Defined as:
Diagnostic Criteria
A. Either obsessions or compulsions:
Obsessions as defined by (1), (2), (3), and (4):
Compulsions as defined by (1) and (2):
B. At some point during the course of the disorder, the person has recognized that the obsessions or compulsions are excessive or unreasonable. Note: This does not apply to children.
C. The obsessions or compulsions cause marked distress, are time consuming (take more than 1 hour a day), or significantly interfere with the person's normal routine, occupational (or academic) functioning, or usual social activities or relationships.
D. If another Axis I disorder is present, the content of the obsessions or compulsions is not restricted to it (e.g., preoccupation with food in the presence of an Eating Disorders; hair pulling in the presence of Trichotillomania; concern with appearance in the presence of Body Dysmorphic Disorder; preoccupation with drugs in the presence of a Substance Use Disorder; preoccupation with having a serious illness in the presence of Hypochondriasis; preoccupation with sexual urges or fantasies in the presence of a Paraphilia; or guilty ruminations in the presence of Major Depressive Disorder).
E. The disturbance is not due to the direct physiological effects of a substance(e.g., a drug of abuse, a medication) or a general medical condition.
Specify if:
With Poor Insight: if, for most of the time during the current episode the person does not recognize that the obsessions and compulsions are excessive or unreasonable
Someone suffering from OCD will be someone who appears to have repetitive or compulsive behaviors that appear useless or unnecessary to those around them. These compulsions are considered “necessary” to them in order to feel comfortable or in order to prevent something bad from happening.
Often times OCD behaviors surround activities such as locking the doors, looking in the mirror, washing the hands, cleaning the house, or other behaviors that could be seen as preparing, safety, or personal grooming.
Someone with OCD will be very anxious and upset should they not be able to do their routine of compulsions so that they can feel better. They usually also show symptoms of Generalized Anxiety Disorder.
Anxiety disorders are caused by our minds desire to prepare for the future. Being smart and emotional creatures, we have developed a benefit to understanding what “might” happen in the future so that we can be prepared for it.
Obsessive Compulsive disorders are caused when someone has a high amount of anxiety, and they find a behavior that, once upon a time, reduced their anxiety. However, they take that behavior that once reduced their anxiety and they do it repeatedly until they do it so much that it becomes an anxiety producing event itself, OR they feel like they “must” do the behavior or something new and bad will happen. Since it prevented something bad from happening once, or since it made a bad situation better once, they assume that doing it every time, or that doing it over and over will be better.
Psychotherapy or talk therapy is the only true form of “cure” for Obsessive Compulsive Disorder.
Some medications can help to reduce symptoms of anxiety, but they are not a cure – talk to your primary care physician for more information. However, we recommend using medications in the treatment of general anxiety disorder only in combination with talk therapy.