com, 1995). .
OCD strikes people of all ethnic groups, both male and female. It can last for a few years, decades of for life. There is no single, proven cause of OCD, but research suggests that OCD involves problems in communication between the front part of the brain and deeper structures. These brain structures use a chemical "messenger" called serotonin, and it is believed that insufficient levels of this messenger are prominently involved in OCD. Symptoms usually begin to appear during the teenage years or early adulthood, but can often start at a much earlier age (March et al., 1997). .
Left untreated, OCD usually grows worse as patients age. It may first appear as autism, pervasive development disorder or Tourette's Syndrome. It can also lead to depression or chronic anxiety. Though symptoms may become less severe from time to time, and there are often times when symptoms remain mild or nonexistent for extended periods, OCD is generally a chronic condition. However, if treated early enough, scientists hope that OCD sufferers won't worsen with age, or can even be cured of the disease entirely (March et al., 1997).
It should be noted that people with OCD should not be confused with a much larger group of individuals who are sometimes called "compulsive" because they hold themselves to a high standard of performance (at work for example). This type of "compulsiveness" differs dramatically from the life-wrecking obsessions and rituals of a person with OCD, which serve no intrinsic purpose.
.
Treatment of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder-.
The prevention of obsessive-compulsive disorder remains largely unexplored, in part because of uncertainty regarding the causes of the problem. Further, the disorder can easily escape the family physician's attention and is seldom voluntarily disclosed by patients. Given OCD usually begins in adolescence or early adulthood, patients in this age group who present anxiety symptoms, depression or excessive meticulousness, cleanliness or behavior peculiarities (such as refusal to touch certain objects or rigid rules regarding the ways food must be prepared) should be screened by a family physician.
