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Free 1st Aid Courses – Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) is a mental health illness where it affects the brain and behaviour. OCD can be the cause of severe anxiety as the person will have repetitive thoughts and behaviours which is out of their control.

It comprises both obsessions thoughts and compulsions behaviour, which can obstruct important activities that the person values.

How can an individual’s OCD affect others?

Family and friends can be hugely affected by people who suffer with OCD. This can be very confusing for all involved, as people may not understand the condition. This can put huge strain on the family relationship, which could cause feelings of anger and frustration, for example;

The person with OCD may want to involve or pressure friends or family members to help with their daily routine, for example, if an individual with OCD does not want to leave the house then a family member might have to do all their shopping. This can have huge strains on the family or friends as they will need to adjust their own daily routines

OCD can also affect personal relationship, such as marriage. It can have a huge disruptive pattern on the whole household and even cause financial issues if the person in not in a job. It can also have a major impact on their children as they won’t know what is happening to their loved ones

What are the types of thoughts and behaviour associated with OCD?

Examples > Thoughts:

Fear of contamination, for example;

bodily fluids, such as urine or salvager, germs and disease and general dirty.

Fear of losing control including, self-harm, harming others, stealing or becoming aggressive.

Unwanted sexual thoughts, this could be sexual thoughts about others or aggressive sexual thoughts towards others.

Obsessive perfectionist, the person had to have everything correct and in order

Religious obsessions as in concerns about offending God or even the thoughts or radicalisation

Examples > Behaviour:

Washing and cleaning – this can constant of obsessive washing, cleaning and dressing in a certain way.

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Checking

Always checking if they have not forgotten something or having the thought of something bad happening if they make a mistake. Checking if they have or have not done any harm to anyone

Repeating

Repeating things, such as re-writing words and doing daily activities over again, such putting a shirt on three times.

Mental compulsions

This could be a factor such as putting things in order and avoiding situations that might trigger the obsession. Mental compulsions can also include things such as replacing good thing with bad things, that they feel.

Other compulsions

This can be having things in an informal way and also placed in certain ways.

How can an individual with OCD can manage their illness?

There are a number of different ways for an individual with OCD to manage their condition.

These ways can be;

Self-help materials

This can be, finding their own self-help materials, such as reading books and visiting websites for information on their condition and how to reduce it.

Support groups

Self-help groups are a great way for the individual with OCD to meet other people with the same condition, It will be the perfect opportunity to discuss best practice with others on what they have gone through and discuss different coping strategies.

Physical exercise

With all mental health illnesses and with life in general, exercising plays a major part in people mental well-being. By doing regular exercise, which can be running, jogging, walking, biking swimming etc discharges hormones which help the mind and well-being. Exercise can also be a good distraction for the persons thoughts

Mindfulness

Some people with OCD may find doing mindfulness techniques a great way to manage their condition.  This can be an ideal way to help with anxiety and keep a positive mindset. Things such as, yoga, listening to positive relaxing music, mediation and breathing sessions are some great ways to help

Future planning

The individual could put a plan together so in a crisis they are better prepared to deal with it. This can help their anxiety as they have a plan to follow if needed.

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How can others help the individual with OCD to manage their illness?

It’s key for the individual suffering OCD to get the support from other to help them to manage their condition.

Others including friends and family can help the individual by understanding exactly how they are feeling, for example, accept that the person is suffering from an illness and understand it’s hard for them to cope with their illness.

Supporting them to self-help sessions, this may include driving them there if they have no other means of transport or sitting in the session with them.

Friends and family can get support from professional people. This will help find out about the condition and will show the individual with OCD that they know what they are going through. By getting support from professional people can also help learn to how to deal with and manage compulsions.

Friends and family can help the individual by just showing them they are there for them.  This can include getting further advice and information for the person and support them sop they don’t feel isolated

What local resources and treatments are available to someone experiencing OCD

Support groups

What it offers:

Support groups offer people suffering with OCD the chance to get together. This is a great way for them to become lees isolated and chat with others suffering and share advice and experiences on how they cope and what different strategies they use to manage their illness, allowing them to also discuss their concerns. This can also give them opportunities to go to other sessions or treatment with each other

Relaxation classes or Mindfulness classes

What it offers:

These classes are designed to help the body and mind approach a more positive well-being and help change the way they think. This can help manage their stress and anxiety. The classes can encourage the person with OCD to look for further research that is available to help them manage their condition

Name of treatment:

Cognitive behavioural therapy

What this entails:

This is where a professional therapist will help the person with OCD to adjust to a healthier approach to the different ways of positive thinking.

