OBSESSIVE-COMPULSIVE DISORDER

Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is a neuropsychiatric disease characterized by recurrent and unwanted intrusive thoughts and behaviors meant to alleviate any resultant anxiety or distress. Obsessions may be either senseless or frightening in nature (e.g., thoughts of germs, accidents, horrible events, or immorality), and compulsions are typically specific actions or rituals enacted to control the intrusive thoughts (e.g., excessive hand washing, checking behaviors, or specific rituals). Most often compulsions are meant to reduce the chance that something bad will happen, though sometimes they may be an attempt to make things feel "just right."

A LEADING CAUSE OF DISABILITY

The World Health Organization has identified OCD as one of the top ten leading causes of disability world-wide. In addition to being extremely disabling, OCD is also the fourth most frequently diagnosed mental disorder. In America alone, 3.3 million individuals have been diagnosed with OCD. The prevalence of OCD is approximately equal in males and females, and the first symptoms often start appearing in late adolescence or early adulthood. OCD typically does not appear by itself, and is often accompanied by other disorders such as major depression, other anxiety disorders, eating disorders, or substance abuse.

COMMON FEATURES OF OCD

OCD has a number of variations, or forms-in other words, each individual with OCD can have their own unique symptom constellation. Several common types of obsessions and compulsions that a person may experience revolve around the following themes:

• Cleaning/Washing
• Checking
• Ordering
• Hoarding
• Other (e.g., sexual, religious)

DO YOU HAVE OCD?

**Note:**
The questions below are not intended for use in self-diagnosis.
Please call our clinic (850/645/1766) or email us for an evaluation
with one of our mental health professionals.

Please answer YES or NO for the following questions.
Base your answers on your experiences in the past month.

1. Do you have concerns with contamination, getting a serious illness, or spreading illness?

2. Do you repeatedly check household appliances, doors, or other objects?

3. Are you very concerned with keeping objects in perfect order and/or do you perform counting, arranging, or "evening-up" behaviors?

4. Do you perform excessive or ritualized washing/cleaning, grooming rituals, or checking for signs of illness?

5. Do you have personally unacceptable thoughts or repeated mental images?

The following question will refer to ALL of the repeated thoughts or behaviors identified in the preceding questions.

1. On average, how much time is occupied by these thoughts or behaviors each day?
NONE (0 hrs.) MILD (less than 1 hr.) MODERATE (1-3 hrs.) SEVERE (more than 3 hrs.)

2. How much do they interfere with school, work, or your social or family life?
NONE          MILD          MODERATE          SEVERE

If you endorsed some of these symptoms for at least an hour a day, and they result in significant distress or impairment, you may be experiencing OCD. For a more detailed screening, please call the Anxiety and Behavioral Health Clinic at 850-645-1766. 

TREATMENT

Many individuals with OCD try to keep their disorder a secret, the result being that they suffer in silence and do not get proper support or treatment. OCD is a chronic, often relapsing disorder, and if left untreated, it can consume an individual's life.

Research carried out over the past 30 years has aided in the development of effective treatments for OCD. Currently both medications and a specific type of cognitive-behavioral therapy have been proven helpful in treating OCD. Several medications, all belonging to the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor family, are useful in getting symptom reduction for some individuals with OCD. These include: clomipramine, fluoxetine, fluvoxamine, sertraline, and paroxetine. Exposure and response prevention is the specific type of cognitive-behavioral therapy that has been shown effective with OCD. This therapy teaches individuals a variety of techniques with which they can avoid performing their compulsive rituals, as well as ways with which they can effectively deal with their anxiety and intrusive thoughts. The current consensus among researchers is that the combination of medications with cognitive behavior therapy is the most effective way of treating OCD. More information on treatments available at our clinic can be seen on the Treatment web page.

Please, email us or call at 850 / 645-1766 to find out more about our treatment programs! Also, please see the Research Programs page to find out about some exciting studies currently being conducted.