"Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, and fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small doesn't serve the world. There's nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We are born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us, it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others."WHEN OBSESSION TAKES OVER
“Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) ruins the lives of thousands. But what triggers it? Lets investigate….”
Ever left the house and wondered whether you really switched off that iron or locked the front door properly? If so you’ll know how annoying it is to feel even slightly obsessive about something. But for the victims of OCD the situation is hundreds of times worst.
Most sufferers of OCD can’t get through a single day without carrying out a long list of seemingly pointless tasks. Rituals such as excessive hand washing ,checking electrical sockets and tapping surfaces take on a massive but irrational level of importance. Victims fear that if they don’t carry out that ritual they will be contaminated by germs or something really terrible will happen to them or their loved ones.
If you are thinking that sounds a bit like me don’t panic. Most people feel slightly superstitious about certain things like standing on cracks in the pavement and locking doors and many young children can have OCD like symptoms. For example a young child might always ask her mum to say good night a certain number of times or want her toys arranged in a certain way. This is usually perfectly normal. Its only when this pattern continues later on and starts to infringe on their lives that its time to worry. Young kids go through obsessive phase and many adults even have some obsessive habits and many adults even have certain habits like avoiding walking under ladder.
Still wondering what OCD really is?
OCD is practically an anxiety disorder characterized by intrusive thoughts that produce uneasiness, apprehension, fear, or worry, by repetitive behaviours. Symptoms of the disorder include excessive washing or cleaning; repeated checking; aversion to particular numbers; and nervous rituals, such as opening and closing a door a certain number of times before entering or leaving a room. These symptoms can be alienating and time-consuming, and often cause severe emotional and financial distress. The acts of those who have OCD may appear paranoid and potentially psychotic. However, OCD sufferers are generally found to recognize their obsessions and compulsions as irrational, and may become further distressed by this realization.
OCD is the fourth most common mental disorder, and is diagnosed nearly as often as asthma and diabetes mellitus. It is the disease of developed countries rather than that of developing but the increasing pace of modernization is making it no exception to our country too.In the United States, one in 50 adults suffers from OCD.Obsessive–compulsive disorder affects children and adolescents as well as adults. Roughly one third to one half of adults with OCD report a childhood onset of the disorder, suggesting the continuum of anxiety disorders across the life span. Although these signs are present in OCD, a person who exhibits them does not necessarily have OCD, and may instead have obsessive–compulsive personality disorder (OCPD) i.e. no clinical condition. Multiple psychological and biological factors may be involved in causing obsessive–compulsive syndromes.
Obsessions are thoughts that recur and persist despite efforts to ignore or confront them.People with OCD frequently perform tasks, or compulsions, to seek relief from obsession-related anxiety. Within and among individuals, the initial obsessions, or intrusive thoughts, vary in their clarity and vividness. People with OCD understand that their notions do not correspond with reality; however, they feel that they must act as though their notions are correct.
In any case, the individual's reasoning is so idiosyncratic or distorted that it results in significant distress for the individual with OCD or for those around them. Excessive skin picking (i.e., dermatillomania) or hair plucking (i.e., trichotillomania) and nail biting (i.e., onychophagia) are all on the Obsessive-Compulsive Spectrum. Individuals with OCD are aware that their thoughts and behavior are not rational,but they feel bound to comply with them to fend off feelings of panic or dread.
Some common compulsions include counting specific things (such as footsteps) or in specific ways (for instance, by intervals of two) and doing other repetitive actions, often with atypical sensitivity to numbers or patterns. People might repeatedly wash their hands or clear their throats, make sure certain items are in a straight line, repeatedly check that their parked cars have been locked before leaving them, constantly organize in a certain way, turn lights on and off, keep doors closed at all times, touch objects a certain number of times before exiting a room, walk in a certain routine way like only stepping on a certain color of tile, or have a routine for using stairs, such as always finishing a flight on the same foot.This is considered as the compulsive part.Some people use compulsions to avoid situations that may trigger their obsessions.
People with OCD can use rationalizations to explain their behavior; however, these rationalizations do not apply to the overall behavior but to each instance individually. For example, a person compulsively checking the front door may argue that the time taken and stress caused by one more check of the front door is much less than the time and stress associated with being robbed, and thus checking is the better option. In practice, after that check, the person is still not sure and deems it is still better to perform one more check, and this reasoning can continue as long as necessary.
If you are worried that you might be the one with OCD, you should first ask yourself three things…..
- 1.Are your habits and rituals taking up more than an hour of your day?
- 2.Are they stopping you doing things you want to do?
3. Are they causing you distress and annoyance?
OCD is found to start commonly during teenage years. Unfortunately many people hide it from their families which makes it more distressing and delays medical help which they could have received way earlier. Most common signs of OCDs are believed to be repeated hand washing ,mental rituals_such as doing things in threes, checking things many times and wanting everything to be arranged “just so”.
OCD sufferers also tend to be plagued by unpleasant thoughts and ideas that they can’t get out of their mind.This is again the obsessive part of the disorder. Additionally victims feel that they have to do certain things like avoiding walking on cracks even if they don’t want to.This is the compulsive part.Sunaina 16, counts in her head all the time and can’t turn out her bedroom light unless she has counted to 20 beforehand. “I have to count everything” she says. “But its not like I am counting objects or anything.I count time,so when I do things like switching off the tv , I have to count to 5 before I can do it. I can’t really explain why I do this.Its just something that started happening to me few years ago and gradually got worst.”
