Critical Review: Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) In India

Critical Review: Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) In India 1
CRITICAL REVIEW: OBSESSIVE COMPULSIVE DISORDER (OCD) IN INDIA
By (Student’s Name)
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1.0 INTRODUCTION
1.1. The Focus of the Study
Children living with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) have in past been neglected.
Not because no one cares. But the parents are most afraid to open up to the fact that their child is
suffering from a disorder. Most of the working class parents prefer staying with the children
indoors instead of allowing such children to interact. In one of the cases witnessed, a father
disowned his child and accused the mother of infidelity. This was because the father was an
upper-class economy parent who worked as a bank manager. He could not hold the thought of
having a child suffering from obsessive-compulsive disorders. Such parents make the focus of
our study and how to inform them accordingly about this type of special needs disease.
1. 2. The Aim of the Study
The study aims at informing the parents, teachers and the public the real causes of the
obsessive behavioral disorder. It also needs to access the various treatments that this child can
undergo so that the family can help them in the healing process rather than neglect them. This
study also aims at making the public understand that the disorder is not meant for a specific
social class or social group. Anyone’s child can suffer from such a disorder.
1.3. Overview
The study will focus on the evidence or particular specific behaviors that are likely to be
symptoms of obsessive-compulsive disorder. The evidence will help the public know how to
identify with such cases. When they are identified it easier to perform the different treatment at

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early stages, even from home and not waiting to get to the hospitals. The behavior that the study
will identify, can also help us understand the various types of the disorder that can be manifested
in an individual. The study also identifies the various treatment that can be administered to
obsessive-compulsive disorder patients. The psychological disturbance that these patients
undergo and the psychological therapy that can administer for each. The study will also focus on
adaptation and rehabilitation process as a way of curing the disorder. The study also focuses on
the roles of nurses and their input towards ensuring that the disorder is well managed in the all of
India. The study will then conclude by showing how the study will help achieve the aims.
1.4. Causes
The study was facilitated by an outburst cry by the agencies that support children and
women rights. Their concern was the high numbers of women that reached for help, complaining
that their husbands had abandoned them due to their children showing early signs of the disorder.
Teachers in school also demanded the study sighting that increased cases of such disorder were
registered in school (Andersson et al. 2015). But when they informed the parents about their
children disorder and asked them to take different healing mechanisms. The parents showed
rebellious signs accusing the teachers of undermining their intelligence. These lead to the outcry
of teachers in requesting to conduct the study that will help inform the general Indian public
about the disorder (Angelakis, Gooding, Tarrier and Panagioti 2015).
1.5. Statistics
According to previous studies carried out in the country. The prevalence of the disease in
India is about 2-3%. This is a very high prevalence rate compared to most countries, especially in

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Europe. Some countries have shown low prevalence up to about 0.5% rates. The global
conservative rates of prevalence according to the WHO is 1%. This shows how the country has
high prevalence rates (Aspvall et al. 2018). Of the total infected population, 26% are the only
adults. The rest 64% are children under the age of 15. These statistics show the way most school
going children are suffering from this disorder. Of the population, 9% are the ones suffering due
to natural causes. The rest percentage are suffering due to inherited or genetic causes. The
generic cause percentage explains why the parents have to be bitter when told that their child
could be suffering from the disorder (Boedhoe et al. 2017).
1.6. Problem Identification
The nation has been doing well in catering for people with various special needs. There
has been good recognition of this type of people. The schools have set aside special programs in
the curriculum to help them. The problem that the nation is facing is the new rates of the
obsessive-compulsive disorder that keeps rising, therefore demanding for all the stakeholders to
go the extra mile and care for such people in the country (Brakoulias et al. 2017). As much as
other stakeholders are doing their part from teachers, health practitioners to the government. The
major challenge comes from the parents of the individuals that are suffering from this disorder.
They neglect their children (Burguiere, Monteiro, Mallet, Feng and Graybiel 2015). They deny
them their fundamental rights. They even go as far as selling them out to orphanages and other
mental facilities. They do all this with the fear that when people know about their children with
the disorder they will judge them harshly. This is the main problem identified by the study.

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2.0. MAIN BODY
2.1.0. BEHAVIORS OF OBSESSIVE-COMPULSIVE DISORDER
Obsessive-compulsive disorder is comprised of two characterizes derived from the name.
The two characteristics are made up of; obsessions and compulsions. The behaviors though differ
from one patient to another. But their ones that are most common among most of the infected
individuals. Because it is quite difficult to identify most of the people do not realize the early
signs until it has become fully seen (Chen et al. 2016). They then would rather live with it than
seek medical intervention. The WHO recognizes this condition as one of the most handicapping,
since it is very difficult to read or identify the behaviors. Looking into the behaviors in the study
will help the parents identify various signs manifested by their children (Collins and Coles
2017). So they don’t have to blame the teachers or themselves for identifying the condition in
their children. The study will also help them know the right time to seek early intervention for
their children. The intervention could even come from the parents themselves and not necessarily
the nurses (Davies 2017).
2. 1.1. Obsession
This is the first sign of the condition. It is defined by unwanted intrusive thoughts,
doubts, images, scenes, urge, feelings that repeatedly manifest in the individual's mind. The
obsession is repulsive from the person’s personality. This means that each time the person feels
the obsessive urge, they try so much to resist it. The individual regards them as unreasonable and
very excessive (Fonzo et al. 2017). These obsessions, however, do not regard the day to day

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stresses or illusions. They are very specific. They are therefore not triggered by general anxieties
or the daily worries. Many of the individuals undervalue these obsessive urges. They are
categorized by an underlying fear behind the mind of the individual. The obsessions are also not
categorized by perceived defects (Ghassemzadeh et al. 2017). Perceived defects are fear that is
caused by seeing particular things. For example, someone who has witnessed an accident and
fears to drive vehicles because of the accident they witnessed. They also do not include health
anxieties. Health anxiety is the fear of being infected by a particular disease.
2.1.3. The obsessions are further divided into two;
2.1.3.0 Ones that observable and mental
Mental obsessions are not seen but the person might open up about them if they visit a
therapist. The mental disorder is normally very grave. The common ones are;
 Living in fear that one will commonly harm someone
 Always thinking that they about to commit mistakes either at home, school or even at the
workplace.
 They fear that they are about to utter particular words that are annoying to other people.
 The fear that their behavior is irrational but they fear controlling it might make people notice.
These are some of the mental disorder that goes through the mind of the individuals who
are affected. These signs though vary from individual to another. The observable characteristics
are the ones that are manifested externally and we are able to notice them from the individual
(Grøtte et al. 2015). They too vary from individual to another but there are others that are very
common across most of the individuals. The common ones include;

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 Constant irrational worry about dirt, germs, and contamination.
 Excessive concerns with the order of particular things. They feel things should be in a certain
arrangement and should therefore not be altered. For example, the coats on his cloth line
should be in the order of green, black and then red. If anyone interferes with that arrangement
they react.
 Fear of negative thoughts. These manifest themselves when they think that any blasphemous
thoughts will lead to harm to any of the people around. They do this too especially the ones
they loved.
 Preoccupation with losing or throwing away objects that will seem have little or no value to
us but of so much value to them.
 Distasteful religious thoughts. Sexual thoughts and images that do not excite other people but
they make such individuals very happy.
2.1.4. Compulsions
Compulsions are related to the obsessions. Most of the compulsions are as a result of the
obsessions. A compulsion is a repetitive act that the individual does to gratify an obsession.
These behaviors are normally done each time the obsession occupies the mind of the individual.
The acts are involuntary, the individual does them unknowingly (Halter 2017). They have a
problem resisting them. They cannot control these activities. They are not normally pleasurable
to the individual but brings out a little period of gratification. Some people might refer to them as
rituals if it’s the first time they are meeting the individual. Just like the obsessions they too are
divided into mental and observable (Halter 2017).
2.1.5. Mental Compulsive Behaviors

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They are very difficult to control. The individual does these activities without their
knowledge. It is not observable by the people around but the person feels them. They are also
referred to as covert mental act (Ivarsson, Saavedra, Granqvist and Broberg 2016). An example
of such an act is a mental repetition of a phrase that has been used by a person minutes after they
have said it. They are very difficult to heal because they cannot be monitored even by a
professional. Instead of referring to these mental activities as rituals, they are instead referred to
as ruminations (Jaisoorya et al. 2017).
2.1.6. Observable Compulsive Behaviors
The compulsion that takes overt forms. Overt forms mean they are external and people
can see them manifest. They can be resisted under proper medical and treatment forms. They,
just like the mental are difficult to resist. Since they are motor acts, they are referred to as rituals.
The compulsions include:
 Cleaning - an individual keeps on going out from a class to the washrooms to wash the face.
 Checking - Another person who keeps on checking the laboratory door, to confirm it is
locked.
 Repeating- verbal repetition of a phrase severally.
 Hoarding – keeping old items for a very long time. These include old newspapers and
magazines.
 Mental rituals- praying almost every minute, even when there is not any need to.
 Combination of both obsession and compulsive behaviors