This phenomenon reminds us that each of us is an extremely complex "animal" that has always brought us wonders.

OCD patients may indeed feel that a specific number of fixed procedures are needed to relieve their obsessive-compulsive thinking. The fixed procedures of obsessive-compulsive disorder are usually common behaviors of compulsive disorder; for example: Although washing hands is usually a healthy daily behavior, a person with obsessive-compulsive disorder and extreme fear of bacteria may Wash your hands to the point where you wear your skin.

In the public's perception, fixed procedures are a sign of obsessive-compulsive disorder, but some obsessive-compulsive disorder patients are difficult to observe, or they are mainly deep in their hearts. This form of obsessive-compulsive disorder is called "obsessive-compulsive disorder" . Because of the lack of obsessive-compulsive disorder, it may make "obsessive-compulsive disorder" look less severe, but it is usually one of the most destructive forms of obsessive-compulsive disorder, which makes a person feel pedestrian worried and suspicious about himself.

For example, when a patient with obsessive-compulsive disorder is driving at an intersection waiting for a traffic light, he suddenly thinks like this: “What happens if I step on the accelerator? ” Others might think this is a random idea that doesn't reflect any real intention of hurt, and the person may doubt whether he is a potential psychopath. This person will forcefully perform mental “checks”, such as driving for a ride to see if similar ideas reappear, or watching a horror movie to see if they agree with the thinking of serial killers.

In fact, ht The obsessive-compulsive thinking of obsessive-compulsive disorder patients like ml4 is almost always the exact opposite of a person's true character and behavior. In the state of obsessive-compulsive thinking, this person may feel desperate because he cannot convince himself with absolute certainty that he is not a mentally ill. People like

may not be willing to seek treatment because they are worried that such obsessive-compulsive thoughts will be mistaken for the real intention of hurting others.

Ph.D. in neurology, American bestselling author and speaker Sam Harris believes that , we are not the author of our own thoughts; when thinks, we do not consciously choose every word or image that appears in our mind unless we are seriously writing a paper or practicing a new language.

If we consciously select each word or image, thinking and speaking will be a slow, tedious process. Often, a specific idea or word appears in our minds and we cannot understand why it appears. However, most of us feel that we are the masters of our thoughts and think that we have created our own thinking.

Why do patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder feel that some ideas are invasive? What causes the thought of "unable to have" or "unacceptable" and causes a strong sense of discomfort in one's own?

What happened to the brain of patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder?

The brain region associated with obsessive-compulsive disorder is the basal ganglia. basal ganglia is a group of structures under the cerebral cortex and is the largest part of the brain. Like a secret agent, we only notice it when the basal ganglia goes wrong. The function of this secret agent of brain is to promote desired behavior and prevent unwanted behavior . The basal ganglia may be best understood in the context of dysmotic disorders, because in this case the motor dysfunction leads to unwanted involuntary movements.

For example, unilateral twitching is a basal ganglion disorder, and patients will involuntarily make uncontrollable swinging movements of the limbs. In unilateral seizures, the basal ganglia cannot interact normally with another brain region - thalamus . The thalamus sends signals to the motor cortex, controlling the of the motor cortex to automatically move , completing a cycle containing the basal ganglia, the thalamus and the cortex. Without the normal operation of the basal ganglia, autonomous movement cannot be initiated or stopped normally.

So what is the relationship between basal ganglia and obsessive-compulsive disorder? In addition to the motor cortex, the basal ganglia and the thalamus also form many loops with the prefrontal cortex. Because the prefrontal cortex is involved in planning, thinking, and awareness, the basal ganglia may also be responsible for promoting and blocking the desired thoughts .

According to this view, obsessive-compulsive disorder is a cognitive unilateral tics. What patients experience is not unwanted actions, but unwanted thoughts. As evidence for this theory, the correlation between cerebral cortex activity and basal ganglia brain activity is different in patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder and healthy individuals.

In addition, human obsessive-compulsive symptoms can also be improved by stimulating part of the basal ganglia known as the subthalamic nucleus. In fact, the severity of symptoms and the improvement of stimulation are related to neuronal discharge in the subthalamic nucleus.

Deep brain stimulation is also used to treat other basal ganglion diseases, such as Parkinson's disease

Further test of the above hypothesis is the use of neuroimaging to compare basal ganglion activity in patients with obsessive-compulsive personality disorders. Although patients with obsessive-compulsive personality disorder and obsessive-compulsive disorder (the two are different) have obsessive-compulsive thinking and obsessive-compulsive behaviors that interfere with daily life, obsessive-compulsive personality disorder does not consider these thoughts and fixation procedures to be invasive, but as part of their own personality, suggesting that basal ganglia plays a different role in each disorder.

Although we prefer to accept that we control our thoughts and behaviors, a secret agent in our brain manipulates everything behind the scenes. If we say "we cannot control our own thoughts", this is a hypothesis proposed in the context of thinking that everyone has no free will; we can think of the brain as a biological computer.

However, there is another kind of free will that is called "worthy" by philosopher and cognitive scientist Daniel Dennett, i.e., the comfort we can feel when our thoughts and behaviors are consistent with our sense of identity and subject (self) feelings; but without help, patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder cannot obtain this harmony.

Through these research and experiments based on brain neuroscience, we have provided us with a variety of possibilities for treating and improving obsessive-compulsive disorder, obsessive thinking, and obsessive-compulsive behavior. Understanding this popular science knowledge, makes us realize that "obsessive-compulsive disorder" is not terrible, but it needs to be paid attention to. If we realize that we have compulsive thinking or compulsive behavior, we need to continue to pay attention. If we find that our "compulsiveness" has been enhanced, we need to find professional institutions or professional doctors for consultation and treatment in a timely manner. Don’t think that compulsive thinking or compulsive behavior does not seriously affect your life and work, just let it go. Early consultation and treatment is a responsible attitude towards yourself and your family.

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Next issue topic: Is obsessive-compulsive disorder invisible?