Many people without OCD have distressing thoughts or repetitive behaviors. However, these thoughts and behaviors do not typically disrupt daily life. For people with OCD, thoughts are persistent, and behaviors are rigid. Not performing the behaviors commonly causes great distress. Many people with OCD know or suspect their obsessions are not realistic; others may think they could be true known as limited insight.
Even if they know their obsessions are not realistic, people with OCD have difficulty disengaging from the obsessive thoughts or stopping the compulsive actions. OCD often begins in childhood, adolescence, or early adulthood; the average age symptoms appear is 19 years old.
Obsessions are recurrent and persistent thoughts, impulses, or images that cause distressing emotions such as anxiety or disgust. Many people with OCD recognize that the thoughts, impulses, or images are a product of their mind and are excessive or unreasonable. However, the distress caused by these intrusive thoughts cannot be resolved by logic or reasoning. Most people with OCD try to ease the distress of the obsessions with compulsions, ignore or suppress the obsessions, or distract themselves with other activities.
Compulsions are repetitive behaviors or mental acts that a person feels driven to perform in response to an obsession. Actions for this page Listen Print. Summary Read the full fact sheet. On this page. Symptoms of OCD — obsessions Obsessions are usually exaggerated versions of concerns and worries that most people have at some time.
Common obsessions include: fear of contamination from germs, dirt, poisons, and other physical and environmental substances fear of harm from illness, accidents or death that may occur to oneself or to others. This may include an excessive sense of responsibility for preventing this harm intrusive thoughts and images about sex, violence, accidents and other issues excessive concern with symmetry, exactness and orderliness excessive concerns about illness, religious issues or morality needing to know and remember things.
Symptoms of OCD — compulsions Compulsions can be behavioural actions or mental thoughts. Causes of OCD The causes of OCD are not fully understood There are several theories about the causes of OCD, including: Compulsions are learned behaviours, which become repetitive and habitual when they are associated with relief from anxiety.
OCD is due to genetic and hereditary factors. Chemical, structural and functional abnormalities in the brain are the cause. Distorted beliefs reinforce and maintain symptoms associated with OCD. Cognitive behaviour therapy Cognitive behaviour therapy aims to change patterns of thinking, beliefs and behaviours that may trigger anxiety and obsessive compulsive symptoms.
Anxiety management techniques for OCD Anxiety management techniques can help a person to manage their own symptoms. OCD support groups and education Support groups allow people with OCD and their families to meet in comfort and safety, and give and receive support.
Medication for OCD Some medications, especially antidepressants that affect the serotonin system, have been found to reduce the symptoms of OCD. Hospitalisation for OCD Assessment and treatment in hospital can be helpful for some people, particularly when symptoms are severe. Self-help tips for people living with OCD There are many ways that you can help yourself in addition to seeking therapy.
Some suggestions are: Refocus your attention like doing some exercise or playing a computer game. Being able to delay the urge to perform a compulsive behaviour is a positive step. Write down obsessive thoughts or worries. This can help identify how repetitive your obsessions are. Anticipate urges to help ease them. For instance, if you compulsively check that the doors are locked, try and lock the door with extra attention the first time.
Set aside time for a daily worry period. Instead of trying to suppress obsessions or compulsions, set aside a period for obsessing, leaving the rest of the day free of obsessions and compulsions. When thoughts or urges appear in your head during the day, write them down and postpone them to your worry period — save them for later and continue to go about your day. The cognitive-behavioural theory developed following a focus on the meaning attributed to internal or external events.
The cognitive-behavioural theory builds on behavioural theory as it begins with an identical proposition that obsessional thinking has its origins in normal intrusive cognitions. If the appraisal is focused on harm or danger, then the emotional reaction is likely to be anxiety.
Such evaluations of intrusive cognitions and consequent mood changes may become part of a mood-appraisal negative spiral but would not be expected to result in compulsive behaviour.
