Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD): A Rundown

Hello there everyone! From October 10th - 16th, we’re celebrating OCD awareness week. It started in the year 2009 in an effort to share knowledge, and help reduce stigmas associated with OCD, and related conditions. In honor of OCD awareness week, let’s have a little rundown on this mental health condition. (This rundown was greatly influenced by the article: “Clinical Practice Guidelines for Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder” published on Indian J Psychiatry.)

OCD is highly misunderstood, and it is a lot more than being a “neat freak” or washing your hands too often.

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So what is OCD?

• The 4th most common mental health condition and a leading cause of disability, OCD entails having ” in which people have recurring, unwanted thoughts, ideas or sensations (obsessions) that make them feel driven to do something repetitively (compulsions)” (American Psychological Association, 2020). Research suggests that people often report poorer quality of life. Importantly, OCD has an estimated lifetime prevalence of about 1-3 percent!

All credits to the creator. I don’t own this image.

What are some of the common symptoms of OCD?

When looking at the symptoms of OCD, there are two major aspects of it: Obsessions, and Compulsions.

Obsessions:

• Contamination related obsessions. Examples:

  • E.g. Concern/disgust with bodily secretions and waste.

  • E.g. Fear of dirt/germs/infections, or even concern with sticky substances.

• Sexual obsessions.

  • E.g. Unwanted or forbidden sexual thoughts, images, or urges about strangers, family, friends, children etc.

  • E.g. Questions of sexual identity.

• Harm/aggression related obsessions:

  • E.g. Violent/horrific images

  • E.g. Fear of uttering obscenities.

  • E.g. Excessive concern about right/wrong mentality.

• Pathological doubts about daily activities.

  • E.g. Doubts about locking the door.

  • E.g. Uncertainty whether you left the stove on,

• Need for symmetry and exactness.

  • E.g. Concern for things that aren’t precise, aligned, or symmetrical.

• Miscellaneous obsessions. Examples:

  • Need to know and remember things. ( Number plates, advertisements, etc)

  • Superstitious fears. (Passing a cat, cemeteries.)

  • Lucky/unlucky numbers or colours.

Compulsions:

• Washing/Cleaning.

  • E.g. Excessive hand washing, bathing/showering, cleaning of household items, in response to contamination obsessions.

• Checking.

  • E.g. Checking appliances, locks, doors, etc in response to pathological doubts, to prevent harm to self/others.

• Repeating.

  • E.g. Rereading/rewriting because one didn’t understand or write properly.

  • E.g. Repeating routine activities such as: sitting and standing until one feels just right.

• Counting.

  • E.g. Money, floors, tiles, etc.

• Ordering and arranging things until one feels right

• Miscellaneous E.g.

  • Mental rituals such as praying.

  • Superstitious behaviors.

How about the diagnosis?

A lot of people exhibit such intrusive thoughts, and exhibit such repetitive behaviors. However, a person only receives an OCD Diagnosis if they have enough of the symptoms, spend a lot of time with their obsessions and/or compulsions (more than an hour/day), experience significant distressing, or struggle to function in their daily life. serious interference with functioning.

Do any other mental health conditions present with OCD?

Yes, this happens many-a-times. Depression and Anxiety related conditions present in nearly 50% of individuals seeking treatment for OCD, statistics say. (Indian J Psychiatry, 2017.) Other common ones are:

• Other Affective/Mood related conditions like Bipolar.

• Anxiety related conditions include panic disorder, generalized anxiety, and phobias like social anxiety.

• Conditions categorised as being related to OCD in the American Psychiatric Association’s (APA, 2013) Diagnostic Statistical Manual for Mental Disorders Version 5 (DSM-V) like: Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD), Body Focused Repetitive Behaviours (BFRBs), and Hoarding Disorder.

• Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)

• Personality Disorders such as Anxious Avoidant.

Thank you for reading!

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