Obsessive-compulsive disorder, or OCD, is an anxiety disorder in which someone has repeated, unwanted thoughts or ideas (obsessions) and feels the need to perform actions and rituals (compulsions) to cope with the anxiety produced by those thoughts. While everyone double-checks things once in a while, such as making sure they turned off the stove or locked the front door, someone with OCD is consumed by the need to check things or do simple actions over and over to the point where these thoughts and rituals are distressing and interfere with daily living.
While each person with OCD has his or her own individual obsessions and compulsions, there are some common symptoms. These include:
- Repeated thoughts about different things, such as a fear of germs and dirt; being excessively neat; fear that something will happen to loved ones; harming loved ones; violent or sexual acts; things that conflict with one’s religious beliefs
- Doing the same things over and over. Common rituals include washing hands, turning lights on and off; locking and unlocking doors; counting; tapping an object a certain number of times; and excessive hoarding.
- Inability to control these thoughts and behaviors
Someone with OCD does not get any pleasure from performing the rituals, which merely supply temporary relief from the anxiety caused by the obsessive thoughts. He or she may spend one hour or more every day on these thoughts and rituals. The person often realizes that his or her behavior is not normal and doesn’t make any sense, and this can in turn cause more distress. People with OCD simply can’t control their thoughts and actions. It is the thoughts and actions that control them.
It’s not entirely clear what causes obsessive-compulsive disorder. It does tend to run in some families, so there seems to be a significant genetic factor. Symptoms of OCD can fluctuate in frequency and intensity over time, so that some days or weeks may be better than others. When the symptoms become severe, they can prevent someone from carrying out their normal obligations at work or home.
If you exhibit any of the above symptoms to the point where they are interfering with your normal activities, you should consult a doctor, who can do a physical examination to rule out any physical causes for your behavior. Describing the nature of your thoughts and rituals to a mental health professional is also a key step toward determining whether you have OCD.
OCD is usually treated with psychotherapy, but medication may be helpful as well. Please consult a physician if you are concerned that you have OCD and it is interfering with your quality of life.