OCD (obsessive compulsive personality disorder) Research Paper - 1

OCD (obsessive compulsive personality disorder) - Research Paper Example However, clinically, that is not true. Toates and Toates (2002) say that OCD i â€Å"†¦classified in psychiatric thinking as an anxiety disorder†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (pp. vii). What is currently known about obsessive-compulsive disorder is that it is basically consisting of two functions: there is an obsession (or obsessions), and a compulsion (or compulsions). The two interact with each other, playing off each other and feeding the fear that is inherent in this disease. For example, some people check the locks on doors over and over in order to ensure that everything is secure. Some people retrace their steps until things â€Å"feel right.† Some people have a compulsion with hand-washing, and must rub their skin clean until it is red and smarting. Some people must check that the lights are turned off in their room before leaving. Some people avoid stepping on cracks in the sidewalk for fear that they will not have good luck. As one can see, these â€Å"compulsions† go far beyond just worrying about simple bad luck. These compulsions become the centerpiece of the person’s day, and, clinically speaking, more than an hour focusing on compulsions is part of what is considered part of the patient’s diagnosis. Basically, what is another part of the diagnosis is the necessity of the patient to have to focus on an obsession. Now, an obsession can be almost anything. The obsession itself could be the light. The obsession itself could be the sidewalk’s cracks. Whatever that thing is upon which the patient is focusing so intently, that is the obsession which is problematic for the patient. The patient becomes so intently focused upon this object or thought that it consistently invades his or her mind and makes him or her almost crazy with checking, washing, or some other repetitive behavior or ritual that becomes a focus of one’s daily life. Indeed, Collie (2005) describes the OC D diagnosis as a function of â€Å"†¦mental or behavioral rituals†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (pp. x). One