Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder
Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is an anxiety disorder in which people suffer intensely from recurrent, unwanted thoughts (obsessions) or rituals (compulsions) that they feel they cannot control. Rituals such as hand-washing, counting, checking, or cleaning are often performed with the hope of preventing obsessive thoughts or making them go away. Performing these rituals, however, provides only temporary relief, and not performing them markedly increases anxiety. Left untreated, obsessions and the need to perform rituals can take over a person's life.
OCD, which typically begins during adolescence or early childhood, is often a chronic, relapsing illness. An estimated 2.4 percent of American adults ages 18 to 54 have OCD in a given year. Men and women are equally likely to develop OCD.
There is growing evidence that OCD represents abnormal functioning of the brain. OCD is not caused by family problems or attitudes learned in childhood, such as an inordinate emphasis on cleanliness, or a belief that certain thoughts are dangerous or unacceptable. Fortunately, effective treatments have been developed to help people with OCD.
What Treatments Are Available for OCD?
Treatments for OCD, which combine medications and behavioral therapy (a specific type of psychotherapy), are often effective.
Medications proven effective in helping people with OCD are clomipramine, fluoxetine, fluvoxamine, sertraline, and paroxetine. If one drug does not work well, others should be tried. A number of other medications are currently being studied.
A type of behavioral therapy known as "exposure and response prevention" is very useful for treating OCD. In this approach, a person is deliberately and voluntarily exposed to whatever triggers the obsessive thoughts, and then is taught techniques to avoid performing the compulsive rituals and to deal with the anxiety.
Can People With OCD Have Other Illnesses?
OCD is sometimes accompanied by depression, eating disorders, substance abuse, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, or other anxiety disorders. When a person also has other disorders present, OCD is often more difficult to diagnose and treat.
Symptoms of OCD can also coexist and may even be part of a spectrum of other brain disorders, such as Tourette's syndrome. Appropriate diagnosis and treatment of other disorders are important to successful treatment of OCD.
For More Information
Mental Health: A Report of the Surgeon General can be viewed at www.surgeongeneral.gov
The Anxiety Disorders Education Program,
National Institute of Mental,
6001 Executive Blvd., Room 8184, MSC 9663,
Bethesda, MD 20892-9663.
Phone: 301-443-4513
Toll-free: 1-88-88-ANXIETY (1-888-826-9438)
TTY: 301-443-8431
NIMH Anxiety Disorders Web site: www.nimh.nih.gov/anxiety/anxietymenu.cfm
CMHS Knowledge Exchange Network (KEN)
P.O. Box 42490
Washington, DC 20015
Phone: 1-800-789-2647
FAX: 301-984-8796
KEN home page address: www.mentalhealth.org
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
Mental Health: The Cornerstone of Health
Home page address: www.mentalhealth.org/cornerstone
