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OBSESSIONS AND COMPULSIONS DEFINE OCD NOT ORDERLINESS
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder Has Written Diagnostic Criteria
The Word Gets Applied To Tidiness And Strong Preference
Neither Appears In A Definition Naming Obsessions And Compulsions
A Compulsion Is A Repeated Act Performed In Response To An Obsession
Psychiatrists Take Both Terms From The DSM Five
Orderliness Belongs To A Separate Diagnosis Of Its Own
That Diagnosis Can Involve Repetitive Acts Without The Obsessions
This Part Covers Both Diagnoses And What Divides Them
THIS NEWSLETTER IS FOR INFORMATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY. NOTHING IN THIS CONTENT CONSTITUTES MEDICAL, PSYCHOLOGICAL, OR PROFESSIONAL ADVICE. ALWAYS CONSULT A QUALIFIED HEALTHCARE PROFESSIONAL BEFORE MAKING ANY HEALTH RELATED DECISIONS.
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WHAT THE MANUAL ACTUALLY SAYS 📖
The American Psychiatric Association Publishes The DSM
Its Fifth Edition Was Published In 2013
That Edition Opened A New Chapter For This Group Of Conditions
The Chapter Is Called Obsessive Compulsive And Related Disorders
Obsessions Are Recurrent And Persistent Thoughts Urges Or Images
People Experience Them As Intrusive And Unwanted
In Most Individuals They Cause Marked Anxiety Or Distress
Compulsions Are Repetitive Behaviours Or Mental Acts
A Person Feels Driven To Perform Them In Response To An Obsession
Rigidly Applied Rules Can Prompt Them Instead
Washing And Checking Are The Visible Behaviours
Counting Silently Is One Of The Mental Acts
Obsessions Or Compulsions Or Both Can Support The Diagnosis
The Manual Attaches A Second Requirement As Well
Symptoms Must Be Time Consuming Or Cause Significant Distress
Impairment Can Be Social Or Occupational
Over An Hour A Day Is The Illustration Given For That
That Figure Is An Example Rather Than A Fixed Cutoff
Marked Distress Alone Can Satisfy The Same Requirement
Clinicians Weigh Both Before Recording A Diagnosis
Symptom Type And Severity Are The Two Written Tests
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WHAT PEOPLE USUALLY MEAN INSTEAD 🧷
Obsessive Compulsive Personality Disorder Is A Separate Entry
It Is Listed Among The Personality Disorders
Orderliness And Perfectionism And Control Form Its Pattern
DSM Estimates Put Its Prevalence Between 1.9% And 7.8%
The Two Diagnoses Can Both Involve Repetitive Behaviour
Only One Of Them Has Obsessions In Its Definition
Intrusive And Upsetting Obsessions Belong To OCD
They Are Not What Defines The Personality Diagnosis
A Second Difference Concerns How The Person Reads Their Own Traits
OCD Symptoms Usually Feel At Odds With The Self
The Personality Traits Usually Feel Native To A Person
Both Diagnoses Still Appear Regularly In Clinical Settings
People With The Personality Diagnosis Often Seek Treatment
Unfinished Tasks And Relationship Strain Are Common Reasons
Both Conditions Impair Functioning And Quality Of Life
The Impairment Is Not What Separates Them
Ordinary Speech Keeps The Two Names One Word Apart
The Manual Keeps Them In Different Chapters Anyway
Aligning Every Pen On A Desk Is Evidence Of Neither
Neither Diagnosis Rests On A Visible Habit
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HOW MANY PEOPLE ACTUALLY CARRY IT 📊
The National Institute Of Mental Health Publishes The Figures
An Estimated 1.2% Of US Adults Had OCD In The Past Year
Lifetime Prevalence Among US Adults Was 2.3%
Past Year Prevalence Was Higher For Females At 1.8%
The Figure For Males Was 0.5%
Those Numbers Describe Adults In One Country
The Institute Also Sorts Cases By How Much They Impair People
About Half Of Adults With OCD Had Serious Impairment
The Reported Share Was 50.6%
Moderate Impairment Covered Another 34.8%
Mild Impairment Accounted For 14.6%
Serious Is The Largest Of The Three Categories
That Ordering Is The Opposite Of How The Word Gets Used
Casual Use Treats The Condition As A Mild Habit
The Impairment Data Does Not Match That Description
Age Also Predicts Who Receives A Diagnosis
Odds Of Onset Run Highest For People Aged 18 To 29
Nearly A Quarter Of Males With OCD Had Onset Before Age 10
Females Often Have Onset During Adolescence
Clinicians Apply The Written Criteria Rather Than Judging Appearances
