Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD)

Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is an anxiety disorder in which people have recurring, unwanted thoughts, ideas, or sensations (obsessions) that make them feel driven to do something repetitively (compulsions). The repetitive behaviours,

such as handwashing, checking on things, or cleaning, can significantly interfere with a person’s daily activities and social interactions. OCD often begins in childhood, adolescence or early adulthood. It can destroy a person’s capacity to function at work, at school or even to lead a comfortable existence in the home. Ayurveda, which takes a comprehensive view of an individual’s physical, emotional and spiritual conditions, attributes anxiety disorder symptoms to aggravated prana vata, a subsidiary of vata dosha which is associated with OCD/ Atattwabhinivesha. Prana vata weakens the nervous system and triggers mental imbalance. It also weakens the neuro-hormonal system and nerve impulses.

Signs and Symptoms

Obsessive-compulsive disorder symptoms usually include both obsessions and compulsions. But it’s also possible to have only obsession signs & symptoms or compulsive signs & symptoms.

Signs of obsession include:

Repeated unwanted ideas
Fear of contamination
Aggressive impulses
Persistent sexual thoughts
Images of hurting someone you love
Thoughts that you might cause others harm
Thoughts that you might be harmed

Signs of compulsion include:

Constant checking
Constant counting
The repeated cleaning of one or more items
Repeatedly washing your hands
Constantly checking the stove or door locks
Arranging items to face a certain way

Long-term complications of OCD have to do with the type of obsessions or compulsions. For example, constant handwashing can cause skin breakdown. OCD does not usually progress into another mental health problem.

Risk Factors

Obsessive-compulsive disorder occurs equally in men and women, and it affects about 2 – 3% of people over a lifespan. Most cases of OCD first develop in childhood or adolescence, although the disorder can occur throughout the life span.

1. Age – It can begin as early as preschool age and as late as age 40.

2. Genetic Factors – The condition tends to run in families. A person who has OCD has a 25% chance of having a blood relative who has it.

3. Presence of Other Mental or Neurologic Conditions—OCD often occurs in people who have other anxiety disorders, depression, Tourette syndrome, attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), substance abuse, eating disorders, and certain personality disorders.

4. Stress—OCD symptoms often occur during stress from major life changes, such as loss of a loved one, divorce, relationship difficulties, problems in school, or abuse.

5. Pregnancy and Postpartum – Fluctuating hormones can trigger symptoms OCD symptoms may worsen during and immediately after pregnancy.

Diagnosis and Testing

Diagnosis

1. Serum Seratonin – Decreased activity of serotonin in frontal cortex.
2. Dopaminergic enzyme estimation- Dopaminergic overactivity in the basal ganglion.

Testing

Investigations: CT, MRI, PET scan

Ayurveda Treatment

“Dhee dhairya aatmadi vijnanam mano dosha oushadam Param”

Ayurvedic treatment of OCD disorder would involve curbing aggravated prana vata and increasing sattva guna, which envisages a stable and peaceful mind through self-realization and self-control, and appropriate changes in diet and lifestyle. The nature of the disease necessitates long run treatment protocol with continuous internal medications regular therapies. The patient must follow achara rasayana, to avoid prajnaparadha and asatmendriya samyoga

Our Approach

The Apollo AyurVAID protocol is based on the simple premise that the Physician must diagnose and treat only based on sufficient evidence. This evidence should be ‘patient or rogi based’ in addition to being ‘disease or roga based’ in accordance with the fundamental principles of Ayurveda.

How is this made possible?

A thorough and complete recording of the patient’s medical history, capturing every minute aspect of his/her lifestyle.
A thorough head-to-toe clinical examination, uncovering health risk factors that the patient is unaware of, directly connected or unrelated with his presenting medical complaint(s).
This process of detailed history recording and clinical examination- which includes the classical Srotha-Vikrti pariksha – leads to an accurate understanding of the Dosha status of the individual and lays the foundation for an accurate differential diagnosis and medical management.
Further, the patient is entitled to be clearly informed about the diagnosis arrived at, as also understand the medical management proposed for him. The Physician shall proceed only with the patient’s informed concurrence.

AyurVAID has pioneered evidence based, award winning Precision Ayurveda based protocols for treatment of mental disorders. Following the fundamental principles of Ayurveda, our physicians perform an in-depth assessment of the key symptoms and health factors of each patient to diagnose the root causes around your diet, individual constitution, lifestyle, work pattern and genetic predisposition.

Based on the assessment, we arrive at the optimal ayurveda protocols for Samprapti Vighatan or breaking the etiopathogenesis, considering the extent of disease progression, risk factors, your individual constitution (Prakriti) and the disease prognosis. This approach bridges the gap between the patient’s individualistic factors and the standard treatment protocols thereby making the therapy effective and safe.

Our whole person centric approach will help you regain your happiest and healthiest state of life. Our rehabilitation specialists will also give you advice on ergonomics, nutrition, and lifestyle changes to help you better manage OCD

Patient centricity is at the core of AyurVAID approach, and we have been widely recognized for our breakthrough approach. Some of them include:

The first NABH accredited hospital in India, Quality Council of India.
Winner of prestigious National award for Best Ayurveda Centre of the year 2017 from Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Government of India

Industry best customer satisfaction score of 92%, rated by our patients

Frequently Asked Questions

1. What causes OCD?

Experts aren't sure of the exact cause of OCD. Genetics, brain abnormalities, and the environment are thought to play a role. It often starts in the teens or early adulthood

2. Can OCD Causes Brain damage and memory loss?

OCD is one of the first psychiatric disorders in brain scans showed evidence of abnormal brain activity in specific regions It has been reported that episodic memory seems to be impaired in patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) because the patients repeat a specific checking behavior, but it is still unknown if OCD patients show memory impairments associated with their unique symptoms or not

3. Can Ayurveda cure OCD

Ayurveda can effectively manage OCDs with proper tailor made/person-oriented treatments, lifestyle changes and eating habits- By following things which will increase sattva guna can manage OCDs to the maximum extend

Other Related Disease

*Outcome may vary from patient to patient

Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD)