It is common for people with OCD also to have a diagnosed mood disorder or anxiety disorder. Symptoms of OCD may come and go, ease over time, or worsen.
People with OCD may try to help themselves by avoiding situations that trigger their obsessions, or they may use alcohol or drugs to calm themselves. Parents or teachers typically recognize OCD symptoms in children.
If you think you or your child may have OCD, talk to a health care provider about the possible symptoms. If left untreated, OCD can interfere in all aspects of life. Genetics is one factor associated with OCD. Studies have shown that having a first-degree relative parent, sibling, or child with OCD is associated with an increased chance of developing the disorder. Scientists have not identified any one gene or set of genes that definitively lead to OCD, but studies exploring the connection between genetics and OCD are ongoing.
In addition to genetics, other biological factors may play a role. Brain imaging studies have shown that people with OCD often have differences in the frontal cortex and subcortical structures of the brain, areas of the brain that underlie the ability to control behavior and emotional responses.
Researchers also have found that several brain areas, brain networks, and biological processes play a key role in obsessive thoughts, compulsive behavior, and associated fear and anxiety.
Research is underway to better understand the connection between OCD symptoms and parts of the brain. Some studies have reported an association between childhood trauma and obsessive-compulsive symptoms. More research is needed to understand this relationship. The first step is to talk with your health care provider about your symptoms. Asking questions and providing information to your health care provider can improve your care.
Your health care provider will perform a physical exam and ask you about your health history to make sure that your symptoms are not caused by other illnesses or conditions. Your health care provider may refer you to a mental health professional, such as a psychiatrist, psychologist, social worker, or counselor, for further evaluation or treatment. Treatment for OCD typically includes specific types of psychotherapy such as cognitive behavioral therapy , medication, or a combination of the two.
A mental health professional can talk about the benefits and risks associated with different treatment options and help identify the best treatment for you. Sometimes people with OCD also have other mental illnesses, such as anxiety, depression, and body dysmorphic disorder, a disorder in which someone mistakenly believes that a part of their body is abnormal.
It is important to consider these other disorders when making decisions about treatment. It is important to follow your treatment plan because both psychotherapy and medication can take some time to work. Although there is no cure for OCD, current treatments help many people with the disorder manage their symptoms, engage in day-to-day activities, and lead full, active lives. Psychotherapy can be an effective treatment for adults and children with OCD.
OCD is an anxiety disorder characterized by uncontrollable, unwanted thoughts and ritualized, repetitive behaviors you feel compelled to perform. If you have OCD, you probably recognize that your obsessive thoughts and compulsive behaviors are irrational—but even so, you feel unable to resist them and break free. Like a needle getting stuck on an old record, OCD causes the brain to get stuck on a particular thought or urge. You may try to avoid situations that trigger or worsen your symptoms or self-medicate with alcohol or drugs.
Obsessions are involuntary thoughts, images, or impulses that occur over and over again in your mind. Unfortunately, these obsessive thoughts are often disturbing and distracting. Compulsions are behaviors or rituals that you feel driven to act out again and again. Usually, compulsions are performed in an attempt to make obsessions go away. However, the relief never lasts.
In fact, the obsessive thoughts usually come back stronger. And the compulsive rituals and behaviors often end up causing anxiety themselves as they become more demanding and time-consuming. This is the vicious cycle of OCD. Hoarding used to be considered a category of OCD. While estimates suggest that up to 25 percent of people with OCD experience compulsive hoarding, it can also be a sign of a separate condition, hoarding disorder.
However, there are distinctions between OCD-related hoarding and hoarding disorder. OCD-related hoarders tend not to accumulate so many possessions that their homes become unmanageable. Hoarding for them is usually unwelcome and distressing—a way to manage intrusive thoughts. Someone with hoarding disorder, on the other hand, experiences both positive and negative emotions. Acquiring possessions provides pleasure rather than simply satisfying a compulsion and they being surrounded by their things provides comfort.
The distress in hoarding disorder stems more from the consequences of hoarding—the clutter and unsafe environment—along with the anxiety of having to discard possessions.
Read: Hoarding Disorder: Help for Hoarders. Just because you have obsessive thoughts or perform compulsive behaviors does NOT mean that you have obsessive-compulsive disorder. With OCD, these thoughts and behaviors cause tremendous distress, take up a lot of time at least one hour per day , and interfere with your daily life and relationships. Most people with obsessive-compulsive disorder have both obsessions and compulsions, but some people experience just one or the other.
While the onset of obsessive-compulsive disorder usually occurs during adolescence or young adulthood, younger children sometimes have symptoms that look like OCD. The first step to managing your OCD symptoms is to recognize the triggers—the thoughts or situations—that bring on your obsessions and compulsions. Record a list of the triggers you experience each day and the obsessions they provoke. Rate the intensity of the fear or anxiety you experienced in each situation and then the compulsions or mental strategies you used to ease your anxiety.
For example, if you have a fear of being contaminated by germs, touching a railing at the mall might generate a fear intensity of 3, whereas touching the restroom floor in the mall might generate a 10 and require 15 minutes of hand washing to ease your anxiety. Keeping track of your triggers can help you anticipate your urges. And by anticipating your compulsive urges before they arise, you can help to ease them.
For example, if your compulsive behavior involves checking that doors are locked, windows closed, or appliances turned off, try to lock the door or turn off the appliance with extra attention the first time.
Identifying and recording your triggers also provides an important tool for learning to resist your OCD compulsions.
It might seem smart to avoid the situations that trigger your obsessive thoughts, but the more you avoid them, the scarier they feel. Conversely, by repeatedly exposing yourself to your OCD triggers, you can learn to resist the urge to complete your compulsive rituals.
If you are a compulsive hand washer, for example, that could mean touching the door handle in a public restroom and then not allowing yourself to wash your hands. As you sit with the anxiety, the urge to wash your hands will gradually begin to go away on its own.
Using the information you recorded in identifying your triggers, make a list of situations from the least scary to the most scary. Work your way up the ladder. If possible, stay in the situation long enough for your anxiety to decrease.
If a step is too hard, break it down into smaller steps or go slower. These effects often decline after the first few weeks of treatment. If your side effects are severe or last for a long time, you should discuss this with your doctor.
It usually takes several weeks for medication to deliver any effects. When reducing or stopping medication, the dose should be reduced slowly under medical supervision.
Assessment and treatment in hospital can be helpful for some people, particularly when symptoms are severe. A stay in hospital may last from several days to a few weeks. There are many ways that you can help yourself in addition to seeking therapy.
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Home Anxiety. Obsessive compulsive disorder. Actions for this page Listen Print. Summary Read the full fact sheet. On this page. Symptoms of OCD — obsessions Obsessions are usually exaggerated versions of concerns and worries that most people have at some time.
Make an appointment with a child psychiatrist or psychologist. Your child's doctor can help you find the right person. To diagnose OCD, they will spend time talking with you and your child.
They will ask questions about your child's symptoms that help point them to signs of OCD. If they diagnose OCD, they can explain the treatment. Take part in your child's therapy. Part of treatment is coaching parents on how to respond to their child's OCD symptoms. Learn all you can about ways you can help. Learn how to support your child's progress without giving in to rituals.
Be patient. Overcoming OCD is a process. There will be many therapy visits. Be sure to go to them all. Help your child practice the things the therapist shows you. Praise your child's effort. Show how proud you feel. Remind them that OCD is not their fault.
Get support, and give it.
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