Like Sunaina many OCD sufferers are baffled by the cause of their behaviour. “You just feel that unless you comply with your thoughts and fears,something terrible will happen.” “You feel that you’re forced to check something, eventhough you know you’ve done it already.Lots of people experience this to a certain extent but for the OCD sufferers it completely takes over their lives.”
For the sufferers ,obsessions are both very time consuming and extremely distressing.Because they feel that their strange routines just have to be performed or something bad will happen ,their daily life is upset and friendships become strained.
Obsessions with cleanliness are very common in OCD sufferers and its not usual for those with the condition to scrub their skin until it bleeds or to insist that their clothes are washed several times before they wear them.
There’s no doubt that OCD can make life extremely unpleasant for sufferers.For teenagers like Sunaina,coping with the disorder and keeping up with school work is particularly hard.Because sufferers have to perform so many rituals each morning.,they’re often left feeling stressed and irritable and to make matters worse,they often have to stay up late at night because of their OCD, and this makes them tired for the next day.
The most popular way of treating OCD is with therapy or medication.
One of the most common therapies is called Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT).This particular type of therapy is centered around teaching sufferers how to recognize and change the way they behave.For example, they are taught to change the way they respond to any unwanted thoughts or obsessions.CBT also helps the sufferers to learn how to control their compulsions and deal with the terrible feelings of anxiety that OCD often causes.
During the treatment the OCD sufferers will be encouraged to confront the very things they are afraid of-this is a technique known as “habituation”.It is also common for patients to take medications at the same time as having this therapy and for lots of people as same.
Unfortunately there is no “Quick fix” for OCD sufferers and it is rare for the disorder to just disappear or sort itself out.Treatment usually takes time and a lot of patience,but it is worth all.All the experts stress that its very important to get help, so one must see his doctor if he’s afraid that he might have symptoms of OCD.The doctors emphasize that there is a greater chances of getting better with good treatment.In general most people can overcome this disorder but some don’t.These things are best tackled in the younger age itself.
The way you react to your loved one’s OCD symptoms has a big impact. Negative comments or criticism can make OCD worse, while a calm, supportive environment can help improve the outcome of treatment. There’s no point in scolding someone with OCD or telling the person to stop performing rituals. They can’t comply, and the pressure to stop will only make the behaviors worse. The best way to help a loved one cope with OCD is to be as kind and patient as possible. Praise any successful attempt to resist OCD, and focus attention on positive elements in the person’s life.And always
Remember
“OCD is an illness not a choice”
(This article reflects my views on ‘Women empowerment and Gender Equality’ when I was a 10th grader)
Women empowerment and Gender Equality
According to Oxford, the word ‘Empowerment’ refers to authorize or enable and empowerment in the context of women portrays the meaning of accessibility of women in developmental fields.It means sharing equal responsibilities and providing them with equal rights.One should and especially the men should keep in mind that empowering women is to empower himself.Though the saying ‘If you educate a women she in turn educates the whole family,society,country and a wholesome global world’ is very popular in our society,it has proved to be limited just within our textbooks and sayings and it is really sad to learn that the status of women is still vulnerable in terms of educational,economic and social behaviour.
Two thirds of the world’s illiterate adults are female and over 65% of its poorest people are women and girls. Women account for more than 50% of the total population of Nepal.However they are not treated equally –discriminated against in social,economic as well as political spheres. The overall female literacy rate is as low as 25% and the effect of social structure on the lives of Nepali women cannot be overestimated. It is common to find girls and women suffering from high mortality rates. The traditional status and social constraints placed on her both inside and outside her home create hurdles for her, while making attempts to reach her destination and freedom prevalent society.In many societies,women are still considered as the machine for reproduction and nothing more.They are allowed to stay within 4 walls of the home only and depriving them from facing the competitive world and are given limited access to positions of influence and power as well as fewer occupational entities and comparatively lower earnings than men. Women’s lives are shaped by customs that are centuries old. "May you be the mother of a hundred sons" is a common Hindu wedding blessing.
Though the Constitution guarantees equality to all its citizens ,discriminatory laws are still prevalent presenting a hurdle in the journey of struggle for Nepali women.Guaranting rights in law is important but what is equally important is the laws’ effective implementation.And to abolish all the ongoing inhuman treatment towards the women including the acquisition of witchcraft and wizardy, the first and foremost thing that we need to approach to is to create awareness amongst women by educating them and providing them with equal opportunities in all spheres of life.Women need support in all their varied roles as a girl,daughter,wife and mother.Elimination of gender biases and improved access to quality reproductive health care is a must to empower women to raise an equal voice in decision making.And above all, improvement in the quality of life is inevitable for career development as it plays a crucial role in providing outstanding contribution for women empowerment and betterment of the society.
There are vast differences in education level of two sexes. Nepal has witnessed gender inequality from its early history due to its socio-economic and religious practices that resulted in a wide gap between the position of men and women in the society.The main reason that turns up in the vulnerable and underestimated women status is gender biases.It is only through education and raised awareness that attitude towards gender discrimination will change and it surely will motivate women to get united and fight for their rights.Gender equality-equal responsibilities and equal rights is a pre-requisite for development of women for equality at home and family along with gender justice in society as a whole.The problem of gender discrimination and violence against women and girls is a complex issue that cannot be solved by an individual alone so it needs a greater participation of women themselves first.The silent feelings in women themselves have led to gender discrimination so, its high time that we raise our voices to break the silence of gender discrimination for a fair,just and better world for women.
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