Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD)

Medically reviewed by Drugs.com. Last updated on Jul 7, 2025.

What is obsessive-compulsive disorder?

In obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), a person is troubled by intrusive, distressing thoughts (obsessions) and feels the pressure to carry out repetitive behaviors (compulsions).

Neuroscientists believe that the brain pathways involved with judgment, planning, and body movement are altered in OCD. Environmental influences, such as family relationships or stressful events, can trigger or worsen OCD symptoms.

OCD affects up to 3% of people worldwide. A childhood onset form can start around 10 years of age, more commonly in boys than girls. Most of the remainder of people with OCD have their first symptoms before they turn 25 — in this group, women outnumber men. OCD symptoms don't usually develop after age 30.

There is strong evidence that the illness has a genetic (inherited) basis, particularly in the childhood-onset type.

Sometimes people with OCD manage their obsessions without giving any external sign that they are suffering. Usually, however, they try to relieve their obsessions by performing some type of compulsion: a repeated behavior or mental action that is aimed at soothing the fears. For example, a person with OCD who has the obsession that her hands are dirty may develop the compulsion to wash them 50 times a day; a worry that the front door is unlocked may compel a person to check the lock 10 or 20 times each night.

Symptoms of obsessive-compulsive disorder

The two defining symptoms of OCD are obsessive thoughts and compulsive actions. The symptoms are bad enough to be time-consuming, cause functional impairment, or be significantly distressing.

Obsessions are persistent, repeated, anxiety-provoking, or distressing thoughts that intrude into a person's consciousness. Obsessions vary and can relate to any kind of fear. Here are some common ones:

• Fear of contamination: Constant worry about having dirty hands or clothing, or about catching or spreading germs.
• Fears related to accidents or acts of violence: Fear about becoming a victim of violence (an unlocked door that admits an intruder) or suffering accidental bodily harm (an oven is not turned off or a cigarette is not properly snuffed out).
• Fear of committing an act of violence or sexual misconduct: Fear of losing control and doing harm to others, or committing a harmful or embarrassing sexual act. For example, a loving mother worrying about suffocating her infant, or a respectable businessman fearing he will take off his clothes in a meeting.
• Fears that center on disorder or asymmetry: An irresistible need for order, anxiety about the smallest out-of-place detail. Examples are socks not being aligned "properly" in a drawer or food arranged "incorrectly" on a dinner plate.

Often, an adult with OCD will recognize that the obsessive thoughts are not realistic and will try to ignore them or suppress them. Temporary relief may come by performing a compulsive action.

Compulsions are persistent, repetitive behaviors or mental acts. The goal is to reduce the anxiety caused by obsessive thoughts. The compulsions are not realistically connected to the source of anxiety. Examples include

• repeated washing hands, bathing, or brushing teeth
• refusal to shake hands or touch doorknobs
• repeated checking of locks or stoves
• compulsive counting of objects
• over-organizing of work or household items
• eating items of food in a specific order
• repeating specific words or prayers.

Anyone may feel compelled to recheck a locked door or wash hands to assure cleanliness. By themselves, such behaviors do not mean a person has OCD.

In OCD, the obsessions and compulsions are excessive and distressing. They are time-consuming, sometimes eating up several hours each day. They may interfere with personal relationships, as well as performance at work or school. Some compulsions may cause physical injury. For example, compulsive handwashing can lead to chapped hands and dermatitis, while excessive toothbrushing can cause torn, bleeding gums.

Diagnosing obsessive-compulsive disorder

Some people with OCD seek help from a primary care physician when symptoms begin to affect their health or interfere with life. An adult with compulsive handwashing may visit a dermatologist because of cracked, bleeding fingers, or a parent may consult a pediatrician when a child with OCD begins to be controlled by particularly intense rituals (for example, counting or checking).

Depressed mood is very common in OCD. In fact, a person may talk about feeling depressed instead of discussing OCD symptoms that are embarrassing or otherwise difficult to describe.

Your primary care doctor will likely refer you to a mental health professional for evaluation and treatment.

A mental health clinician will diagnose OCD by asking you about

• obsessive thoughts and compulsive behaviors
• psychological distress
• consequences in important relationships
• consequences at work and play
• possible symptoms of other psychiatric illness.

Most people with OCD know that their thoughts and behaviors are unrealistic. A significant minority have poor insight into their symptoms and a few have no insight. OCD with poor or no insight is harder to treat.

A significant minority of people with OCD have symptoms of a tic disorder or may have had a tic disorder in the past.

