Overview
Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is characterized by unreasonable thoughts and fears (obsessions) that lead you to do repetitive behaviors (compulsions). It's also possible to have only obsessions or only compulsions and still have OCD.
You may or may not realize that your obsessions aren't reasonable, and you may try to ignore them or stop them. But that only increases your distress and anxiety. Ultimately, you feel driven to perform compulsive acts in an effort to ease your stressful feelings.
OCD often centers on themes, such as a fear of getting contaminated by germs. To ease your contamination fears, you may compulsively wash your hands until they're sore and chapped. Despite efforts to ignore or get rid of bothersome thoughts, the thoughts or urges keep coming back. This leads to more ritualistic behavior and a vicious cycle that's characteristic of OCD.
Symptoms
Obsession symptoms
They are repetitive, persistent with unwanted urges or images that cause distress or anxiety. You might try to get rid of them by performing a compulsion or ritual. These obsessions typically intrude when you're trying to think of or do other things.
Obsessions often have themes to them, such as:
- Fear of contamination or dirt.
- Having things orderly and symmetrical.
- Aggressive or horrific thoughts about harming yourself or others.
- Unwanted thoughts
Examples of obsession signs and symptoms include:
- Fear of being contaminated by shaking hands or by touching objects others have touched.
- Doubts that you've locked the door or turned off the stove.
- Intense stress when objects aren't orderly or facing a certain way.
- Images of hurting yourself or someone else.
- Thoughts about shouting obscenities or acting inappropriately.
- Avoidance of situations that can trigger obsessions, such as shaking hands.
- Distress about unpleasant sexual images repeating in your mind.
Compulsion symptoms
OCD compulsions are repetitive behaviors that you feel driven to perform. These repetitive behaviors are meant to prevent or reduce anxiety related to your obsessions or prevent something bad from happening. However, engaging in the compulsions brings no pleasure and may offer only a temporary relief from anxiety.As with obsessions, compulsions typically have themes, such as:
- Washing and cleaning
- Counting
- Checking
- Demanding reassurances
- Following a strict routine
- Orderliness
Examples of compulsion signs and symptoms include:
- Hand-washing.
- Checking doors repeatedly to make sure they're locked.
- Checking the stove repeatedly to make sure it's off.
- Counting in certain patterns.
- Silently repeating a prayer, word or phrase.
- Arranging your canned goods to face the same way.
Symptoms usually begin gradually and tend to vary in severity throughout your life. Symptoms generally worsen when you're experiencing more stress. OCD, considered a lifelong disorder, can be so severe and time-consuming that it becomes disabling.
Most adults recognize that their obsessions and compulsions don't make sense, but that's not always the case. Children may not understand what's wrong.
Possible Cause
The cause isn’t fully understood but popular theories suggest:
- Biology OCD may be a result of changes in your body's own natural chemistry or brain functions. OCD may also have a genetic component, but specific genes have yet to be identified.
- Environment Some environmental factors such as infections are suggested as a trigger for OCD, but more research is needed to be sure.
Risk Factors
Factors that may increase the risk of developing or triggering obsessive-compulsive disorder include:
- Family history Having parents or other family members with the disorder can increase your risk of developing OCD.
- Stressful life events If you've experienced traumatic or stressful events or you tend to react strongly to stress, your risk may increase. This reaction may, for some reason, trigger the intrusive thoughts, rituals and emotional distress characteristic of OCD.
Complications
Some of the problems below may be associated with OCD and others may not be caused by it.
- Inability to attend work, school or social activities
- Troubled relationships.
- Overall poor quality of life.
- Anxiety disorders.
- Depression.
- Eating disorders.
- Suicidal thoughts and behavior.
- Alcohol or other substance abuse.
- Contact dermatitis from frequent hand-washing.
Care and Treatment
There's no way to prevent obsessive-compulsive disorder. However, getting treatment as soon as possible may help prevent OCD from worsening.
When to Call the Doctor
There's a difference between being a perfectionist and having OCD. OCD thoughts aren't simply excessive worries about real problems in your life. Perhaps you keep the floors in your house so clean that you could eat off them. Or you like your knickknacks arranged just so. That doesn't necessarily mean that you have OCD.
If your obsessions and compulsions are affecting your quality of life, see your doctor or mental health provider. People with OCD may be ashamed and embarrassed about the condition, but treatment can help.
Obsessive-compulsive disorder symptoms usually include both obsessions and compulsions. But it's also possible to have only obsession symptoms or only compulsion symptoms. About one-third of people with OCD also have a disorder that includes sudden, brief, intermittent movements or sounds.
OCD obsessions are repeated, persistent and unwanted urges or images that cause distress or anxiety. You might try to get rid of them by performing a compulsion or ritual.
These obsessions typically intrude when you're trying to think of or do other things.Examples of obsession signs and symptoms include:
- Fear of being contaminated by shaking hands or by touching objects others have touched.
- Doubts that you've locked the door or turned off the stove.
- Intense stress when objects aren't orderly or facing a certain way.
- Images of hurting yourself or someone else.
- Thoughts about shouting obscenities or acting inappropriately.
- Avoidance of situations that can trigger obsessions, such as shaking hands.
- Distress about unpleasant sexual images repeating in your mind.