WHAT IS OCD?

OCD is characterized by obsessive thoughts and/or compulsive behaviors that significantly interfere with normal life. Obsessions are unwanted, recurrent, and disturbing thoughts which the person cannot suppress and which can cause overwhelming anxiety. Compulsions are repetitive, ritualized behaviors that the person feels driven to perform to alleviate the anxiety of the obsessions. The obsessive and compulsive rituals can occupy many hours of each day.

CAN SOMEONE HAVE BOTH OBSESSIONS AND COMPULSIONS?

Approximately 80 percent of patients with OCD have both obsessions and compulsions; 20 percent have only obsessions or compulsions.

WHO SUFFERS FROM OCD?

Approximately five million people in the U.S., or about one in every 50 Americans, suffer from OCD. It affects men, women, and children, as well as people of all races, religions, and socioeconomic backgrounds.

WHAT ARE THE MOST COMMON OBSESSIONS?

• Fear of contamination
• Fear of causing harm to another
• Fear of making a mistake
• Fear of behaving in a socially unacceptable manner
• Need for symmetry or exactness
• Excessive doubt

WHAT ARE THE MOST COMMON COMPULSIONS?

• Cleaning/Washing
• Checking
• Arranging/Organizing
• Collecting/Hoarding
• Counting/Repeating

WHAT CAUSES OCD?

Current theories indicate that OCD is a physical or biological disease, involving a brain chemical called serotonin. Serotonin carries impulses from one nerve cell to another.

Stress does not cause OCD; however, a stressful event like the death of a loved one, birth of a child, or divorce can trigger the onset of the disorder.

HOW DO YOU TREAT OCD?

Standard treatment includes drug therapy, behavior therapy, or a combination of both. Many experts believe a combination of medication and behavior therapy is most effective in treating OCD.

Medications in two different categories are available to treat OCD, including one of the tricyclic antidepressants (Anafranil) and several of the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, or SSRIs (such as Prozac, Luvox, and Zoloft). These medications may help normalize the brain's balance of serotonin-the chemical linked to OCD.

Behavior therapy teaches people with OCD to confront their fears and reduce the anxiety without performing the rituals.

HOW CAN SOMEONE GET HELP FOR OCD?

People who think they have OCD or think they know someone who might should talk to a doctor, contact the Obsessive Compulsive Foundation, 9 Depot Street, Milford, CT 06460, (203) 878-5669, or call 1-800-NEWS-4-OCD.

1. OCD is a medical illness recognized by experts throughout the world.
2. OCD is an anxiety disorder characterized by symptoms that can include powerful, unwanted, or recurrent thoughts and/or compulsive, repetitive behaviors.
3. OCD is the fourth most common mental illness and affects approximately 5 million people in the United States.
4. People with OCD are not "crazy," although they may sometimes feel that way because they are troubled by thoughts and actions that they know are inappropriate.
5. People with OCD are often anxious and depressed.
6. People with OCD often believe they are the only ones who have irrational, obsessive thoughts, and are therefore often ashamed and afraid to tell anyone or to seek help. Diagnosis is delayed until these symptoms are "unmasked."
7. Having OCD is not a sign of weakness or a lack of willpower in stopping the thoughts and behaviors.
8. Although the exact cause is not known, experts believe that OCD may be caused by low levels of a chemical in the brain called serotonin.
9. OCD is a treatable disease, and effective medications and therapy techniques are available.

People can get better if they seek help and get the appropriate treatment.