Obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) is a mental illness characterized by unwanted and intrusive thoughts (obsessions) and repetitive behaviors (compulsions) performed to reduce anxiety. OCD can significantly impair one's life. While its exact cause is unknown, it may involve abnormal brain signaling and low serotonin levels. Symptoms range from mild to severe and include anxiety, fears of contamination, needing perfection, and rituals like checking, counting, or cleaning. Treatment involves antidepressants and cognitive behavioral therapy to make symptoms less severe. OCD prevalence is about 2% and equally affects men and women.

1. 300.3 Obsessive Compulsive
Disorder
Sade’ Crawford

2. What is Obsessive Compulsive
Disorder?
• Obsessive compulsive disorder is a type of
mental illness that causes unwanted thoughts.
To get rid of thoughts, a person does the same
tasks over and over.
• OCD is a chronic, or long term illness that can
take over your life, hurt your relationships, and
limit your ability to work or go to school.
(WebMD, 2012)

3. Causes
• Exact cause is unknown. Some research
suggest that there may be a problem with the
way one part of the brain sends information to
another part.
• Not having enough serotonin may cause this
problem as well.
(WebMD, 2012)

4. Symptoms of OCD
• Symptoms tend to come and go over time and can range
from mild to severe
• Anxiety is the most common symptom
• Obsessions: Unwanted thoughts ideas, and impulses
that you have again and again.
– A fear of getting dirty or infected
– A need to do things perfectly or correctly
– A fear of harm to yourself or loved ones
• Compulsions: Behaviors that you need to repeat to try
to control the obsessions.
– Washing or checking something that has been done
over and over
– Repeating things or always moving things to keep
them in perfect order
– Praying
– Hoarding
• Some people may understand that their obsessions and
compulsions are not real but other times they may not
be sure, or they may believe strongly un their fears.
(WebMD, 2012)

5. Criteria for Obsessive Compulsive
Disorder
• The patient has obsessions, compulsions or
both.
– Obsessions. The patient has to have all of these:
• Recurring, persisting thoughts, impulses, or images
inappropriately intrude into awareness and cause marked
distress or anxiety.
• These ideas are not just extreme worries about ordinary
problems.
• The patient tried to disregard or suppress thee ideas, or to
neutralize them by thoughts or behavior.
• The patient is aware that these ideas are a product of
patients own mind.
(Morrison, 2006)

6. Criteria for Obsessive Compulsive
Disorder
– Compulsions. The patient must have all
of these:
• The patient feels the need to repeat physical
behaviors (checking the stove to be sure it is
off, hand washing) or mental behaviors
(counting things, silently repeating words).
• These behaviors occur as a response to an
obsession or in accordance with strictly
applied rules.
• The aim of these behaviors is to reduce or
eliminate distress or to prevent something that
is dreaded.
• These behaviors are either not realistically
related to the events they are suppose to
counteract, or they are clearly excessive for
that purpose.
(Morrison, 2006)

7. Criteria for Obsessive Compulsive
Disorder
• During some part of the illness, the patient recognizes that
the obsessions or compulsions are unreasonable or
excessive.
• The obsessions and/or compulsions are associated with at
least one of these:
– They cause sever distress.
– They take up time (more than an hour per day)
– They interfere with the patients usual routine or social, work, or
personal functioning.
• If the patient has another Axis I disorder, the content of
obsessions or compulsions is not restricted to it.
• The symptoms are not directly caused by a general medical
condition or by the sue of substances, including medications.
(Morrison, 2006)

8. Treatment
• Antidepressants – Selective
serotonin reuptake inhibitors
(SSRIs)
– Zoloft
– Prozac
• Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
(CBT)
– exposure and response prevention
• Treatment can make your
symptoms less severe, with still
having mild symptoms after
treatment.
(WebMD, 2012)

9. Cultural Considerations
• Men and women are equally likely to develop
OCD. Its prevalence may be as high as 2% in
the general population, is reported to be greater
among the upper classes and in those of high
intelligence. OCD is probably at least part
inherited.
(Morrison, 2006)

10. References
• Morrison, J. (2006). DSM-IV Made Easy. New
York, NY: The Guilford Press.
• WebMD. (2012). Dissociative identity disorder
(multiple personality disorder). Retrieved from
http://www.webmd.com/mental-
health/dissociative-identity-disorder-multiple-
personality-disorder