Psi Chi/ PSA

1. Psi Chi/ PSA October 21, 2009

2. Emails • No one should have gotten one yet.

3. Uncle John’s Cider Mill • Sunday October 25th • 1:00 pm in the Psychology Lot • 1:30 at the cider mill • See Psi Chi website for directions • Sign up tonight

4. Michigan State Psychology 268-356 Psychology Bldg, East Lansing, MI 48824‎ Turn left at E Grand River Ave/MI-43 W About 5 mins go 2.0 mi total 2.3 mi Turn right to merge onto US-127 N toward Flint Clare Destination will be on the right About 26 mins go 27.3 mi total 29.6 mi 8614 U.S. 127, Saint Johns, MI 48879‎

5. Coffee Crawl • Thursday November 12th • 7:30 pm • T-shirts

6. Origami Volunteering Info Date: Tuesday, Nov. 3 Time: 7PM What: Bonfire and S’mores with the residents! Fill in the sign-up sheet if you are interested! This will be a lot of fun and will look great on a resume!

7. O.C.D. • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YnR1TlTEldE • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5PlGB9QlhWs&feature=related

8. 1. What is OCD? • OCD stands for Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. It is a disorder which causes an individual to have intrusive thoughts of a frightening or disturbing nature, which in turn may cause the person to do things repeatedly. They might perform certain rituals to guard against danger, or clean one's self or personal areas of home or work again and again. • ob·ses·sionn. 1. Compulsive preoccupation with a fixed idea or an unwanted feeling or emotion, often accompanied by symptoms of anxiety. 2. A compulsive, often unreasonable idea or emotion. • com·pul·sionn. 1. a. The act of compelling. b. The state of being compelled. 2. a. An irresistible impulse to act, regardless of the rationality of the motivation. b. An act or acts performed in response to such an impulse.

9. 2. How common is OCD in the U.S.? • Although once thought to be rare, OCD afflicts as many as five million Americans, or one in fifty. The disorder is found uniformly among men, women, children, and people of all races and socio-economic backgrounds

10. Symptoms and behaviors associated with OCD are wide and varied. The primary thing they have in common is they are generally unwanted behaviors and/or thoughts that occur very frequently — i.e., several times a day. Symptoms, if untreated, may progress to the point of taking up all of a sufferer's waking hours. Checking things repeatedly, such as doors, locks, stoves, etc. Constant counting, "in one's head" or outwardly, while performing routine tasks. "Having" to do things a certain number of times. An example of this would be: when taking a shower, "having" to wash the left foot three times. Obsessively arranging things in an extremely orderly fashion -- which often makes no sense to anyone save the OCD sufferer. Pictures, words or images that "pop" into head and won't go away -- usually of a disturbing nature. Nonsensical words or phrases repeating themselves in the person's mind. The "what if's"..... Hoarding of objects with usually no apparent value -- as in one man collected small pieces of lint from the dryer. The person usually saves such objects under the rationalization of "what if I need it/them someday?" or is just unable to decide what to discard. Excessive fear of contamination -- as in fears to touch normal everyday things because they might have germs. 3. What are some of the symptoms of OCD?

11. 4. True or False: All people with OCD are 'washers' or 'checkers'. • False. OCD manifests itself in a large variety of ways, and individuals usually suffer from a combination of symptoms. However, most people with OCD share common difficulties in daily activities, such as tardiness, perfectionism, procrastination, indecision, discouragement and family difficulties.

12. 5. True or False: Someone who has any of the symptoms or behaviors that characterize the disorder will be diagnosed with OCD. • False. Diagnosis depends upon the degree in which the symptoms or behaviors interfere with their thinking, reasoning, and/or life functioning. If these symptoms do not have a negative impact on your daily life, you probably are not suffering from OCD.

13. 6. Why doesn't an individual with OCD "just stop" their behavior? • Most truly wish they could. Probably the biggest reason why they do not "just stop" is anxiety. The person with OCD suffers intense anxiety over whatever their symptoms focus upon. They want to "make sure" that whatever they are focusing upon is taken care of. OCD is a disease of doubt, therefore the person with OCD feels they can never be sure that whatever it is is really taken care of. Often this will show in the form of a compulsion such as hand washing. The person cannot, no matter how hard they try, feel that their hands are really clean. There is always a "what if" such as "what if I missed a teeny tiny little spot?" and so they continue to wash — just in case. With a compulsion, the anxiety rises to unbearable and terrifying levels if the compulsion is not allowed to take place.

14. 7. True or False: Everyone suffering with OCD has obsessions and compulsions. • False. Though approximately 80 percent of people with OCD have both identifiable obsessions and compulsions, about 20 percent have only obsessions or compulsions.

15. 8. True or False: A person suffering from OCD is crazy. • False. A person who does not recognize that their behaviors and thoughts are abnormal is "psychotic." Most people with OCD are aware that their behavior does not make sense. People with OCD are not crazy.

16. 9. Is OCD psychological, biological or both? • OCD is usually considered to have both psychological and biological components. OCD-like behavior has been observed in animals, including dogs, horses, and birds. Specific brain abnormalities have been identified that mediate the expression of OCD symptoms. These brain abnormalities improve with successful treatment by either medication or behavioral therapy.

17. 10. True or False: Stress can affect OCD. • True. It is typical to notice a worsening of OCD symptoms during stressful periods. Stress does not cause OCD, but a stressful event (like the death of a loved one, birth of a child, or divorce) can actually trigger the onset of the disorder or exacerbate it.

18. 11. Is OCD acquired or are people born with it? • Persons are generally considered to have been born with a predisposition for OCD. This predisposition however does not always manifest itself. Sometimes the OCD is triggered by a traumatic or stressful event, even an illness (strep throat), but one must first have the predisposition toward OCD to develop the disorder.

19. 12. True or False: OCD is a curable disorder. • False. However, symptoms are usually controllable.

20. 13. What is the prognosis for OCD with treatment? • Very good. Up to 80% of OCD sufferers improve significantly with proper treatment of behavioral therapy and medication. Slips and relapses of thinking or behavior may occur but if the person is determined, these slips can usually be caught and treated before blossoming into a full blown OCD episode.

21. 14. What are some of the treatment methods for OCD? • The two most effective treatments for OCD are drug therapy and behavior therapy. Generally, behavior therapy is most effective, or the two can be used together. Exposure and response prevention is the most effective type of behavior therapy for OCD.

22. Sources: • The OC & Spectrum Disorders Assn., Susan F., The OC Foundation, The Nat'l Institute of Mental Health, Solvay Pharmaceutical's Community Eduction Publications, Chris Vertullo's OCD-L mailing list, and the Prodigy medical support board. Expert Consultants: S Saxena, MD and K Maidment, PhD. <http://www.brainphysics.com/ocdfaq.php#whatis>