Posted by whiterabbit on July 9, 2003, at 19:26:12
In reply to Some thoughts on OCD » noa, posted by whiterabbit on July 9, 2003, at 15:25:06
Okay I'm back - got delayed. Anyway here's what Dr. Amen has to say about OCD -
"Other Things to Look For in Assessing ADD:
When ADD is present, these other problems should be evaluated. Sometimes these problems are misdiagnosed as ADD, sometimes they occur with ADD.
Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder: OCD is marked by a person with obsessions (repetitive negative thoughts) and/or compulsions (repetitive negative behaviors), which interfere with their lives. People with OCD get "stuck" or "locked in" to negative thoughts or behaviors. In my clinical experience, there is a high percentage of people with ADD who also have features of OCD, especially if there is significant alcohol abuse in their family backgrounds. The overfocused subtype of ADD has many features in common with OCD, and both disorders tend to respond best to anti-obsessive antidepressants, such as Prozac, Paxil, Luvox, Anafranil, and Zoloft."Now at this point, I took a quick look at the symptoms for Type 3 Overfocused ADD. Noa, of course I don't know you nearly well enough to make any sort of judgement call but to me, a lot of the symptoms didn't seem to apply to you at all like, "Has a tendency to hold onto his or her own opinion and not listen to others", "Has a tendency to hold grudges", "Is oppositional and argumentative". In case you're interested here are the other symptoms listed that may or may not apply to you:
-Worries excessively or senselessly
-Has a strong tendency to get locked into negative thoughts, having the same thought over and over
-Has a tendency toward compulsive behaviors
-Has trouble shifting attention from subject to subject
-Has difficulties seeing options in situations
-Has a tendency to get locked into a course of action, whether or not it is good for him or her
-Needs to have things done a certain way or becomes very upset
-Is criticized by others for worrying too much"At the time I started my brain-imaging work, there were several studies in this field that suggested that there was overactivity in the anterior cingulate gyrus in patients who had obsessive compulsive disorder." (Oh yeah! The anterior cingulate gyrus, why didn't I think of that?)"In 1991 a SPECT study reported that Prozac decreased activity in the anterior cingulate gyrus in patients with OCD...we have found that serotonergic medications seem to be the most helpful in this disorder.
"Differentiating Type 3 (Overfocused) ADD from OCD and OCPD-
I am frequently asked how I differentiate people with this type of ADD from people who have obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) or obsessive compulsive personality disorder (OCPD). That is easy. All three groups have overfocused tendencies (anterior cigulate issues), but people with Type 3 (Overfocused) ADD also have long-standing core ADD symptoms: short attention span, distractibility, spotty organization, poor follow-through, and poor internal supervision. People with OCD have clear obsessive thoughts and/or compulsive behaviors, such as repetitively checking locks or handwashing. People with OCPD have difficult personality traits - such as emotional rigidity, an "anal" need for sameness, the need to have their way, and compulsive cleanliness - but generally do not have core ADD symptoms. In fact, they usually have the opposite of ADD symptoms: they are overorganized, always on time, never say anything impulsively, and must follow through with every task." (I used to work for an orthopedic surgeon who had this OCPD-type personality. He was EXTREMELY difficult to work for, always tearing my head off for little stuff, like not having a grease-pencil for drawing on
x-rays WITHIN ARM'S REACH of every viewbox. But when my son needed knee surgery, I made a beeline for Dr. OCPD because I KNEW FOR SURE there would be no screw-ups during the operation - and there wasn't.)Well if you find any of that remotely interesting, Dr. Amen has a website with more information at www.brainplace.com - I think it's fascinating but you might be nodding off by now!
Maybe I could be a psychiatrist...do they run background checks on you before they let you into psychiatrist school, I wonder. If they do, I'd probably be arrested for trying to get in there.
Oh well...
Gracie
poster:whiterabbit
thread:240125
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/social/20030704/msgs/240395.html