OCD (Obsessive Compulsive Disorder)
Obsessions.
Recurrent and persistent thoughts, urges, or images that are experienced, at some time during the disturbance, as intrusive and unwanted and that in most individuals cause marked anxiety or distress.
The individual attempts to ignore or suppress such thoughts, urges, or images, or to neutralise them with some other thought or action (i.e., by performing a compulsion).
Compulsions.
Repetitive behaviours (e.g., hand washing, ordering, checking) or mental acts (e.g., praying, counting, repeating words silently) that the individual feels driven to perform in response to an obsession, or according to rules that must be applied rigidly.
The behaviours are aimed at prevention by reducing anxiety or distress, or prohibit some dreaded event or situation. However, these behaviours or cognitions either are not connected in a realistic way with what they are designed to neutralise, prevent or are clearly excessive.
Compulsive ritual acts may absorb many hours every day and are sometimes associated with marked indecisiveness and slowness. Generally they are equally common in both sexes but hand-washing rituals are more common in women and slowness without repetition is more common in men.
Utilizing cognitive behavioural therapy allows the person to think and feel differently. ERP exposure response prevention is used in conjunction with CBT and allows for superior outcomes. It is essential a plan of action is devised for that individual person suffering from OCD.
Pure O is when a person experiences thoughts which may harm someone, such as stabbing a person with a knife, or being a paedophile simply because they have looked at a young child. Nobody with Pure O has ever harmed a person, these horrendous thoughts are only in their mind which are never acted out in reality. Those suffering from Pure O with just obsessional thoughts can be helped with CBT techniques.
Trichotillomania TTM
Trichotillomania or the pulling out of hair mainly from the head, but can be from the eyelashes, eyebrows, arms, legs or pubis. This compulsion can begin at any age, more commonly between 9 - 15 years old. More females have this problem, or perhaps males can hide their baldness easier. Females will cover themselves up with hats, use false eyelashes and wigs, disguising themselves for fear of being discovered.
It can be caused by emotional or traumatic events during their childhood days. The condition which can be frantic at times is usually worse in the evenings or when bored, and during the menstrual cycle. This can create low self-esteem, depression, and anxiety due to their helplessness of not being in control.
They often experience tension prior to pulling out a hair, and then relief or pleasure afterwards. Often a particular hair is selected, coarser, thicker or wavy one, or a particular hair that does not feel ‘normal’ or is ‘alien’. Some will place the follicle of the hair in their mouth and bite on it experiencing a pleasurable feeling, others may brush the hair around the outside or inside their mouth.
Using clinical hypnosis with cognitive behavioural therapy and interpersonal therapy, provides that person with better coping skills and coping mechanisms for the future.
A referral by a physician is required for these therapies.