Cognitive-behavioural models therefore propose that normal obsessions become problematic when either their occurrence or content are interpreted as being personally meaningful and threatening, and it is this interpretation which mediates the distress caused. Thus, according to the cognitive hypothesis, researchers have hypothesised that OCD would occur if intrusive cognitions were interpreted as an indication that the person may be, may have been, or may come to be, responsible for harm or its prevention.
According to cognitive models, the interpretation of an intrusive thought results in a number of voluntary and involuntary reactions which each in their turn can have an impact on the strength of belief in the original interpretation. Negative appraisals can therefore act as both causal and maintenance agents in OCD. Some researchers believe that this theory questions the biological theory because people may be born with a biological predisposition to OCD but never develop the full disorder, while others are born with the same predisposition but, when subject to sufficient learning experiences, develop OCD.
This theory is now quite rightly disregarded due to the failure of psychoanalytic therapy to treat OCD. Stress and parenting styles are environmental factors that have been blamed for causing OCD, but no evidence is yet to show that. However, these are not thought to cause OCD, but rather trigger it in someone already predisposed to the disorder. Depression is also sometimes thought to cause OCD, although without question depression will make OCD symptoms worse, the majority of experts believe that depression is often a consequence of OCD rather than a cause.
As you can see there is a range of factors have been identified as contributing to the cause of OCD, and there is still a great deal of theoretical contention surrounding the definitive cause.
Whilst the cause is currently still being debated, sometimes vigorously by the scientists, what is not in contention is the fact that Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder is indeed a chronic at times , but equally very treatable medical condition. Disclaimer: This article is for information only and should not be used for the diagnosis or treatment of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder or any other medical condition. OCD-UK have taken all reasonable care in compiling this information, but always recommend consulting a doctor or other suitably qualified health professional for diagnosis and treatment of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder or any other medical condition.
What are compulsions? What is a disorder? This section has lots of information, advice and features to help during this time. Due to the ongoing pandemic our parent workshops are currently hosted online, and free of charge.
This section will be updated with information, advice and features for children and young people up to age OCD impacts on the lives of the whole family, especially those that love and care for people with OCD. Due to the ongoing pandemic our parents workshops are currently hosted online, and completely free of charge.
Biological Factors Some mental health researchers have encouraged us to think of research on brain scans and similar as indicating that OCD is linked to a genetic or biological cause. Genetic Factors Overall, genetic studies indicate some tendency towards anxiety that runs in families, although this is probably only slight.
Psychological Theories Other research has revealed that there may be a number of other factors that could play a role in the onset of OCD, including behavioural, cognitive, and environmental factors. Behavioural Theory — Learned Theory During the 50s and 60s researchers reported the successful behaviour treatment of two cases of chronic obsessional neurosis a forerunner for the Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder name , followed by a series of successful case reports. Cognitive theory Many cognitive theorists believe that individuals with OCD have faulty beliefs, and that it is their misinterpretation of intrusive thoughts that leads to OCD.
Stress Stress and parenting styles are environmental factors that have been blamed for causing OCD, but no evidence is yet to show that. Depression Depression is also sometimes thought to cause OCD, although without question depression will make OCD symptoms worse, the majority of experts believe that depression is often a consequence of OCD rather than a cause.
SUMMARY As you can see there is a range of factors have been identified as contributing to the cause of OCD, and there is still a great deal of theoretical contention surrounding the definitive cause. What to read next: Types of OCD. Occurrences of OCD. Page information and additional reading. Last Checked: 5th June Next Review Due: December Search Submit Clear.
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Having OCD does not mean you're "mad" and it's not your fault you have it. You can also find mental health apps and tools in the NHS apps library. If you think a friend or family member may have OCD, try talking to them about your concerns and suggest they get help. It's unlikely OCD will get better without proper treatment and support. There are some effective treatments for OCD that can help reduce the impact it has on your life.
CBT will usually have an effect quite quickly. It can take several months before you notice the effects of treatment with SSRIs, but most people will eventually benefit. Some people may be referred to a specialist mental health service for further treatment.
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