Name of treatment:

Medication

What this entails:

Medication can be prescribed to control the balance of chemicals in the brain. The medication is a form of antidepressant called selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors

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For further information on our OCD Mental Health or our Free 1st Aid Courses please contact us here or for our mental health done for you training package please see here

 

OCD Mental Health First Aid is a mental health illness where it affects the brain and behaviour. OCD can be the cause of severe anxiety, as the person will have repetitive thoughts and behaviours which are out of their control. It comprises both obsessions thoughts and compulsions behaviour, which can obstruct important activities that the person values.

What are the possible causes of OCD?

After many years of professional research, it is not fully understood the main causes of OCD, however, research has suggested that the possible main causes of ODC can be;

Biology

OCD may be a result of changes in the persons brain functions. For example, research has shown that people suffering with OCD has differences in certain parts of their brain compared to those who do not suffer with OCD. This can include thing such as, brain activity, blood flow and brain chemical called serotonin. Now serotonin will regulate different parts of the body functions and this can include things such as memory, anxiety mood swings and sleep

Genetics

OCD may have a genetic component in the way it affects the brain, but specific genes have yet to be identified. Also, research suggests that a person with OCD will more than likely have someone in the family suffering with it, rather than someone who does not have OCD

Life events

Individuals who suffer with OCD often have a history of disturbing life events and these can include, physical or sexual abuse, neglect which can lead to social isolation. Being physical or emotionally bullied can also be a cause of OCD.

People who have a family history of OCD may also develop the condition if emotional events has happened in life, such as a family bereavement, for example, the death of a family member can trigger ODC as the person may have apprehension of another family member been hurt. A break-down in a relationship or even starting a new job can also trigger OCD

Personality traits

Individuals with different Personality traits such as stress or anxiety are more likely to suffer with OCD. Another example is if a person holds very high standards in to account, then they can also develop OCD.

What are the feelings an individual may have when experiencing OCD?

A person who doesn’t have OCD may struggle to understand just how someone is feeling with this condition. An individual may experience a number of different experiences – just imagine the brain is single-minded on a task and we cannot break this thought pattern.

The individual may experience thoughts they don’t want and will feel pressurised to do something rash to take the thoughts away. This thought process could also bring on anxiety and the individual may feel in danger so have to respond in a certain way to protect themselves.

The person may also experience both different obsessive thoughts and compulsions behaviour; for example;

obsessive thoughts

• Fear, this can a fear of danger to them or other around them
• They may have inappropriate thoughts or images in their head, such as sexually or violent thoughts
• They may become religious and even start to become radicalised

 compulsions behaviour

• repetitiveness – they can repeat conversations over and over again in their head
• they may experience horning, collecting things they don’t really need or want
• becoming obsessive around the home, such as cleaning, washing and making sure electrical plus are unplugged, doors looked etc.
• A person with OCD might recognise their fear is irrational, but the feeling will still be real to them. This is because the different function in the brain is letting them they are something is wrong, when its actually there is nothing wrong.

OCD Mental Health First Aid

How does OCD affect?

The individual

OCD would affect the individual as they have to go through a series of structured tasks and thoughts to feel safe and secure, without doing this they may feel in danger. There are many examples of this which can include;

Repetitive behaviour

A person may not feel safe unless they touch something every time they leave or come back in the house, such as plug sockets or light switches.

Repeating a person’s name over and over again to prevent something happening to the or repeating a specific pray or phase to prevent a thing happening

Continuous reading, for example, the person may be need to send an email but will check it excessive times before they send it

Touching things

Uniformity, keeping thing in the house all in the same order or have all the same colours together, for example, having the same colour pegs on the washing line for the same colour clothes or having the same organisation in the cupboards and fridge of food and tins

Obsessive washing and cleaning – this can be hands, cloths, table tops and general house cleaning. This can also include fear of food infection meaning the person will only eat what they cook themselves and in their own home

Some people may be affected by only buying certain things they tough in certain ways, for example, they will only but something from a shop if the use both hands to look at it and they have to hold it in a certain way

Getting ready in the mornings, people with OCD will get ready the same way each day, for example, they must put their socks on last

Their life

An individual with OCD would affect their lives as they would be governed by the routines and structure their mind is telling them.

As different people have slight OCD tendencies such as double-checking the door is locked, this will affect them and stop their daily activities. An example of this could be, if the person does not check all the doors before leaving they may think they are in danger and don’t leave the house and then they will become isolated.

The person may also suffer stigma and discrimination due to this and lose friends and have difficulties maintaining relationships, making them feel more isolated. This can make the person anxious from going out at all social events, so they would avoid it all together. It could also be difficult for the person to hold down a job.

Another factor that can affect their lives is avoiding things, as previously mention, if the person has a fear of infection or contamination, they may avoid eating elsewhere but their home, however if they become isolated, they may not have sufficient foods in the home so they will avoid eating all together or the person could want to stick to a certain diet and foods.

For further information on our OCD Mental Health First Aid courses please contact us here or for our mental health done for you training package please see here