggerated concern over minor details.
• Simple tasks that begin to take longer than usual to finish.
• Behaviors that become excessive, overdone or ritualized.
• Attempts to disguise or conceal patterns of behavior that are obsessive or compulsive.
Medical and psychological treatments for OCD have been developed making this disorder very treatable. Families can help by recognizing the signals indicating possible OCD and can assist the sufferer in obtaining professional evaluation and treatment.
Harold H. LeCrone, Jr., Ph.D. Copyright © 1992
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