At the peak of anxiety: symptoms of obsessive-compulsive disorder

Let's define what it is nervous stress. This is a non-specific reaction of a person to any influence, be it psychological or physical, that disrupts his vital functions, as well as the state of his nervous system. At the same time, adrenaline is produced in the human body as a reaction of the body to the pathogen. It forces the brain to look for ways to survive in a given situation. Without stress, life would be boring and unmotivated. A small amount of it is necessary in the life of every individual. But if the complexity of tasks increases, accumulates and a person is no longer able to solve them, nervousness, unreasonable anxiety and tension appear.

Symptoms

Symptoms of nervous stress are as follows:

• Uncontrollable panic;
• Increased heart rate;
• Increased sweating;
• Unreasonable anxiety;
• Anxiety;
• Increased muscle tension;
• General fatigue;
• Sleep disturbance;
• Irritability;
• Loss of concentration.

Symptoms can increase gradually or suddenly fill the consciousness. Panic attacks most often do not last long. Psychologically, they are expressed by uncontrollable and inexplicable horror. Physiologically, panic is manifested by increased heart rate and sweating, chest compression, and suffocation. Nausea appears, breathing becomes shallow, and the body begins to tremble. A rise in temperature can also be a sign of a panic attack. The most obvious signs of this are anxiety and restlessness.

Manifestations of obsessions

Obsessions are expressed in various obsessive forms.

Actually, obsessive thoughts are single words, phrases, sentences, songs, poetic expressions of a negative nature that irritate and interfere with the patient.

• Impulses . A strong desire to commit an indecent act: while sitting at a meeting, an irresistible urge to yell at employees arises. Arriving at a restaurant, you suddenly want to hit the waiter. The urge to harm loved ones is considered common. There is a fear that the impulse will come true. In reality, persistent desires remain unfulfilled.
• Images . Unflattering scenes appear intrusively in a vivid form before a person’s eyes without his desire. Example: a man systematically has a picture of his friend being hit by a car popping up before his eyes.
• Doubts . They pop up against the background of an already accomplished event: did you lock the door, did you turn off the iron. A man, having worked his last working day, goes straight from work to the station. Here he will take the train and go to the sanatorium, where he will spend his vacation. On the way to the station, he begins to be tormented by doubts about whether he set the office alarm. I arrived at the station just as the train was leaving and had no opportunity to return and check the office. On the way to the sanatorium, the poor man already had a chain of tragic events: the office is located in a presentable area, in the city center. It has a convenient location, a balcony from which it is easy to get inside. There is a safe in the office. Surely the robbers found out that he was going on vacation, the office would be empty. For professionals, choosing a code for a safe is very simple. In the sanatorium he thinks only about work. Every day he checks the news to see if there are any reports of theft. Calls a colleague to find out how work is going. Exhausted by doubts, he returns from vacation ahead of schedule. On the road, the closer the patient gets to the house, the more anxiety and fear gripped him.
• Aggressive obsessions . Or contrasting thoughts relate to an unreasonable feeling of hatred towards relatives, towards any other person, object. Such antipathy is not supported by anything, it arises out of the blue. Patients do their best to drive away such feelings, understanding their irrationality. Example: the flaring up of negative feelings in a priest towards the saints. Aggressive obsessions are accompanied by a strong emotional outburst. There is a tireless desire to spoil any line with an unpleasant addition, to shout obscene, immoral phrases.

Imagery obsessions are classified as a separate group . These include obsessive thoughts and memories.

Intrusive thoughts are expressed in a long internal monologue on meaningless topics. A long chain of conclusions is born in the head, which does not lead to productive conclusions.

Such thoughts are so stupid that they are called “mental chewing gum”!

Fruitless obsessive reasoning within oneself is comparable to reasoning. The main difference is the patient’s critical attitude to his reasoning during obsessions.

A woman, walking down the street, thinks: who will I meet first among the passers-by, will it be a man or a woman? If a woman, what kind of haircut or long hair? Perhaps the first I will see is a man. Which direction will he go from? Such a series of questions/answers can continue for a long time in the patient’s head. Useless reasoning prevents you from focusing on significant events.

Intrusive memories force a person to systematically return mentally to a specific, already accomplished event that is insignificant or unpleasant.

Treatment

First of all, it should be mentioned that stress can be avoided. You can start treatment yourself. To do this, you need to learn to cope with stressful situations. It is necessary to use relaxation techniques or deep even breathing. Simple physical activities, such as simple exercises, will improve health and increase a person's ability to resist. Eliminating harmful substances (coffee, alcohol, nicotine, etc.) from your life will reduce anxiety. It is imperative to learn how to cope with your phobias. This will be taught by qualified doctors of the Rehab Family clinic, recognized in Europe and America. The rules guarantee complete confidentiality. The Rehab Family clinic is distinguished not only by effective treatment methods, but also by providing comfortable conditions for the complete adaptation of patients.

At the beginning of treatment, it is necessary to discuss its stages with loved ones, explain your actions and emotions, so that they can also help or, at least, not interfere. The treatment prescribed by the doctor must be strictly followed. Its course is usually observed in dynamics during visits. Patients of the Rehab Family clinic can seek help at any day and time. The disease, like our doctors, has no holidays.

Where does OCD come from?

Several hypotheses have been put forward regarding the cause of the disorder. Neurophysiologists believe that excessive reuptake of serotonin in synapses, limiting the amount of neurotransmitter, reduces the degree of conduction of nerve impulses, which may be the cause of the disease. This theory is confirmed by the positive effect of taking selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, which reduce the amount of the mediator during reuptake.

The theory of PANDAS syndrome is interesting. Its apologists believe that the formation of OCD is influenced by streptococcal infection. Once in the body, streptococcus provokes the release of antibodies, which, in addition to pathogenic organisms, affect its own cells, in particular the basal ganglia.

