Mademoiselle F Essay

Mademoiselle F, as she is known, was an eighteen year old girl who frequently visited her affluent and elderly aunt. One time when she was visiting she was gripped by the sudden fear that she had taken something from the house without her aunt’s permission. At first, she tried to not wear her apron so that she would not have pockets to stick things in, but soon she became afraid that she was putting possessions in her shoes, hair, and hands. Mademoiselle F began a vigorous ritual of shaking out her shoes, thoroughly combing her hair, undressing and redressing, shaking out her hands, and then forcing her chambermaid to check Mademoiselle for her, just to be safe. This vigorous process exhausted her, and she soon brought herself to French psychiatrist J.E.D. Esquirol, who wrote down her case for us to read today. He was the one who referred to her as Mademoiselle F, as well as the first person to call her mentally insane. In reality, Mademoiselle F suffered from OCD, but she was soon brought to a mental institution for her compulsions and behaviors. While discoveries of and treatments for OCD have developed greatly since the first recorded case of OCD, people with this disorder still feel

PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder) occurs often in war veterans who are scarred by events they witness in combat. Along with the PTSD that can develop with a soldier comes home, OCD can also develop from PTSD. Situations such as starting at a new school, starting a new job, or ending a relationship can contribute to OCD, but that is not very often. Traumatic situations that involve injury or harm may lead to fear, so that person becomes terrified of being afflicted by that same trouble again. For example, children with traumatic experiences in their childhood may develop OCD, but different children will react differently to trauma. Illnesses, such as scarlet fever or strep, can lead to