Obsessive Compulsive Disorder I. Introduction a. Attention Getter: According to the National Institute of Mental Health, over “2.2 million American adults” suffer from Obsessive Compulsive Disorder in a given year. In a world of 6 billion people, 2.2 million doesn’t seem like much, but to put it into perspective, 2.2 million is about the population of Houston, Texas. b. Motivation: This disorder is a part of everyday life and affects all Americans, regardless of race or class. Just like thousands of other medical problems that affect us today, it’s important for the public to be informed about the disorder in order to better understand those that suffer from it. c. Credibility: Though I do not personally suffer
Environmental factors are the factors that affect a person through their physical environment. For OCD, the idea is that stressful situations can worsen the disorder. The death of a parent, or abuse as a child are examples of situations that can make the severity of the disorder worse.
[Transition] Knowing the symptoms and causes of OCD are the first steps before starting effective treatment. g. Main Idea #3: Treatment iii. Just like trying to find the cause of OCD, there is debate regarding the treatment of it. On one hand there is the environmental approach, and on the other is the biological one. 5. Therapy is a common treatment to OCD. A type known as Cognitive Behavioral Therapy involves having them face their fears and learn to desensitize these fears. As they are exposed to their fears on a constant basis, they will gradually begin to lose them. 6. Along with therapy, pill can also be used. As I stated earlier, low levels of serotonin are seen as one cause of OCD. So doctors sometimes prescribe antidepressants in order to increase the levels of serotonin. Most antidepressants are made specifically to increase levels of serotonin in the body. Therefore this is a common treatment type. 7. Both of these treatments are used only to manage OCD. They are