Can An Online OCD Test Be Useful, When Psychiatrists Aren't Available?

By Christopher M. Seymour


OCD tests are a very important part of the diagnosis procedure, this should come ahead of what your friends or family tell you. If you think that someone you know shows the tell-tale signs of OCD its extremely important to get a proper diagnosis from a qualified physician, the symptoms are not usually seen, until the teens as children are eccentric as part of their normal growing up process, so to properly diagnose a child who may be suffering from OCD is extremely difficult. If the thought of going to a professional person may be too expensive then there is another option, you could take an online test.
[OCD Test]


The severity of the condition naturally also differs among those sufferers - when we take those factors into account, diagnosis can become a complicated issue. The best way to actually understand what we mean by OCD, is by understanding that it is basically identified as frequently occurring behavioural and thought patterns that cause stress and anxiety. These thoughts and behaviours are characterized by the fact that we have little control over them, without treatment at least.Although it affects both children and adults, we find diagnosis is much more common in adults. It is estimated only 1% of children are affected by this condition, or roughly half the amount of adults. Trying to pinpoint where to draw the line between unusual or eccentric behaviour and actual Obsessive Compulsive Disorder can be a complex problem. This is why professional assessments for OCD are so important, and must always take precedence over advice or concerns from friends or family. If you think you may be displaying the tell-tale symptoms of OCD, it is very important to get diagnosed.

The big question is how to distinguish from someone who is crazy about say collecting stamps or coins over someone who thinks that collecting newspapers is their hobby. Actually trying to find out where to draw the line is very difficult to do between eccentric or harmless behaviour. This is why it is so important to get a proper assessment from licensed psychiatrist. Many people are worried about this, as they seem to think that medication is the only answer, but I have found that in most cases it is not even included in the treatment plan, there are so many different options to try before going down this route, such as cognitive behavioural therapy.Hypnosis is a very popular treatment for helping people who suffer from OCD. There are indeed many benefits individual hypnosis can do for a person, especially when a person is determined to see things to the very end or committed to do things that he believes he can, then the possibilities are endless. Hypnosis has seen excellent results in treating obsessive-compulsive disorder, but to get the full benefit from it you have to see it through to the end.

After yet another display of lining up toys or endlessly performing the same behavior over and over it's not unusual for parents to wonder if their child may have not one but two disorders - autism and OCD (Obsessive Compulsive Disorder).OCD is a neurological disorder that causes obsessive thoughts and behaviors and can greatly disrupt a person's life. There are two main elements to OCD, thoughts or obsessions and compulsions or behaviors.The obsessions are experienced as thoughts, images or impulses and can be persistent. Whereas compulsions are repetitive behaviors that the sufferer feels compelled to carry out whether they want to or not. The performance of the repetitive behaviors is usually done to reduce distress or to stop a particular event.

It is common for people with an autism spectrum disorder to also display repetitive behaviors and have repetitive thoughts, comparable to those who suffer from Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD). OCD is a condition that generally makes sufferers feel uncomfortable with their symptoms, and wish that they could get rid of them. On the other hand children with autism are usually unconcerned with their various obsessions or behaviors and may even see them as comforting, increasing the frequency during stressful situations as a calming mechanism.

Compulsions are repetitive behaviors that sufferers have to perform in order to get rid of their obsessive thoughts. This is only temporary relief, the thoughts and compulsions will come back. Everyone has different compulsions based on their individual personality. Some examples of symptoms include: counting, keeping order, repeating actions, washing, cleaning and checking on things. Some people have to flip their light switch ten times when they come home while others have to wash their hands 100 times per day to help them avoid germs. There are thousands of different examples of these.

Compulsions - Repetitive behaviors or mental acts that the person feels driven to perform in response to an obsession, or according to rules that must be applied rigidly which are aimed at preventing or reducing distress or preventing some dreaded event or situation; however, these compulsions either are not connected in a realistic way or are clearly excessive. Some of the most common examples include:Repeating actions, such as washing hands or cleaning Checking and rechecking that something has been done, like the oven has been turned off,Repetitively arranging objects,Counting frequently,Repeating a word, phrase or prayer,Hoarding or keeping items that have little importance

Despite the person's realizing that these thoughts are irrational, these thoughts are irresistible to the person affected by the OCD.The diagnosis of OCD has been described in medicine for more than 100 years. OCD occurs fairly equally among people, regardless of culture. The largest onset group by age is typically 15-24 years old however OCD can be triggered at almost any age. Individuals with OCD are more likely to also develop an eating disorder like anorexia or bulimia, or other behavioral concerns such as depression.While there is no known specific cause for OCD, family history and bio-neurological disorder in the brain are thought to be factors in who will get the illness. People who have relatives with OCD are generally at a somewhat higher risk of developing the disorder themselves. It is thought that an imbalance of the chemical serotonin in the brain may also contribute to the development of OCD. 50-60% of those who reported having OCD stated a stress event was occurring or had occurred around the time of onset, and almost all state that stress increases the symptoms of OCD.

Some common compulsions in children include: clearing the throat, twitching, rituals that have to be followed exactly, counting items, repeating things, washing hands, showering often and many more. Compulsions are not always as common as obsessions are. Just because a child is cleaning their room often and washing their hands doesn't necessarily mean they have OCD. Sometimes these symptoms will go away as a kid grows up; it all varies based on the individual.

Treatments include cognitive behavioral therapy, behavioral therapies, and in some cases medication. Behavioral therapies for OCD include ritual prevention and exposure therapy. Exposure therapy is the process by which the individual with OCD is put in touch with situations that tend to increase the OCD sufferer's urge to engage in compulsions, then helping him or her resist that urge, and furthermore reinforcing the outcome with evidence that proves the affected patient will not indeed experience a traumatic situation as the thought patters had previously insisted. CBT helps patients change the negative styles of thinking and behaving that are often associated with the anxiety involved with obsessive compulsive disorder.Obsessive compulsive personality is often misinterpreted as perfectionism during the early stages of the condition. Regardless of the intensity of the behavioral issue that the person suffers from, medications, response prevention and CBT are used for the OCD treatment on adults. These almost have equal impact, even though it is mild to moderate. ERP and CBT are proved to be efficient if used alone with evidence based methods. Studies have been conducted on the impact of anxiety disorder treatment on children and adolescents as well. Medications are effective, but the improvement is mild.




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