Compulsive Disorder
Brief overview
Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder is a type of anxiety disorder that entails obsessions which refer to thoughts, images and urges that occur repetitively and continue for long. It also includes compulsions which are behaviors that a person feels like engaging in, again and again, such as washing hands. In the selected case study, Hector experiences obsessive-compulsive disorder. Hector is an eighteen-year-old male. Hector is Mexican American and lives with both his parents who are immigrants, two sisters and grandmother from his mother’s side. Hector’s first language is Spanish, but he speaks fluent English. Hector completed high school but is unable to pursue his university education due to the severity of OCD symptoms (Plante, 2010).
Hector suffers from OCD that first became evident when he was fourteen years. Hector presents symptoms of OCD including fears of contamination. Hector fears any contamination through contact with blood, germs or other people. For this reason, Hector continuously and excessively washes his hands all through and disinfects his room. He repeatedly washes foods that he eats, for instance, if it’s an apple he will wash it many times before eating it. Hector wears gloves to avoid contamination and does not use public facilities such as restrooms or restaurants. The OCD symptoms have made Hector to isolate himself from peers. Hector is underweight due to his fear for food and ritual of regularly washing anything he wants to consume. Hector feels like a prisoner of his obsessions and compulsions thus displays symptoms of depression (Plante, 2010).
Reference-
Plante, T.G. (2010). Contemporary Clinical Psychology (3rd ed.). Hoboken, New Jersey: John Wiley and Sons, Inc.