Obsessive-compulsive Disorder

Obsessive-compulsive Disorder (OCD) is a disorder in which you have thoughts (obsessions) and rituals (compulsions) over and over (MedlinePLus, 2023).

Facts about Obsessive-compulsive disorder

• Between one third and one half of adults say that their Obsessive-compulsive Disorder (OCD) began during childhood.

• Obsessive-compulsive Disorder (OCD) is a highly disabling psychiatric condition

• Obsessive-compulsive Disorder (OCD) consists of numerous symptoms including compulsive behaviors and repetitive behaviors

• The lifetime prevalence rate for Obsessive-compulsive Disorder (OCD) is 2.3%

(NCBI, 2023; University of Florida Department of Psychiatry, n.d.; NIMH, n.d.) 

DSM-5 for OCD, Criteria for Diagnosis

(Phillips & Stein, 2023)

What is the definition of OCD according to DSM-5?

both symptoms need to be shown to be diagnosed with OCD.

Obsessions are defined by two of the following:

• Recurrent and persistent thoughts, desires, or visions are perceived as invasive and undesired at some point throughout the disturbance and, in most people, produce significant anxiety or distress.

• The person tries to ignore or suppress such ideas, desires, or pictures, or to neutralize them with another thought or action (such as completing a compulsion).

Compulsions are defined as both of the following:

• Repetitive activities (e.g., hand washing, ordering, checking) or mental acts (e.g., praying, counting, quietly repeating phrases) that an individual feels compelled to undertake in response to an obsession or by strict restrictions. 

• The activities or mental acts are intended to prevent or reduce worry or suffering, as well as to avoid a dreaded occurrence or situation; nevertheless, these behaviors or mental acts are either not realistically connected to what they are intended to neutralize or prevent, or are manifestly excessive. 

To diagnose:
Obsessions or compulsions must be time-consuming (for example, more than one hour per day) or cause clinically significant struggling or impairment in function. Also, they cannot be attributed to the physiological effects of a substance or another medical condition. 

Study Finds 4-Day Exposure Therapy Reduces Symptoms in Teens with OCD

Skjold and her colleagues (2024) wanted to see whether a 4-day exposure therapy for OCD devised by Bergen would be effective in treating OCD in teens. 36 OCD patients were given the 4-day exposure treatment in which they were exposed to situations that provoked their compulsions and talked into resisting acting on their compulsions. Their symptoms were measured before treatment, directly after treatment, and 3 months later. All patients experience at least moderate relief from their symptoms, with 84% in complete remission. This study suggests that 4-day exposure therapy is effective for new cases of OCD.