OCD or Obsessive Compulsive Disorder is having obsessive thoughts or images that appear to interfere into a person's mind. Even if the person with OCD personally knows they are his own thoughts, he can't stop himself from doing it. This is very disturbing. The main causes have yet completely known and understood. There is no cure for OCD, but it can be managed with proper therapy and medications. This would also help patients in learning to minimize the disorder's impact on their lives. Most people thought that OCD will be outgrown. Sadly, it's not like that. Most of them, if not properly managed or cured will carry it out until their adult stage. Thus, it is important for you to know how to identify and assess the signs and symptoms of OCD in adults. You can also ask some experts or trained doctors about this. Assess if the patient is manifesting obsessive behavior. Be aware that the signs and symptoms of OCD grow primarily from interfering or obsessive thoughts that develop into the mind. These thoughts appear apparently with no warning and oppose any efforts to control or lessen them. They just can't help it. Their precise character and manifestation is depending on the patient. The fact is that they are usually quite disturbing and traumatic. These frequent obsessive thoughts comprises of fears about cleanliness, anxiety about attacked or urge to terrible behavior, an obsession on symmetrical numbers and patterns, fear and worries about their safety. Assess if the patient is manifesting a compulsive behavior. Rituals are mainly one of the symptom a compulsive person manifests even during their early years. For most cases, adult OCD patient build up cycles of rituals for them to lessen the anxiety produced by their obsessive thoughts. The whole story of this situation may vary but may be associated to the thoughts in a much direct way. For example, an OCD patient is worried about the danger burglars may do, so the patient will keep on checking his gate again and again knowing all the while that he already locked it. The other patient is then obsessed with cleanliness that he may do hand washing rituals, knowing that it's already clean. Assess for disrupting cases that manifests. The patient is manifesting a compulsive behavior and having rituals that usually are time consuming. In worst cases scenario, they are consuming up hours at a time. With this behavior, it creates a disrupting and disturbing effect on a patient's life. They will usually have difficulty in school, work responsibilities may be disrupted , possible conflicts in their relationship with others will likely to happen, and every day life maybe disturbed and probably hard to deal with having those consistent routines. Assess patient for skin problems An adult OCD patient will have an obsessive act of hand washing rituals. They tend to be obsessive when it comes to cleanliness. Due to this, skin problems may develop. The hands of the patient will become dry and the skin will lead to break or crack due to excessive scrubbing. The end result will be infected sores and dermatitis if left unattended. Assess for emotional problems like depression You can never deny the fact that an OCD patient will develop emotional problems. The disturbing thoughts that linger on the patient's mind, some of the judgmental people that would try to make fun of them. Problems such as depression are most likely to be present in adult patient with OCD, as well increase in anxiety disorders. Assessment is important and must not be taken lightly. Though it can be managed, you must primarily know if it's still manifesting especially when you're an adult. The earlier detection, the better, for management, therapies, and medications can be given to help the adult OCD patient live life hassle free as possible. For more transforming strategies for ADHD, visit http://askdoctorjohn.info/
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