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Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD)
Most of us have worries, doubts, superstitions, or "funny" habits of one kind or another.
However, for some Americans these feelings become so strong at some point in their lives that they almost take over. These people may have obsessive-compulsive disorder, or OCD.
Many people may check to make sure the stove is off before going away on vacation. But for a person with OCD, it can take hours to get out of the house, because he or she must check the stove hundreds of times.
Most people like to have their things somewhat neat and tidy. But, a person with OCD may not be able to stop thinking about tidiness — to the point where it may take hours to make sure objects are in order.
While many people wash their hands before a meal, a person with OCD may not be able to stop thinking about germs and will wash his or her hands over and over again, until they are chapped or even bleeding.
OCD can happen to anyone. About 1 in 50 Americans — as many as five million — have OCD at some point in their lives. Research shows that OCD may be associated with a chemical imbalance in the brain. OCD usually starts in the teen or early adult years, but children can have it, too. OCD starts earlier in boys than in girls. In adults, men and women are affected in equal numbers.
OCD is a medical condition that causes a person to have the same disturbing thoughts, ideas, or impulses over and over again. These are known as obsessions.
In order to fight the obsessions, a person with OCD may do certain things over and over again to relieve the anxiety and worry that result from the obsessions. These repeated actions are called compulsions. Compulsions can also be mental acts such as counting or repeating words silently.
OCD causes a lot of distress for people who have it, and obsessions and compulsions take up a great deal of time. Most people with OCD find their thoughts and actions to be excessive and senseless, but they cannot control them.
Signs and Symptoms of OCD
Doctors diagnose OCD when obsessions or compulsions start to:
Take up more than 1 hour a day
Cause the patient to become very upset
Get in the way of everyday living
Some common symptoms of OCD include:
Obsessions
Thoughts about contamination, or germs
Doubts about safety, doing harm, or being harmed
A need for order, to have things "just right"
Fear of making mistakes
Fear of behaving in a socially unacceptable manner
Compulsions
Repeated actions, such as hand-washing
Checking and rechecking that something has been done
Arranging objects over and over
Counting/repeating
Hoarding objects and feeling unable to throw them away
The exact cause of OCD is not clear. Research has shown that it may be associated with a chemical imbalance in the brain.
Someone who has a blood relative with OCD is more likely to develop OCD than someone who hasn't. However, not everyone who has a relative with OCD will develop it.
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