Obsessive Compulsive Disorder is the 4th most common mental illness, characterized by acute anxiety, obsessive or intrusive thoughts and compulsive behaviors.
Key points
- Obsessive Compulsive Disorder is a mental illness affecting approximately 2-3 million adults across the US
- OCD is different from generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), primarily featuring obsessive thoughts and compulsive behaviors
- OCD reduces your quality of life and your capacity to hold down a job and have meaningful relationships
- Obsessive Compulsive Disorder responds well to treatment, especially when using a combination of psychotherapy and medication
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Overview
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder is a type of anxiety disorder, in which frequent intrusive thoughts lead to obsessive behaviors that you perform repeatedly and have little control over. OCD usually recurs around the same issue, such as a fear of germs or cleanliness, an obsession with neatness, an obsessive concern for safety or unwanted sexual thoughts or preoccupations.
Risk factors
The exact cause of OCD remains unclear, but research has linked certain conditions to an increased likelihood of developing obsessive compulsive disorder. Having a family history of OCD puts you at higher predisposition to developing the condition, especially if a parent or sibling was diagnosed with OCD before age 18.
Environmental factors that are thought to contribute towards the onset of OCD include severe or long-term childhood trauma, as well as OCD that develops in childhood following streptococcal infection, medically referred to as Pediatric Autoimmune Neuropsychiatric Disorders Associated with Streptococcal Infections (PANDAS).
OCD more frequently occurs where structural changes affect the brain’s neurological processing of information. Patients with epilepsy, Parkinson’s Disease and Tourette’s Syndrome are at increased risk of developing Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, although more research is needed to understand exactly how brain structure and OCD are connected.
Diagnosis
A medical diagnosis of OCD can be made by your psychiatric nurse practitioner, after completing a thorough psychological evaluation, and considering the extent and effect of your obsessions and/or compulsive behaviors, and their effect on your life. As part of this evaluation, your healthcare provider will consider whether your behaviors are caused by another physical or underlying mental health condition and may make referral or recommendations for treatment based on the symptoms you present.
Treatment
Related information
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder can co-occur with physical health conditions, neurological disorders and other mental health conditions. For example, OCD frequently manifests alongside depression, anxiety or personality disorders. OCD presents slightly differently when the OCD is a primary diagnosis, such as caused by neurological structural features, or where the OCD is a secondary outcome, where the recommended treatment might be somewhat different in approach. Your psychiatric nurse practitioner can ascertain whether your OCD forms part of a habit-spectrum disorder or a psychotic-spectrum disorder, which will guide their recommendations for your recovery. (Reference: Pigott, T. A., L’Heureux, F., Dubbert, B., Bernstein, S., & Murphy, D. L. (1994). Obsessive compulsive disorder: comorbid conditions. The Journal of clinical psychiatry, 55 Suppl, 15–32.)
References:
OCD (Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder): Symptoms & Treatment (clevelandclinic.org)
NIMH » Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (nih.gov)
Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) – Diagnosis and treatment – Mayo Clinic
Pigott, T. A., L’Heureux, F., Dubbert, B., Bernstein, S., & Murphy, D. L. (1994). Obsessive compulsive disorder: comorbid conditions. The Journal of clinical psychiatry, 55 Suppl, 15–32.
