Davis Chapter 1: Origins of Obsession

In this chapter Davis explains the evolution of the term obsession. According to Davis, “how the religious explanation of obsessive behavior to the medical one involves a set of transformation”. At the very beginning the term obsession was used to describe demonic possession, in this case the devil will besieged the person, but will not have the control of the soul. The demonic idea of the obsession came to the end in the eighteenth century when the nervous system appeared in people’s lives.  This chapter also gives a brief explanation of the categories that precede the diagnosis of obsession. Before the eighteenth century mental illnesses were limited into three categories, the lunacy, melancholy, and idiocy. In the eighteenth century news kind of mental diseases were categorized, so the hysteria, hypochondria, vapors, and spleen were well known mental conditions at that time.  It is fascinating learn about how the term obsession has changed over the time. This chapter reaffirms the fact that OCD has been around for long time and will appear for many years more in our lives.

The Rat Man

    In this reading Freud presents the case of Dr. Lorenz, a young lawyer who has been suffered of unjustified fears towards his loves ones, superstitions and a compulsive behavior that consisted in cutting his throat with a razor.  Freud soon discovered that throughout his patients early years, he has experienced along the obsessive desire to see a naked woman the irrational fear that her father will die and then the development of absurd actions to punish himself for having this idea. Lorenz's obsession got worse when he was serving in the military and he was told by an officer about a method of punishment for criminals, which consisted in putting a pot full of rats on the buttocks of the criminal and the rats in the pot then will go into the criminal’s anus.

    Freud explained that his patient’s hostility towards his girlfriend was hidden behind their suicidal impulses. For example, in one occasion his lady had to leave to take care of her ailing grandmother. His first reaction was to wish the death of the old lady and then commit suicide as a punishment imposed. What makes Lorenz's obsessive compulsive disorder particular is that it grouped several obsessions at once. He was obsessed that something bad will happen every time he dreams. He was obsessed about the rats killing his loves ones, his girlfriend and his father, even though, his father was already dead and he also has thoughts of having sex with different women.

   This reading was kind of difficult to understand, but what I get from it was that this patient life is in a constant battle between love and hate for his father and his girlfriend. On one side, we have this smart, kind, cheerful person and on the other side, this sadistic, perverse and violent person.

Davis Chapter 8: Now and Forever

    This chapter is an overview of the OCD in the past, the present and the future. The author explains how OCD has shifted from being a rare disease before 1970s to being one of the most common mental illnesses in our times. OCD has always been around in all cultures according to books in which this disease is described. This chapter tries to explain the huge increase of OCD since it first was diagnosed. “The Myth of Media Exposure” theory is explained in this chapter, according to many researches once the disease was exposed to the people through the media, more and more people were able to identify themselves with OCD behavior and therefore, more people were diagnosed with this disease. Davis argued that even though this theory may be true, it cannot explain why OCD became so common nowadays. He also explains the participation of Drug Companies in the increase of OCD sufferers; Drug Companies saw a new market in OCD sufferers, and they invested money in the creation of new medicines to treat people with OCD. Nevertheless, there is not an exact explanation of how this phenomenon happens, it is true that every day there is more and more people with Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder and it will be present around us for many years more.

Two Difficult Lives

Chad and Nicole videos are examples of OCDs taking control of people’s lives and limiting their relationship with their family and friends. It is sad to see these two people not having a normal life just because their OCDs do not allow them to have one.

Chad’s OCD makes him do a series of rituals since he wakes up until the day ends. He needs to count to four every time he is doing simple things like putting on or off his cloths, brushing his teeth, walking and so on. He needs to count because his mind is telling him that something bad is going to happen if he does not do it. If this is not enough every time he goes out and sees a particular car, “El Camino”, he has to rub his hand until he feels safe. In Chad’s video, Chad says he wants to have a normal life, but it seems to be impossible for him because everything he does is controlled by The OCD.

On the other side, we have Nicole, who is obsessed with the hands of her mother and brother and also she cannot stand every time her mother says something with the K sound. This situation is affecting the relationship between Nicole and her mother. Similarly, Nicole’s brother cannot touch her at all; she gets upset every time he touches her. Nicole’s case is a vivid example of how serious can be OCDs in people’s lives.  She wants to hang out with her family, but it is very difficult because everything they do bothers her.

Throughout these few weeks of class, I have learned a lot about OCDs; the cases we have studied so far make me realize that I knew nothing about OCDs before.  People with OCDs suffer a lot by not being in control of their thoughts and their lives.

Tormenting Thoughts and Secret Rituals: The Hidden Epidemic of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder by Ian Osborn

I found this reading very interesting, and at the same time it freaks me out. The more I got into the reading the more I pictured cases I have watched on the news about parents killing their children and soon after they kill themselves. Now, I realize these parents could have suffered of OCDs, and unfortunately the tragic outcomes are the only trace of what could be an OCD never treated. In this reading Osborn, a psychiatric specialized in OCDs, explains how he suffered of an OCD and was constantly invaded by thoughts where he hurts himself and his patients. He decided to keep his thoughts secret because he was concerned at that time not much could be done. This makes me think in those people out there whose lives become a torment as a consequence of those uncontrollable thoughts and feelings.

          I could not imagine my life having an Obsessive-Compulsive disorder. It must be awful not having your life under control; however, it is very admirable to know that there are people who overcome OCDs and live their lives respectfully. Osborn is an example of that because he uses his knowledge as a psychiatric and his own experiences to help people with OCD.