Thread: In the Brain
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Old Nov 09, 2008, 09:08 PM
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digdug digdug is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by pachyderm View Post
If OCD is not an anxiety disorder, why does it happen? What are the meanings of the symptoms? What function do they have if not to control anxiety? If they are successful at limiting anxiety, then you may not be conscious of anxiety -- until the control fails...

What happens if you try to stop the obsessive actions?
There are some psychs who theorize that OCD is similar to Tourette's symdrome. Instead of being propelled to harmful and intrusive actions, however, OCD compels the brain with obsessive and compulsive thoughts.

From this point of view, the anxiety component is complimentary, but not the only source of OCD. OCD is indeed classified as an anxiety disorder, but remembers such classifications are human-made, and not perfect.

I just don't like it when people state that OCD is absolutely this or that, when the truth is that it - and other psychiatric disorders - are not black and white issues.