Facts/About OCD

Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) is a mental health disorder that affects people of all ages and walks of life, and occurs when a person gets caught in a cycle of obsessions and compulsions.

Obsessions are unwanted thoughts, images, or urges that may be extreme or disturbing. The obsessions are accompanied by uncomfortable feelings such as fear, disgust, doubt, or a feeling that things have to be “just right.” These obsessions occur over and over again and feel outside of the person’s control.

Common obsessions can include:

  • Contamination
  • Perfectionism
  • Harm coming to oneself or to others
  • Loss of control over one’s actions
  • Religion

Compulsions are excessive, repetitive behaviors or “mental acts” (e.g., thought suppression, counting, or praying) that a person uses to try to neutralize or make their obsessions or distress go away. People with OCD usually recognize that using compulsions is only a temporary solution, but without any other way to cope, they rely on compulsions as a brief escape.

Common compulsions can include:

  • Frequent, excessive washing and cleaning
  • Frequent, excessive checking(e.g. that the door is locked, or that the over is off)
  • Repeating
  • Mental compulsions (e.g. counting, praying and reviewing)
  • Frequent and excessive reassurance seeking (e.g. asking “Are you sure I’m going to be OK?”)
  • Avoiding situations that may be a trigger to obsessions

How is OCD treated? 

  • The most effective treatments for OCD are cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and/or medication. More specifically, the most effective and evidence-based treatments are a type of CBT called exposure and response prevention (ERP) and/or a class of medications called serotonin reuptake inhibitors, or SRIs. 
  • ERP therapy involves working with a licensed mental health professional (such as a psychologist, social worker, or mental health counselor) to face your fears through “exposure” without doing your compulsions — the “response prevention.” 
  • ERP is typically done in an outpatient setting, which means you visit your therapist’s office at a scheduled time weekly or a few times a week. In collaboration with your therapist, you will use structured exercises and tasks, as well as homework assignments to help you along the way. 
  • Medication may also be used, either by itself or along with ERP treatment. Most of the SRI medicines that help with OCD are also known as antidepressants.
  • Only a licensed medical professional (such as a psychiatrist or physician) can prescribe medication, and they would ideally work together with the therapist to develop a treatment plan. 
  • OCD treatment can be difficult and requires a lot of courage and determination. Having a support network during treatment can make all the difference. 
  • Support groups (whether in person or online) can be great additions to your individual treatment, connecting you to other people who understand what you are going through. 

OCD by the Numbers:

  • About one in 100 adults currently have OCD.  That’s over three million people in the United States, or the population of Phoenix, AZ and Philadelphia, PA combined.
  • About one in 200 kids and teens currently have OCD.  That’s about twice as many kids and teens as the number that have diabetes.
  • OCD can start at any age, though there are generally 2 age ranges when OCD appears.  The first is between ages 10-12, and the second is between the late teens and early adulthood.
  • OCD affects men, women and children of all races, ethnicities, and backgrounds
  • Kids live with their OCD symptoms for an average of two and a half years before getting help from a professional.
  • A survey of adults with OCD reported that it took an average of 14 to 17 years for them to find effective treatment.  Once connected to appropriate treatment, the majority of people with OCD (around 70%) will benefit from therapy, medicine, or a combination of the two.

Disorders Related to OCD 

There are some disorders that are grouped together with OCD in a “chapter” in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5). These disorders share some common characteristics with OCD, but are also different in important ways. They include: 

  • Hoarding disorder (HD), in which individuals collect and keep a lot of items that clutter living spaces, keep spaces from being used as intended, and cause distress or problems in day-to-day activities. 

• Body dysmorphic disorder (BDD), in which individuals are very preoccupied with one or more aspects of their physical appearance, and perform repetitive compulsive behaviors to fix, hide, inspect, or obtain reassurance about the disliked aspects. 

• Body-focused repetitive behaviors (BFRBs), in which individuals perform repeated, compulsive self-grooming behaviors that result in damage to their body. BFRBs include excoriation disorder (skin picking) and trichotillomania (hair pulling). 

Below are fact sheets for some of the more common themes experienced by people with OCD and related disorders. 

For a full listing of available fact sheets and handouts please click here to be redirected to the iocdf.org page.