Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD)
What is OCD?
Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is an anxiety disorder made up of two parts: obsessions and compulsions. People with OCD may experience obsessions, compulsions, or both and can cause a lot of distress in someone's life.
While it is common for us to worry about things such as school or work, obsessions are intrusive and repetitive thoughts that make it hard for people to complete tasks. People with OCD are usually aware that the thoughts are unrealistic, but find it difficult to stop thinking about them or worry about doing things they don't mean.
What Causes OCD?
The causes of OCD are unknown but can be caused by a combination of risk factors including:
Biology: Changes in your body’s own natural chemistry or brain functions (brain chemicals, or neurotransmitters)
Genetics: Can be genetically inherited genetically, especially if it runs in families
Environment: Exposure to traumatic situations and fear of objects or situations can cause people to avoid situations or engage in repetitive behaviors to reduce their discomfort (ex. Cleaning rituals)
What Are The Signs & Symptoms?
The main symptoms of OCD are recurrent obsessions, compulsions, or a combination of both that interfere with a person's life. This can be very time-consuming (ex. take more than one hour per day) and affect someone's habits in social settings or other important areas of their life.
Obsessions: Repetitive and intrusive thoughts, urges, or images that cause anxiety
Fear of getting sick, contamination, and germs
Unwanted aggressive or sexual thoughts
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Thoughts of harming yourself or others
Need to have things done the "right way" and feel distressed when they are moved or touched
Compulsions: Repetitive behaviors that someone feels they need to do in response to the obsessive thoughts
Doing the same action repeatedly (ex. washing hands)
Doubting or checking things to make things certain (ex. locking the front door, turning off the stove)
Counting things "X" amount of times (ex. number of steps you take)
Arranging things to be in a specific order (ex. pens, kitchen utensils)
Coping With OCD
Similar to all other mental health issues, OCD can have a range of treatments and are specific to the situation of each person.
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Therapy
A type of therapy called cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) is shown to be effective for helping people with OCD. It teaches you how your thoughts, feelings, and behaviors work together, and helps to develop skills like solving problems, managing stress, and realistic thinking patterns.
Support Groups
Attending support groups may also help you to gain a different perspective of the situation through connecting with individuals going through similar experiences.
Medication
Talking to your doctor about types of medication options can be helpful in reducing OCD symptoms. The dosage, treatment, and type of medication will differ for each person depending on the severity of symptoms. Each person's situation is different, and finding the right person to talk to can be helpful to get the right treatment.
Each person is different and finding the right kinds of support that work for you can help to maintain overall well-being and build resilience over time.
It is always best to talk to your doctor about any concerns or questions you might have. This page should not be used as a resource to self-diagnose.
OCD Infographics & Tip Sheets
Click one of the topics below to download and print our sheets or click here to view more of our infographics.