Expected duration of obsessive-compulsive disorder

OCD rarely disappears spontaneously, and the symptoms may last for years if not treated properly. In fact, it is common for a person with OCD to have the problem for five to 10 years before seeing a psychiatrist. Getting help sooner can reduce the impact of the illness.

Preventing obsessive-compulsive disorder

There is no way to prevent OCD, but the negative effects can be limited if the illness is diagnosed and treated early.

Drugs used to treat this and similar conditions

Treatment options

The following list of medications are related to or used in the treatment of this condition.

• Zoloft
• Prozac
• sertraline
• Anafranil
• fluvoxamine

View more treatment options

Treating obsessive-compulsive disorder

The most effective treatments for OCD are psychotherapy, medications, or a combination of both. The choice of initial treatment depends on the severity of symptoms, presence of other psychiatric or medical problems, experience with past treatment, and individual preference.

Your doctor may also offer treatment for any other conditions that may be contributing to the problem, such as a medical problem or depression. You may need to try more than one approach before you find the one that is right for you.

Psychotherapy

A number of psychotherapy techniques may be helpful, depending on the person's preference, events that may have triggered the problem, and the availability of family and other social support. It's important for a person suffering with OCD to be educated about the illness and to get support from friends, family, or support groups.

The available research suggests that exposure and response prevention (ERP) and cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) work best. CBT is designed to help a person with OCD recognize the unreasonableness of the fearful, obsessive thinking. ERP is one of several techniques aimed at extinguishing compulsions.

• Exposure and response prevention (ERP): A person is exposed to situations that provoke obsessive thoughts. He or she is then prevented from performing the usual compulsive action. For example, a person may be asked to touch a "dirty" shoe, and then be told to wait before washing his or her hands. The person will practice this behavior daily, gradually increasing the waiting time and keeping a diary of his or her efforts.
• Habit reversal: A person is asked to substitute a different response, such as deep breathing or fist clenching, for the usual compulsive action.
• Thought stopping: The person uses some form of distraction whenever an obsessive thought occurs. One common method is to say the word, "Stop," and snap a rubber band that's worn at the wrist.
• Saturation: The person concentrates intensely on the obsessive thought until the thought loses its impact.

Psychodynamic, insight-oriented, or interpersonal psychotherapy can help a person sort out conflicts in important relationships or explore the history behind the symptoms, though insight itself is not likely to have an impact on severe symptoms.

Family therapy and group therapy also have been used in OCD. Since this disorder can be very disruptive to family life, family therapy may be particularly helpful.

Antidepressant medications

Some antidepressants are effective for obsessive-compulsive disorder. Effective doses may need to be higher than the doses used to treat other illnesses like depression or anxiety. It also commonly takes longer before a person gets relief.

Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) such as fluvoxamine (Luvox), fluoxetine (Prozac), sertraline (Zoloft), paroxetine (Paxil), citalopram (Celexa), and escitalopram (Lexapro) are most commonly used. Another treatment option is a serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor (SNRI) such as venlafaxine.

Tricyclic antidepressants also can be effective. The one most used for OCD is clomipramine (Anafranil). Although these drugs can be helpful for OCD, they may have side effects that are more difficult to tolerate. Sometimes a tricyclic antidepressant is recommended in conbination with an SSRI.

Other medications

Especially for people who are not improving or have poor insight into their illness, the doctor may recommend an antipsychotic medication such as risperidone (Risperdal), olanzapine (Zyprexa), or aripiprazole (Abilify), to be taken in combination with an antidepressant.

Other medications that may be effective for OCD include buspirone, ondansteron, and memantine.

Neurostimulation

Deep-brain stimulation may be offered in rare cases when OCD is resistant to all of the above treatments. In this technique, a neurosurgeon implants ultra-thin electrodes deep in the brain in order to stimulate a specific region thought to be involved with OCD symptoms.

This treatment tends to be offered for people with persistent and incapacitating symptoms despite trials of ERP, antidepressant, and antipsychotic medicines.

When to call a professional

Since the symptoms of OCD seldom disappear without treatment, you should contact your primary care doctor whenever obsessive thoughts or compulsions cause you significant distress or discomfort, interfere with your ability to have a normal life at home or work, or cause you injury. Your primary care doctor will refer you to a psychiatrist for appropriate and effective treatment.

Prognosis

Since OCD can be a chronic (long-lasting) condition, ongoing treatment may be necessary.

The outlook is good, however. Most patients improve and some recover completely.

Additional info

American Psychiatric Association
https://www.psych.org/

National Institute of Mental Health
https://www.nimh.nih.gov/

Further information

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