Other diseases or disorders are theories as to why OCD occurs also (Rachman).
There is also a theory that it comes from post-traumatic stress disorder. This is an anxiety disorder just like OCD. It is also a psychological disorder. The thoughts and images that occur with this disorder coincide with OCD. A number of patients have compulsive rituals. A small number of patients have both disorders though (Rachman).
Another theory is that OCD can occur from brain damage. Symptoms similar to OCD can occur from brain damage. Patients may act in repetitive acts or have repetitive ideas. Studies made show that this is not a very good theory. OCD patients have not shown clear results in the study. It has not been shown that OCD patients have brain damage, it is just a theory (Rachman).
Symptoms and Diagnosis.
There are many symptoms and diagnosis's for OCD. Some obsessive symptoms include thoughts, words, or mental images that invade conscious awareness. Obsessions may consist of: violent thoughts, contamination thoughts, and constant thoughts about a tragic event. Symptoms of compulsions have to do with repetitive impulses to do a certain behavior. Compulsions may consist of: constant touching, washing objects, and checking to see if anything tragic has happened. To find a diagnosis for OCD, therapists find out personality traits of patients to make sure it is exactly OCD that they should be diagnosed with (Hamilton).
Case Studies.
There are many different case studies to look at to get an idea on how OCD affects people in their lives. One is Amy George's story. When she was five years old, she felt like she had to take a bath in a certain order. As tine went on, behaviors became worse. Routines became more elaborate everyday and it kept taking longer times to get ready. As time went on, rituals such as doing things in certain order, doing things in groups of three's, obsessing on how homework looked, and ended up missing out on a lot of teenage activities.