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.
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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.


Icon quote
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.

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.

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