Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) People with OCD have recurring unwanted thoughts, ideas, or sensations that make them feel compelled to do repetitive actions. Mental health treatments can help patients gain control over these time-consuming obsessions and compulsions. Get treatment HIPAA Compliant Are obsessive thoughts interfering with your life? You may need a psychiatric evaluation. Have you ever been lying in bed at night, exhausted and just about to give in to sleep, when suddenly you can’t remember whether you locked the front door? You get up to check the door and confirm it is locked, then head back to bed. For many people, that is enough. But with OCD, the second-guessing continues to the point of obsession. That obsession can cause worry and anxiety. To cope, people with OCD may develop a ritual. Such rituals can come to feel like an integral part of everyday functions, to the point that it causes a problem. In the case of checking the front door, someone with OCD may lock the door twice, wiggle the doorknob three times, and tug at the door five times before heading back to bed. OCD is a compounding disorder that will likely get worse if untreated, but it is also, fortunately, highly treatable. The mental health professionals at bonmente can provide a psychiatric evaluation that tests for forms of OCD to determine a diagnosis. From there, we can develop a mental health treatment plan that can restore control over those intrusive thoughts. What causes OCD? The cause of OCD is unknown, but the most likely risk factors are genetics, biology, and environment. Changes in brain function or chemistry can create changes in thought patterns, which may provoke anxiety and worry. A stressful environment may trigger OCD behaviors, especially if they have been present in the family as a method of coping. People who have anxiety, depression, substance abuse, or tic disorders are at greater risk for developing OCD, which can exacerbate these mental health conditions. What are symptoms of OCD? OCD symptoms usually present in teen years or early adulthood, but in some cases they start in childhood. Typically, symptoms form gradually then become more severe over time, usually worsening with stress. Due to the demands of the compulsion, this mental illness can become so time-consuming that it interferes with daily functioning and interpersonal relationships. There are predominately four types of OCD: “Washers” are obsessed with contamination. OCD makes Washers feel compelled to clean or wash hands beyond what is necessary for hygiene. “Checkers” are obsessed with checking things. This can lead to a compulsion to, say, make sure that the oven is turned off. Repetitive rechecking helps Checkers feel safe. “Doubters and Sinners” are obsessed with making things perfect to prevent something terrible from happening or to avoid punishment. That punishment or catastrophe may be real or imaginary, likely or unlikely. “Counters and Arrangers” are obsessed with symmetry and keeping things in order. A Counter or Arranger may feel a compulsion to organize numbers, colors, or other elements. Hoarding can also be a symptom of OCD, as 25% of people with OCD hoard out of fear that something bad will happen if they throw things out. However, OCD is distinct from hoarding disorder, which is an entirely different condition. There isn’t anybody out there who doesn’t have a mental health issue, whether it’s depression, anxiety, or how to cope with relationships. Having OCD is not an embarrassment anymore – for me. Just know that there is help and your life could be better if you go out and seek the help. – Howie Mandell How is OCD treated? Mental health professionals consider OCD a lifelong condition, but OCD treatment can help patients control symptoms so that they are less of an intrusion in daily life. With bonmente, you can do your OCD therapy via telepsychiatry. Treatment for OCD relies on a combination of psychotherapy and medications. Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) with exposure and response prevention (ERP) is very useful in reducing symptoms. ERP exposes a patient to the subject of their obsession to learn how to resist the urge to do rituals. Multiple antidepressants have FDA approval for treating OCD: clomipramine (Anafranil) fluoxetine (Prozac) fluvoxamine paroxetine (Paxil, Pexeva) sertraline (Zoloft) Medications alone are not always the best in reducing OCD symptoms. However, when used in combination with other treatments, people with OCD can get relief and often remission of symptoms. If symptoms are severe or treatment-resistant, more intensive or long-term treatment may be necessary. Options include outpatient or residential treatment programs, deep brain stimulation, and transcranial magnetic stimulation. Do I have OCD? The Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale (Y-BOCS) is a 10-question screening tool that rates the severity and type of symptoms in patients with OCD. PLEASE NOTE: It is not a substitute for professional evaluation but can be helpful in identifying OCD-related behaviors and thoughts. Start Quiz How is OCD different from OCPD (Obsessive