It is as if the two parts of their brain are not connected. One part order the body to do a certain thing, lock the door for example. The other part of the brain does not registers this action. The person is not sure if he did it, or if he did it right and he repeats the action again. But before the repetition accrues, the stress level is building up and leading to anxiety.

Have I locked the door when I left the house? Have I turned off the stove or is the pot left boiling and will burns the house down? Thoughts like that in a constant loop can cause a lot of stress and interfere with normal life. People with OCD are aware of the fact that are repeating the same action but they are powerless to stop themselves.
The fears a person with OCD can range from fear of germs, fear of harming others, fear of being embarrassed in public, fear of thinking bad thoughts, among many others. They need order in their life and any deviation causes anxiety. Compulsion that an OCD person can engage in are excessive washing of hands, refusing to touch door knobs or shake hands, eating food in a certain way and in certain order and being “stuck” on a word, number or phrase without being able to move on.
Doctors believe that the cause of OCD is both physical and environmental. The serotonin levels in the brain are usually low. Low level of serotonin uptake in the brain is thought to be passes from parents to children. Recently researchers found that there might be a link between repeated ear infections in childhood (especially Streptococcus) may lead to OCD later in life.
The treatments for OCD are similar to the treatments for anxiety. Anti depressants that elevate the level of serotonin uptake, psychological therapy and acquired skills that teach the sufferer how to avoid repetition are also helpful. The combination of all three is the best way to help a person suffering from OCD lead a normal and productive life.

Aromatherapy – The use of essential oils to elevate mood or to calm down and release stress. For years that has been the home made therapy for anxiety. Those who specialize in aromatherapy believe that the fragrance in the essential oils stimulate the nerve in the nose.

Our sense of smell is connected directly to the memory and emotion parts in the brain. That results in a change of mood. As of yet, there is very little scientific proof that this method really works.

Medication – There are the short term drugs that help overcome an occasional anxiety such as Xanax and Valium, but they are helpful for a measured time only and form dependency. The dosage has to be adjusted with repeated use.

There are other medication that try to address the problem, not the symptom, and change the chemistry of the brain, which doctors think causes the anxiety. They are the anti-depressants and there are many of them on the market. SSRI (selective serotonin re-uptake inhibitors) such as Prozac, Zoloft and Paxil. There are the SNRI (selective serotonin and norepinepherine inhibitors) such as Effexor, Cymbalta and others, and there are the tricyclic antidepressants.

A medical professional is the one to decide which of them will help in a specific case. Sometimes a trial of more than one is needed to get the required affect. They have to be taken under the supervision of a doctor, build up to the recommended dosage and not to be stopped and once but gradually wean the body off them.

Therapy – Cognitive behavior therapy may assist in controlling anxiety and panic attacks. Understanding where it comes from, the behavior that causes it, may help prevent future attacks. Usually takes a long time and is combined with medication to allow the sufferer to exit the panic stage and confront his problems.

There are individual therapies, group therapies or hypnosis therapy to help the person relax and the doctor get to the root of the problem without the patient stopping it when it gets too painful emotionally.

Shock therapy – Used in only to most acute cases when the other, more traditional therapies did not help. The purpose of this electro-shock is to “wake up” the brain and make it function as it was meant to function.