Studying Psychology discussion

OCD obsession symptoms
OCD obsessions are repeated, persistent and unwanted ideas, thoughts, images or impulses that you have involuntarily and that seem to make no sense. These obsessions typically intrude when you're trying to think of or do other things.
OCD compulsion symptoms
OCD compulsions are repetitive behaviors that you feel driven to perform. These repetitive behaviors are meant to prevent or reduce anxiety or distress related to your obsessions. For instance, if you believe you ran over someone in your car, you may return to the apparent scene over and over because you just can't shake your doubts. You may also make up rules or rituals to follow that help control the anxiety you feel when having obsessive thoughts.

Dr. Robert Sapolsky, in an interview at Stanford University, mentioned that religious fanatics could have a type of OCD. For example, they may pray constantly, not that this is bad, unless it gets to the point that the prayers are 'vain repetitions' that have no meaning or purpose.

A really good personal example of someone with severe Obsessive Compulsive Disorder includes my uncle. He has many of the classic symptoms...he 'checks' things many, many times. For example, it takes him about 15 minutes to park and get out of the car because he has to check all the doors to see if he locked them 20 times. He actually broke the lock on his garage door because of checking it so much, the handle just broke. When talking to him, he also repeats the same things over and over.

I think this disorder can be very disruptive and frustrating for the person suffering from it. I would think it would lead to friendship and relationship problems, too because of the alienation people experience from others.

now I'm a bit confused b/w this one and Impulse Control Disorder.

Once someone told me that they're obsessed with cleaning the house...which one is it?

I think it can be both. I was thinking that just the other day as a matter of fact! My uncle was over here and we all went out to eat. He 'took' all the napkins. Not the cloth, fancy ones, just the paper napkins. He stuffs the pockets of his pants with all these napkins! Is that an impulse? Can that even be Kleptomania? I don't see it as an obsession or compulsion as far as those are defined...but he definitely has OCD.

I just posted a comment under Generalized Anxiety Disorder to the effect that I have various symptoms associated with anxiety. At one time when I was experiencing extremely stressful circumstances, I actually became 'obsessed' with germs. This is a very common symptom of OCD. My doctor told me that it was a stress-related response. Anyone know the correlation here?

Yes, I 've heard that before. I think you are able to compensate one "disorder" with another one. I knew a case where a woman suffered from anxiety and panic attacks and tried very hard to cope with it and get rid of it by confronting herself pemanent with the trigger situations. After a while the anxiety was gone, but instead she had developed a strange obsessive behavier in most areas of her life. I think she has just exchanged one disorder for another and that was possible because she didn't reflect on the real cause of the anxiety, but stayed at the surface. (I wish I could explain it better, but I am really struggeling with the language, sorry) About the anxiety symptoms after posting something about it: probably you feel a little bit stressed and instable at the moment and that makes you identify with the anxiety stuff. I know that from myself, but more in terms of physical things,for example my daughter was in hospital with kidney infection and I found some of her symptoms in me.