Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder

Brief overview

Repetitive and persistent thoughts, images, or urges are known as “obsessions,” and they are a hallmark of the anxiety disorder known as Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder. Also included are compulsions, or repetitive behaviors that a person feels compelled to perform. The case study’s protagonist, Hector, is diagnosed with OCD. Hector is a man of 18 years of age.

Hector is Mexican American and lives with both his parents who are immigrants, two sisters and grandmother from his mother’s side. Hector’s first language is Spanish, but he speaks fluent English. Hector completed high school but is unable to pursue his university education due to the severity of OCD symptoms (Plante, 2010). Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder

Hector suffers from OCD that first became evident when he was fourteen years. Hector presents symptoms of OCD including fears of contamination. Hector fears any contamination through contact with blood, germs or other people. For this reason, Hector continuously and excessively washes his hands all through and disinfects his room. He repeatedly washes foods that he eats, for instance, if it’s an apple he will wash it many times before eating it. Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder

Hector wears gloves to avoid contamination and does not use public facilities such as restrooms or restaurants. The OCD symptoms have made Hector to isolate himself from peers. Hector is underweight due to his fear for food and ritual of regularly washing anything he wants to consume. Hector feels like a prisoner of his obsessions and compulsions thus displays symptoms of depression (Plante, 2010).

Reference

Plante, T.G. (2010). Contemporary Clinical Psychology (3rd ed.). Hoboken, New Jersey: John Wiley and Sons, Inc.

The Mental and Physical Effects Sample Paper

Faisal Alruwaily

Lynn University

Jane lost her mother at a very young age, three to be exact. Although she was too young to fully comprehend what she was feeling, the events that followed were traumatizing and stress inducing. A few years after her mother died, her father remarried. Like all stepmothers, their relationship was not a bed of roses. Her stepmother always treated her differently. She knew that her stepmom could not give her the maternal love and care that only a mother could give. As a result, she was always quiet; her moods were always sad and angry. Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder

Her father did not realize how her deteriorating relationship affected her. An engineer and a perfectionist, he would always scold her for not doing anything right. It was probably because of the pressure he felt to raise his motherless daughter because he too saw the distance between his daughter and her stepmother.

Whatever the reasons were, his scolds were too much for her. That coupled with the deteriorated relationship she had with her stepmother, especially after the birth of her siblings made her distant. She was distant to others. She did not seem happy like all the other children, like children around her. All she did was try. Try to be the best version of herself. She tried to make very few mistakes, to always do things as her father wanted.

Her prolonged sadness and anger, caused by the emptiness of lacking a mother and the pressure of perfection from her father made her overwork and over think. She always doubles checked everything, performed certain routines repeatedly and have certain thoughts repeatedly (“Obsessive compulsive disorder – family and friends”, 2019). She was an emotional wreck. She always thought of the wrong she did instead of giving herself credit for doing things right, most of the time. Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder

She ate far less than she should. She gradually grew thin, all through puberty, distant from other people and society. She felt like no one understood her. She always felt out of place. Christianity was always her escape, her solace, her comfort. God was her father, her loving father, her mother. She loved to sing, alone. Trouble came when a young man, Jean was immensely attracted to her. Up to now, they have never dated because she is always weary of ‘doing things right.’

Her compulsiveness has made her detests her relationship with Jean because she thinks he is not ‘right,’ from a Christian perspective. She constantly pushes him away, not knowing that Jean’s love is patient, kind, not selfish and not rude. Her desire for perfection, obsessive compulsions and doing things ‘right’ makes interactions and meaningful relationships with people like Jean very difficult.

References Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder

Obsessive compulsive disorder – family and friends. (2019). Retrieved from https://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/health/ConditionsAndTreatments/obsessive-compulsive-disorder-family-and-friends