A connection has been established between the disorder and certain brain diseases:

• demyelinating diseases (multiple sclerosis) – among such patients, OCD occurs in 16% of cases;
• vascular lesions of the brain (stroke), although there are cases where OCD receded after a stroke;
• Parkinson's disease and other extrapyramidal disorders;
• epilepsy.

The disease can occur in parallel with another mental disorder: depression, bipolar disorder, anorexia, or act as a symptom within an existing disease, for example, schizophrenia.

OCD is more likely to be associated with exposure to stress factors: a powerful sudden shock, experienced psychological trauma, or chronic stress.

Character traits play a role. The following personality traits predispose to the development of OCD:

• low, high self-esteem;
• selfishness;
• tendency to self-flagellation;
• desire for dominance;
• constant doubt on any issue, long thoughts, hesitation before a decision is made.

The risk of illness is high when a person mentally constantly returns to traumatic memories and fixes attention on them.

Causes of anxiety

Why does anxiety occur and where does it come from? The amygdala, an area of ​​the brain, is responsible for human emotions. As a natural adaptive reaction, every person has anxiety, but not everyone has anxiety disorders. According to numerous studies, experts identify several main factors that provoke the development of an anxiety disorder:

• hereditary predisposition;
• characteristics of upbringing and the prevailing atmosphere in the family;
• frequent traumatic situations;
• somatic diseases;
• inability to overcome crisis situations;
• self-dissatisfaction, low self-esteem and other internal conflicts;
• disruption of thinking processes.

Excessive consumption of alcohol, strong coffee, lack of sleep, and frequent stress make the human autonomic system more sensitive and increase the risk of developing anxiety disorders.

How to calm down at home

If stress catches you at home, the best thing to do is take a bath or shower. Immediately after stress, you need to do a little gymnastics. Physical exercise helps quickly get rid of adrenaline, which enters the bloodstream during stress. You can sit down several times quickly or walk from room to room at a fast pace. Then breathe slowly for a few seconds. Then lie back in your chair or sofa, close your eyes and breathe deeply and slowly.

Sometimes the mundane environment in the house is annoying. You just need to change the curtains, put up new wallpaper, rearrange the furniture, hang pictures with beautiful landscapes. And the mood will immediately change.

Prolonged stress

The result of increased excitability (symptoms: irritability, apathy, confusion) is prolonged stress. A person has a headache, tremors in the limbs, joint pain, body aches - psycho-emotional problems lead to pathologies.

The attending physician prescribes medications that relieve physical symptoms. Psychoanalysis and work on lifestyle helps the individual get rid of stress and its consequences. The danger of a prolonged stressful state lies in the disruption of the central nervous system.

Mental disorders manifest themselves in people who have not struggled with constant emotional stress.

Calming herbs and aromatherapy

You can relieve stress in a relaxed home environment. Soothing tea and essential oils, incense and scented candles will create all the conditions for relaxation of the body.

Herbal infusions that are stored all year round help relieve internal tension. The following herbs are selected as a natural sedative: St. John's wort, oregano, chamomile and motherwort. Dilute the herbal taste of tea with honey, cinnamon or syrup. The composition of the collection is selected individually.

Herbal tea with honey

Getting rid of nervous tension at home is easy if you take baths with pine needles and essential oils once a week. Use 10 drops of oils (orange, cedar and lemon tree) added to a warm bath. This way you can relieve fatigue. After a bath, it is recommended to drink freshly brewed chamomile tea or a decoction with medicinal plants (lemon balm and mint).

The beneficial properties of oils are used to improve blood circulation, in the fight against colds and stress. Incense helps to relax: with the help of an aroma lamp and essential oils you can calm the nervous system. With the help of lavender, geranium and frankincense oil, a woman can relieve severe pain during menstruation (hormonal imbalance causes increased nervousness and psycho-emotional stress).

Distinctive features of obsessions

Obsessions born in the patient’s mind are endowed with the following distinctive features:

• arise involuntarily, against the will of the patient;
• presence of clear consciousness;
• thoughts do not disappear under the volitional influence of a person;
• have no connection with the individual’s thinking, being born detached;
• have a close connection with the emotional background;
• do not affect the logic of thinking, do not distort the intellectual level;
• maintaining criticism of obsessions.

The emotional turmoil of obsessive-compulsive disorder is so intense that it can cause problems with perception. Tactile, gustatory, and olfactory hallucinations often occur. In severe cases, illusions and visual hallucinations occur.

Long-term, deep obsessions can modify personality traits. A person becomes suspicious, indecisive, and fears everything. Self-doubt and shyness appear.

Dealing with the disorder

The basis of treatment for obsessive-compulsive neurosis is psychotherapy. It is very important to carry out deep work with the patient’s psyche in order to achieve positive dynamics. A psychotherapist helps you overcome:

• depressive ideas;
• pessimism;
• anxiety;
• obsessive thoughts.

To achieve this, she conducts group, individual and cognitive behavioral therapy sessions. In some cases, music therapy and art therapy are used. If the case is advanced, additional medications are used.

Diagnostic criteria for tension headaches

In addition to the examination and history taking, the doctor will prescribe additional research methods: computer diagnostics and MRI, X-ray of the cervical spine and skull with special functional tests, rheoencephalography and ultrasound examination of the vessels of the head (USDG).

Muscle soreness is determined by palpation, and the condition of the pericranial muscles is determined using a pressor algometer.

You will find more information on our website Dobrobut.com. If you need further examination, make an appointment for a consultation at a time convenient for you. Your doctor will answer your questions and talk about diagnostic criteria for tension headaches. Registration is possible on the website and by phone.