You Can Be Successful if You Want to Be Successful!
Obsessive-compulsive disorder is categorized as a mental health condition. Depending on the severity of OCD, a person may be incapable of performing routine day-to-day activities. A myriad of studies have been conducted vis-a-vis the correlation between OCD and life success. Since success is a subjective term, a deeper analysis is warranted.
Today we consider OCD incidence and life success in terms of finding happiness, academic excellence, work opportunities, and overall health and wellness. Let’s get started!
According to the Anxiety and Depression Association of America, OCD affects approximately 2.2 million adults in the United States (2015). That’s about 1 in 40 adults. Furthermore, OCD is equally common among men and women. The first step to having a successful life is finding happiness. Unfortunately, people with OCD often struggle with this. In fact, studies have shown that people with OCD are less likely to be happy than those without OCD.
One study found that a minority of people with OCD were classified as “happy”, compared to 77% of people without OCD. This may be due to the fact that people with OCD are constantly worried about their obsessions and compulsions, which can take up a lot of time and energy. Another important factor in leading a successful life is academic excellence.
People with OCD often have difficulty concentrating on schoolwork or studying for exams because of their obsessions and compulsions. As a result, they may get lower grades than they are capable of or may even drop out of school altogether. One study found that people with OCD were more likely to have lower GPAs than those without OCD.
Work opportunities can also be affected by OCD. People with OCD may have trouble keeping a job because their obsessions and compulsions can interfere with their work performance. For example, someone with an obsession with germs may spend so much time washing their hands that they don’t have time to do their work tasks. As a result, they may get fired or may not be able to find a job in the first place.
Overall health and wellness is another area where people with OCD can struggle. This is because the constant worry and stress associated with OCD can take a toll on physical health. For example, people with OCD may develop stomach problems or headaches from all the worrying. They may also suffer from sleep problems or fatigue due to their obsession-related thoughts and behaviors taking up so much time and energy.
Untreated OCD can definitely interfere with leading a successful life in several ways including happiness, academic excellence, work opportunities, overall health and wellness.
Take the Next Step: Do I Have OCD?
There are some key differences between worrying and OCD. Worrying is generally considered to be a normal part of life. Everyone worries from time to time, and it’s usually manageable. It’s only when worrying starts to interfere with day-to-day activities that it becomes a problem. OCD, on the other hand, is much more than just worrying.
OCD is a disorder that causes intense anxiety and distress. People with OCD often have intrusive thoughts (obsessions) that they can’t get out of their heads. They may also feel the need to perform certain rituals or behaviors (compulsions) in order to ease their anxiety. These obsessions and compulsions can take up a lot of time and energy, and can interfere with work, school, and other aspects of life.
OCD is a mental health disorder; it’s not a mood or a transient state of mind. This means that the only way to answer the question ‘Do I have OCD?’ is by talking to a mental health professional, or taking a self-assessment test. And if a diagnosis of OCD is confirmed this certainly doesn’t mean that you will not be happy, successful, or goal-oriented. It simply means that you will likely need to find different ways to manage your condition in order to achieve these things. There are many resources available to help people with OCD live happy and successful lives.
Getting Help for OCD
Treatment options for OCD include medication, therapy, surgical and non-surgical options such as Deep TMS™ (non-surgical), Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS), and a cornucopia of self-help strategies. The first step is typically to talk to a mental health professional to get a diagnosis and develop a treatment plan. The most successful treatments for OCD include:
- Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT)
- Exposure and response prevention (ERP)
- Medication
- Deep TMS
- A Combination Approach
Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) is a type of therapy that helps people change their thinking and behavior patterns. Exposure and response prevention (ERP) is a type of CBT that involves gradually exposing yourself to your fears and learning to resist the urge to perform your compulsions.
Medication can also be used to treat OCD, although it’s typically used in conjunction with other treatment methods such as CBT or ERP.
Deep TMS is a non-invasive procedure that uses targeted magnetic waves (Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation) in a specially designed H-Coil. This targets neural activity deeper than traditional, figure-8 coils in the brain by regulating the functions of the medial prefrontal cortex and anterior cingulate cortex to alleviate OCD symptoms. Stick to a treatment plan that is working, and you’ll see results!
