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In __Freeing Your Child from Obsessive Compulsive Disorder__, the author states, “Children with OCD endure scrutiny, pain, and embarrassment because they are victims of a brain condition that turns the simple test of surviving into an all-time consuming battle between what she knows to be true and the irrational fears OCD unleashes." (Chansky 19) In other words, OCD makes everything complicated, and makes the simple tasks of life huge crosses to bare. Many who have either observed the disease or who have a child with OCD find that the disorder involves many implications, and that the symptoms can range from very mild to very strong.

Obsessive Compulsive Disorder is a disease which causes not only deep stress, but also causes the person to do something to relieve discomfort of something else. Although the exact cause of this strange disease is unknown, doctors theorize that it is because the brain becomes too focused on serotonin, which is a chemical that carries messages back and forth between the brain. Because the focus is so strong, it causes the brain to pay attention to the small and unnecessary things more deeply and excessively than normal. Does that mean that anyone who experiences stress and anxiety has Obsessive Compulsive Disorder? The answer to this intriguing question is no. Not everyone who has stress has OCD. It is very normal periodically to have stress as a result of events that are sad, emotional, or difficult, but it is abnormal when the anxiety becomes so strong that it interferes with daily life. This demonstrates that OCD is not a sign of personal or character weakness. In fact, OCD usually starts in early adulthood, and it usually runs in families. OCD appears to be more common in women than in men. Since it is usually an inherited disorder, OCD obsessions and rituals are hard to break. Obsessions can include unpleasant thoughts or images and can cause the individual to loose control resulting from a high stress level, or simply wanting to maintain extreme cleanliness at all times.

Most behaviors found in Obsessive Compulsive Disorder are usually senseless, repetitive, distressing, and sometimes even harmful. OCD symptoms can range from very mild to very serious. For example, it would be considered a very serious case of OCD if one was checking to make sure their back door was locked for over an hour. Witnesses of OCD observe these strange, mental acts called Compulsions and Obsessions. Compulsions are repetitive behaviors of mental acts performed in an effort to diminish the anxiety and distress brought by the obsessive thoughts. Obsessions are persistent impulses, ideas, images, or thoughts that intrude into a persons’ mind causing intense anxiety and distress. These obsessions and compulsions also fall into categories as well. The categories they fall under are washers, checkers, counters, hoarders, and doubters. Washers are those who have the fear of being contaminated. They always wash their hands and tend to take long trips to the bathroom very often. Checkers are people that feel that they have to check to make sure their doors are locked or that the oven is off many times daily. They may even take over an hour to check those things! Doubters are those who are afraid that if something isn’t perfect, that everything will go wrong and that something bad will happen. Counters constantly and consistently count or say things over and over. They also have many superstitions about numbers and colors, causing stress too. The last category,hoarders, are people that constantly collect things, for fear that if they throw something away, something bad will occur. These five categories can be very serious and should not be taken lightly.

Although OCD is a very serious disease, it is also very treatable. The two main factors in treating Obsessive Compulsive Disorder are therapy and medication. Doctors have developed medication called antidepressants, which increase the amount of serotonin sent to the nerve cells in the brain. This helps the individual to lessen the amount of concentration on unimportant ideas or stresses. There are five categories which make up the second factor; therapy. Education is the first category. Joining an OCD help group becomes the second category. Practicing relaxation skills makes up the third category. Practicing therapy skills falls into the fourth category. Finally, the most important category: staying connected to family and friends. All of the above are big steps in becoming a more normal person. Each step takes time, and helps the person to control his or her own thoughts.

OCD influences personal relationships, friends, family, and a person's ability to function within society. Obsessive Compulsive Disorder is a disease which affects the nervous system of one out of every forty people and debilitates an immense number of people throughout the world. Understanding this disease and the options of treating it can aide many who want to live normal lives.