Compulsive Personality Disorder? OCD and OCPD share similar symptoms, and most of us have a little bit of both in our brains. OCD is a mental disorder that usually involves intrusive thoughts and compulsions, typically around: contamination violence sex religion death or injury perfection relationships OCPD is a personality type fixated on rules, order, and neatness, to the point that it makes it difficult for others to be around them. People with OCPD do not recognize how their behavior is affecting others and may feel others are at fault. People with OCD tend to feel distressed by their intrusive thoughts and rituals and recognize them to be problematic. A psychiatric evaluation can help distinguish between OCD and OCPD and create a treatment plan that is appropriate for each. Get started with OCD treatment today. Free your mind from intrusive thoughts and compulsions. Connect with an OCD specialist at bonmente today. Book an appointment Do I have OCD? The Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale (Y-BOCS) is a 10-question screening tool that rates the severity and type of symptoms in patients with OCD. PLEASE NOTE: It is not a substitute for professional evaluation but can be helpful in identifying OCD-related behaviors and thoughts. 1 / 10 How much of your time is occupied by obsessive thoughts? None Less than 1 hr/day or occasional occurrence 1 to 3 hrs/day or frequent Greater than 3 and up to 8 hrs/day or very frequent occurrence Greater than 8 hrs/day or nearly constant occurrence 2 / 10 How much do your obsessive thoughts interfere with your work, school, social, or other important role functioning? Is there anything that you don’t do because of them? None Slight interference with social or other activities, but overall performance not impaired Definite interference with social or occupational performance, but still manageable Causes substantial impairment in social or occupational performance Incapacitating 3 / 10 How much distress do your obsessive thoughts cause you? None Not too disturbing Disturbing, but still manageable Very disturbing Near constant and disabling distress 4 / 10 How much of an effort do you make to resist the obsessive thoughts? How often do you try to disregard or turn your attention away from these thoughts as they enter your mind? Try to resist all the time Try to resist most of the time Make some effort to resist Yield to all obsessions without attempting to control them, but with some reluctance Completely and willingly yield to all obsessions 5 / 10 How much control do you have over your obsessive thoughts? How successful are you in stopping or diverting your obsessive thinking? Can you dismiss them? Complete control Usually able to stop or divert obsessions with some effort and concentration Sometimes able to stop or divert obsessions Rarely successful in stopping or dismissing obsessions, can only divert attention with difficulty Obsessions are completely involuntary, rarely able to even momentarily alter obsessive thinking 6 / 10 How much time do you spend performing compulsive behaviors? How much longer than most people does it take to complete routine activities because of your rituals? How frequently do you do rituals? None Less than 1 hr/day or occasional performance of compulsive behaviors From 1 to 3 hrs/day, or frequent performance of compulsive behaviors More than 3 and up to 8 hrs/day, or very frequent performance of compulsive behaviors More than 8 hrs/day, or near constant performance of compulsive behaviors (too numerous to count) 7 / 10 How much do your compulsive behaviors interfere with your work, school, social, or other important role functioning? Is there anything that you don’t do because of the compulsions? None Slight interference with social or other activities, but overall performance not impaired Definite interference with social or occupational performance, but still manageable Causes substantial impairment in social or occupational performance Incapacitating 8 / 10 How would you feel if prevented from performing your compulsion(s)? How anxious would you become? None Only slightly anxious if compulsions prevented Anxiety would mount but remain manageable if compulsions prevented Prominent and very disturbing increase in anxiety if compulsions interrupted Incapacitating anxiety from any intervention aimed at modifying activity 9 / 10 How much of an effort do you make to resist the compulsions? Always try to resist Try to resist most of the time Make some effort to resist Yield to almost all compulsions without attempting to control them, but with some reluctance Completely and willingly yield to all compulsions 10 / 10 How strong is the drive to perform the compulsive behavior? How much control do you have over the compulsions? Complete control Pressure to perform the behavior but usually able to exercise voluntary control over it Strong pressure to perform behavior, can control it only with difficulty Very strong drive to perform behavior, must be carried to completion, can only delay with difficulty Drive to perform behavior experienced as completely involuntary and over-powering, rarely able to even momentarily delay activity 0%