Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD)
Medical Author: Roxanne Dryden-Edwards, MD
Medical Editor: Melissa Conrad Stöppler, MD
What is obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), and what are its symptoms?
Obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) is an anxiety disorder that is
characterized by the sufferer experiencing repeated obsessions and/or
compulsions that interfere with the person's ability to function socially,
occupationally, or educationally, either as a result of the amount of time that
is consumed by the symptoms or the marked fear or other distress suffered by the
person.
An obsession is defined as a thought, impulse, or image that either recurs or
persists and causes severe anxiety. These thoughts are irresistible to the OCD
sufferer despite the person's realizing that these thoughts are irrational.
Examples of obsessions include worries about germs/cleanliness or about safety
or order. A compulsion is a ritual/behavior that the individual with OCD engages
in repeatedly, either because of their obsessions or according to a rigid set of
rules. The aforementioned obsessions
may result in compulsions like excessive hand washing, skin picking, lock
checking, or repeatedly arranging items. Different than compulsions, habits are
behaviors that occur with little to no thought, are repeated routinely, are not
done in response to an obsession, are not particularly time-consuming, and do
not cause stress. Examples of habits include cracking knuckles or storing car
keys in a coat pocket.
The diagnosis of OCD has been described in medicine for at least the past 100
years. Statistics on the number of people in the
United States who have OCD range from 1%-2%, or more than 2 to 3
million adults. Interestingly, the frequency with which it occurs and the
symptoms with which it presents are remarkably similar, regardless of the
culture of the sufferer. The average age of onset of the
disorder is 19 years, although it often begins during the childhood or the
teenage years and usually develops
by age 30. It tends to afflict more males than females.
Individuals with OCD are more likely to also develop chronic hair pulling (trichotillomania),
muscle or vocal tics (Tourette's disorder), or an eating disorder like anorexia
or bulimia. OCD sufferers are also predisposed to developing other mood
problems, like depression, generalized anxiety disorder, and panic attacks. OCD
puts its sufferers at a higher risk of having excessive concerns about their
bodies (somatoform disorders) like hypochondriasis, which is excessive worry
about having a serious illness.
Although sometimes confused with OCD, obsessive compulsive personality
disorder (OCPD) is defined by perfectionism and an unbending expectation that
the individual and others will keep a specific set of rules. OCPD sufferers do
not tend to engage in ritualized behaviors (compulsions). However, OCPD tends to
occur more often in people with OCD than in those without and therefore can be
considered another risk factor for the development of obsessive compulsive
disorder.
Next: What causes OCD? »
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