What Is Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD)? | Causes, Symptoms, & Treatment

Everyone has to live with insecurities and the occasional intrusive thought or bad habit. 

But when a person develops obsessive-compulsive disorder, these thoughts, fears, worries, fixations, habits, and compulsions can grow out of control, expanding to the point that it may make it difficult to enjoy a productive, controlled, and secure daily life.

If you or someone you know is showing signs of having OCD or another behavioral disorder or mental health condition, see a mental health professional to get the care and support that can improve your quality of life.

What Causes OCD?

There is no single cause for OCD and experts suspect that different factors can contribute to its development. Some of the suspected causes or risk factors for OCD include:

• genetic predisposition, as OCD is known to run in families
• growing up with another family member who experienced OCD
• factors related to brain structure and brain functioning
• having a reserved personality, strong negative emotions, and/or poor juvenile mental health
• developing other mental health disorders including anxiety disorders, major depression, or phobias
• experiencing difficult or traumatic childhood experiences
• misusing drugs or alcohol

The disorder most commonly emerges in one’s teen years or early adulthood, and impacts both men and women equally.

What Are The Symptoms Of OCD?

OCD can be expressed in a variety of ways. However, the disorder generally features three main elements:

Obsessive Thoughts

Those with OCD will tend to have powerful unwanted and intrusive thoughts, urges, or mental images that recur over and over again in their day-to-day lives, causing significant distress. Some examples of these obsessions include:

• fear of contamination, germs, or dirt
• a feeling that something has been lost or misplaced
• heightened attention to when things are out of the correct order or not symmetrical
• fears related to accidental harm or injury
• fear that one may lose control and commit a violent or self-destructive act
• religious or sexual fixations

Compulsions

Faced with these distressing, overwhelming obsessive thoughts, images, fears, and fixations, those with OCD will often develop specific behaviors to help them cope. 

However, these repetitive behaviors may quickly become burdensome, time consuming, and even actively harmful.

Some examples of common compulsions include:

• hand washing or repetitively cleaning
• checking and re-checking locks or stovetops
• hoarding, refusing to throw away items
• counting items
• reordering or arranging items in specific ways
• touching or tapping objects
• following an inflexible routine
• mental acts like silently repeating words or phrases
• pulling hair (trichotillomania)

Emotional Distress

It’s important to note that these unwanted thoughts and compulsive behaviors are involuntary and continue even if a person consciously understands how excessive, illogical, and harmful they are. 

In many cases, these symptoms can be so negative and distressing that they can get in the way of a person’s ability to work, take care of themselves, and build or maintain positive and healthy relationships.

Diagnosing OCD

OCD can only be diagnosed by a healthcare provider following a formal physical and psychological evaluation that uses certain diagnostic criteria laid out in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5).

If the patient’s symptoms meet the DSM-5 criteria, OCD can be diagnosed and a treatment program can be developed. However, there are many other related disorders that can sometimes closely resemble OCD, including:

• obsessive-compulsive personality disorder
• anxiety disorders
• major depression
• schizophrenia
• hoarding disorder
• body dysmorphic disorder
• pediatric autoimmune neuropsychiatric disorders
• tic disorders

It is also common for many people to develop OCD alongside these or other mental health disorders as well as substance use disorders as people turn to drugs and alcohol to self-medicate against their intrusive thoughts and compulsions.

OCD Treatment Options

There is no cure for OCD, but there are treatments that can help manage its symptoms and, with time, greatly improve a patient’s overall quality of life.

Exposure & Response Prevention (ERP)

The most common treatment of OCD is a form of psychotherapy known as exposure and response prevention (ERP). 

This is a specialized form of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) reserved for OCD that involves gentle and gradual exposure to an obsession, such as dirt, while working to overcome resulting compulsions, like handwashing.

Medication

Antidepressants, especially selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) like sertraline and fluoxetine, may also be prescribed to treat OCD and are FDA-approved for this purpose alongside psychotherapy.

Unfortunately, these medications can produce side effects and may not be a good fit for every patient.

Other Treatment Options

Some second line options are available to address treatment-resistant OCD in adults, including:

• deep brain stimulation (DBS), which involves implanting electrodes in certain areas of the brain
• transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), which uses magnetic fields to stimulate nerve cells in the brain

Support groups and other special accommodations can also greatly help those receiving treatment and working towards a successful and long-lasting recovery.

If you or a loved one are struggling with a substance use disorder as well as OCD or a related mental health disorder, please consider reaching out to Ark Behavioral Health today. 

We provide leading dual diagnosis treatment services at our modern, comfortable treatment centers and are happy to support your recovery today.