Case Study 2: Hannah, age 55, was in a major car accident 20 years ago during a cross country trip. Ever since, she has been unable to drive on major highways. Although she does drive, she goes to great length to travel only on back roads and scenic routes. She is able to go where she wants but it often takes her much longer to get there than it should.
Hannah is suffering from the anxiety disorder of post traumatic stress disorder. Posttraumatic stress disorder, or PTSD, is a serious potentially debilitating condition that can occur in people who have experienced or witnessed a natural disaster, serious accident, terrorist incident, sudden death of a loved one, war, violent personal assault such as rape, or other life-threatening events. Most people who experience such events recover from them, but people with PTSD continue to be severely depressed and anxious for months or even years following the event.
Posttraumatic stress disorder is characterized by three main types of symptoms:
-Re-experiencing the trauma through intrusive distressing recollections of the event, flashbacks, and nightmares.
-Emotional numbness and avoidance of places, people, and activities that are reminders of the trauma.
-Increased arousal such as difficulty sleeping and concentrating, feeling jumpy, and being easily irritated and angered.
http://www.adaa.org/GettingHelp/AnxietyDisorders/PTSD.asp
Treatment of PTSD can include cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT), group therapy, exposure therapy, and medication, and Hannah should go through exposure therapy so that she gets over her fear of getting into another accident.
Friday, November 21, 2008
Friday, November 7, 2008
David Beckham and OCD
He is renowned for his perfectionism on the pitch, but it seems everything has to be just right for David Beckham at home as well. He has admitted that he suffers from Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) - a complaint which drives sufferers to carry out bizarre and persistent rituals.
In a television interview, Beckham, 30, confessed to counting the cans of cola he keeps in his fridge.He said the condition leads him to count clothes and place magazines in straight lines and symmetrical patterns. And he added that one of the reasons why he keeps having tattoos is that he is addicted to the pain of the needle.
Beckham said: "I have got this obsessive compulsive disorder where I have to have everything in a straight line or everything has to be in pairs."
With a carefully-placed plug for his sponsor, he went on: "I'll put my Pepsi cans in the fridge and if there's one too many then I'll put it in another cupboard somewhere.
"I've got that problem. I'll go into a hotel room. Before I can relax I have to move all the leaflets and all the books and put them in a drawer. Everything has to be perfect."
Asked if he had tried to rid himself of the condition, which affects two per cent of the population, he replied: "I would like to. I've tried and I can't stop."
The World Health Organisation rates OCD as one of the top ten most debilitating illnesses.
Beckham reportedly spends hours straightening the furniture, apparently buys exactly 20 packets of Super Noodles on each visit to the supermarket and wears a new pair of football boots for every match.
His wife Victoria, 31, has said: "Everything has to match in the house. If there are three cans of Diet Pepsi, he'd throw one away because it's uneven."
Beckham said he had kept the condition secret from his teammates at Real Madrid.
But his battle with OCD was common knowledge amongst teammates at his previous club, Manchester United.
Beckham told how players Paul Scholes, Nicky Butt, Ryan Giggs and Gary and Phil Neville would barge in to his hotel room. "I thought they were just coming in for a chat. But then they'd go out and I'm thinking, 'Something's different here'. And then all the magazines would be all wonky."
He added: "They'd have been in my wardrobe and all my trousers and my shoes would be all over the place. It was a joke with them."
Recently, David Beckham's Obsessive Compulsive Disorder has worsened as he struggles to cope with family conflicts.
The soccer star is said to be growing anxious about celebrating Christmas because his parents are divorced and do not get along. His father Ted - who recently suffered a near-fatal heart attack - is also said to clash with David's wife Victoria's dad, Tony, so they are unable to spend the festivities together.
In a television interview, Beckham, 30, confessed to counting the cans of cola he keeps in his fridge.He said the condition leads him to count clothes and place magazines in straight lines and symmetrical patterns. And he added that one of the reasons why he keeps having tattoos is that he is addicted to the pain of the needle.
Beckham said: "I have got this obsessive compulsive disorder where I have to have everything in a straight line or everything has to be in pairs."
With a carefully-placed plug for his sponsor, he went on: "I'll put my Pepsi cans in the fridge and if there's one too many then I'll put it in another cupboard somewhere.
"I've got that problem. I'll go into a hotel room. Before I can relax I have to move all the leaflets and all the books and put them in a drawer. Everything has to be perfect."
Asked if he had tried to rid himself of the condition, which affects two per cent of the population, he replied: "I would like to. I've tried and I can't stop."
The World Health Organisation rates OCD as one of the top ten most debilitating illnesses.
Beckham reportedly spends hours straightening the furniture, apparently buys exactly 20 packets of Super Noodles on each visit to the supermarket and wears a new pair of football boots for every match.
His wife Victoria, 31, has said: "Everything has to match in the house. If there are three cans of Diet Pepsi, he'd throw one away because it's uneven."
Beckham said he had kept the condition secret from his teammates at Real Madrid.
But his battle with OCD was common knowledge amongst teammates at his previous club, Manchester United.
Beckham told how players Paul Scholes, Nicky Butt, Ryan Giggs and Gary and Phil Neville would barge in to his hotel room. "I thought they were just coming in for a chat. But then they'd go out and I'm thinking, 'Something's different here'. And then all the magazines would be all wonky."
He added: "They'd have been in my wardrobe and all my trousers and my shoes would be all over the place. It was a joke with them."
Recently, David Beckham's Obsessive Compulsive Disorder has worsened as he struggles to cope with family conflicts.
The soccer star is said to be growing anxious about celebrating Christmas because his parents are divorced and do not get along. His father Ted - who recently suffered a near-fatal heart attack - is also said to clash with David's wife Victoria's dad, Tony, so they are unable to spend the festivities together.
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