(no subject)
“Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) is an anxiety disorder where a person has recurrent and unwanted ideas or impulses (called obsessions) and an urge or compulsion to do something to relieve the discomfort caused by the obsession. The obsessive thoughts range from the idea of losing control, to themes surrounding religion or keeping things or parts of one's body clean all the time. Compulsions are behaviors that help reduce the anxiety surrounding the obsessions. Most people (90%) who have OCD have both obsessions and compulsions. The thoughts and behaviors a person with OCD has are senseless, repetitive, distressing, and sometimes harmful, but they are also difficult to overcome.” This definition though taken from a website on obsessive compulsive disorders is most likely what the book would say if I could find a definition on it. Because I have an earlier edition of the book, I cannot say for sure if it is covered or not.
The website is mental help net.
It seemed well researched enough for the definition although I would have liked a bibliography for the statistic, I wasn’t using it for the article. You’ll find a list of website and possible? Sources at the end and that each page is at least dated.
My way of defining OCD is a sort of separated fear or disassociated fear… if that makes sense. They know what part of them thinks will happen is silly, but a part of them fears it will happen and won’t let go unless another part of them performs or pushes them into a ritual to appease that fear. It could even be the same part. Almost like an overdeveloped survival instinct or an overly superstitious mind. It always makes me think of hotels that don’t have a thirteenth floor or old rituals to bring back the sun. Maybe the people knew it was silly but did it anyway just in case. Just that only more developed and harmful.
In the video you showed the class the little girls were separating their OCD brain from themselves when they talked about it. One even drew a picture of it. That’s why I said disassociated fear. Another thing that I found interesting was that the one girl started her ritual of checking the plugs after a fire safety video. These poor kids are getting horrible consequences shouted at them from inside their head if they don’t do the ritual. Everybody thinks of the washing hands thing, but it’s more than that. I’ve seen it portrayed fairly in shows like Scrubs, (a comedy medical drama mix) but it has also been portrayed just as washing your hands over and over again, almost as if it’s just a funny quirk that the person has. In fact, if you had asked me in middle school about it, I might have just stated it was just that. Someone who thought they had to wash their hands a lot.
As for critical thinking, I don’t think there is one for the people with OCD but there is one for the people outside of it and that’s analyze assumptions and biases and possibly don’t oversimplify.. like: either they can control their thoughts or they can’t. The video just put me into mind for this topic although I wasn’t about to talk about the natural / biological perspective on medicine. I still wanted to talk about the video.
In case the link didn't work here's a version you can copy/paste
http://www.mentalhelp.net/poc/view_doc.php?type=doc&id=439&cn=6