What is the difference between OCD & Paranoia?
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Obsesive compulsive behavior:
Obsessions are defined by:
Recurrent and persistent thoughts, impulses, or images that are experienced at some time during the disturbance, as intrusive and inappropriate and that cause marked anxiety or distress.
The thoughts, impulses, or images are not simply excessive worries about real-life problems.
The person attempts to ignore or suppress such thoughts, impulses, or images, or to neutralize them with some other thought or action.
The person recognizes that the obsessional thoughts, impulses, or images are a product of his or her own mind, and are not based in reality.
The tendency to haggle over small details that the viewer is unable to fix or change in any way. This begins a mental pre-occupation with that which is inevitable.
Compulsions are defined by:
Repetitive behaviors or mental acts that the person feels driven to perform in response to an obsession, or according to rules that must be applied rigidly.
The behaviors or mental acts are aimed at preventing or reducing distress or preventing some dreaded event or situation; however, these behaviors or mental acts either are not connected in a realistic way with what they are designed to neutralize or prevent or are clearly excessive.
Paranoia:
The individual thinks that harm is occurring, or is going to occur, to him or her.
The individual thinks that the persecutor has the intention to cause harm.
OCD are more inevitable thoughts of perfection (meaning one wants almost everything to be perfect and he realizes that these thoughts are a bit inevitable) while Paranoia is the fear of harm.
Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is a psychiatric disorder (more specifically, it is an anxiety disorder) most commonly characterized by a subject's obsessive, distressing, intrusive thoughts and related compulsions (tasks or "rituals") which attempt to neutralize the obsessions. Thus it is an anxiety disorder. It is listed by the World Health Organization as one of the top 10 most disabling illnesses in terms of lost income and diminished quality of life.[1]
Paranoia is a disturbed thought process characterized by excessive anxiety or fear, often to the point of irrationality and delusion. Paranoid thinking typically includes persecutory beliefs concerning a perceived threat. In the original Greek, παράνοια (paranoia) simply means madness (para = outside; nous = mind) and, historically, this characterization was used to describe any delusional state.
Paranoia is distinct from phobia, which is more descriptive of an irrational and persistent fear, usually unfounded, of certain situations, objects, animals, activities, or social settings. By contrast, a person suffering paranoia or paranoid delusions tends more to blame or fear others for supposedly intentional actions that somehow affect the afflicted individual.
Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is a psychiatric disorder (more specifically, it is an anxiety disorder) most commonly characterized by a subject's obsessive, distressing, intrusive thoughts and related compulsions (tasks or "rituals") which attempt to neutralize the obsessions. Thus it is an anxiety disorder.
Paranoia is a disturbed thought process characterized by excessive anxiety or fear, often to the point of irrationality and delusion. Paranoid thinking typically includes persecutory beliefs concerning a perceived threat.Paranoia is distinct from phobia, which is more descriptive of an irrational and persistent fear, usually unfounded, of certain situations, objects, animals, activities, or social settings. By contrast, a person suffering paranoia or paranoid delusions tends more to blame or fear others for supposedly intentional actions that somehow affect the afflicted individual.
obsessive compulsive disorder is when you constantly do something eg washing your hands have to wash over and over again at every opportunity have to wash your hands
paranoia is when you think everyone is out to get you
People with OCD tend to be over active & can't concentrate for more than 5 or 10 minutes at a time.
A paraniod person is scared of something or everything.
OCD disorder is where one does rituals, washing their hands constantly,having everything in order... as to where Paranoia... is when someone believes people might have hidden intentions/out to get them/talking about them.
Paranoia, as I understand it, is the feeling that everyone is against you. Aside from that, I don't know much, but after suffering from OCD for 30 years, I can claim some expertise.
The thing that other people notice most about people with OCD is that people with OCD tend to double, triple, or even quadruple check on many things that they do. This is debilitating in that it wastes a lot of time and causes the person anxiety, because no matter how many times they check, there is still some doubt in their minds that something is still wrong. These are the "compulsive" parts of OCD.
What is not so noticeable about people with OCD is the continuous thoughts which haunt their minds. These are the "obsessive" parts of OCD. A thought, no matter how important or unimportant it is, enters their minds and they just can't stop thinking about it. I, myself, once said something 30 years ago. I want to remember what it was, but, of course, I can't. That particular situation doesn't really bother me, but the fact remains that I still try to remember what I said.
People with OCD often count things. Often, I count steps when I am walking and don't realize it until I am up to 200 or so. Even then, when I realize what I am doing, continue to count until something distracts me and I lose count. Even then, sometimes I start counting again, this time, starting from "one".
Now, if you can get a cogent definition of paranoia, and compare the two, maybe you can get an idea of the difference.
Hope this helped.
Mark
i don't know if this is going to help you in anyway,but,i just wanted to thank"Sebastian" and "the Bakist",for their comments on OCD! i have been suffering from this horrendous disease for about 26 years now,but i have only started taking medication for it for about 3 years!! it is a most debilitating and paralyzing disease!!people, who do not suffer from it and do not understand it think that we do it on purpose!! or, they think that it is funny,like the way movies like to depict it!or,they always like to use the example of washing the hands too much!! it is so much more than that!!the medication does not always work,,just like in any other disease,or condition! i lost my last job because of it,and nearly ALMOST lost others!! this was all before i was diagnosed! i'm a prisoner in my own home!! i have so much that i need to accomplish, but, i put off doing it because i am terrified of not doing it"perfectly right",or,i know that i will go through so many rituals to do it,that i can't bear it,so i remain useless to myself and my family! what is even worse is that the government will not recognize it as a disorder!at least not in my case! i was denied for SSI benefits!
thank you so much for enlightening some people on this particular subject!!
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