How Does Physical Activity Reduce the Risk of Heart Disease?
Researchers have found that physical activity reduces the risks of heart disease partly by lowering stress-related brain activity.
IS THERE A RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN TRAUMA AND OBSESSIVE COMPULSIVE DISORDER?
Very interesting study came out this month in the European Journal of Psychotraumatology. It studied patients who were diagnosed both with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and posttraumatic stress disorder. (PTSD) For these people, repetitive behavior patterns, rituals and compulsions may ward off anxiety and may serve as a coping mechanism to control reminders of traumatic events. So, if a person was raped at a young age, that person may have obsessions related to being dirty or unclean and may cope with those obsessions by washing his hands several times a day. Some patients suffer so severely that she may wash her hands raw enough to make them bleed. These patients are truly in a lot of distress.
This study was a case report of a 49 years old Dutch man who was raped as a child by an unknown man. The patient was treated with Paxil (an antidepressant) as well as with 9 sessions of psychotherapy, particularly eye movement desensitization and reprocenssing (EMDR), and an exposure type of therapy. It was observed that the PTSD symptoms went away before the OCD symptoms did.
This studies conclusion found that there is a connection between PTSD and OCD and by treating the PTSD first, one may be able to subsequently cure the OCD as well.
It is my belief that for many people, EMDR can be a faster route to get relief in those who have experienced trauma and also suffer from OCD symptoms.
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