OCD Basics
The two central symptom groups within OCD are obsessive thoughts and these actions performed to neutralize the thoughts.
What are compulsions (or compulsive behaviors)?
A person with this type of OCD might repeatedly check that the stove is off to prevent a perceived fire or harm.
What is Checking OCD?
True or False: Saying "I'm so OCD" when you like things neat and organized accurately reflects the disorder.
What is False?
Along with medication, this is considered a first-line treatment for OCD.
What is therapy (psychotherapy)?
Having a family member with OCD increases your risk of developing the disorder.
What is genetics (or family history)?
These are unwanted, recurring, and persistent thoughts, images, or impulses that cause significant anxiety or distress.
What are obsessions?
This common type of OCD involves an excessive concern about germs, diseases, or bodily fluids, leading to excessive washing or cleaning rituals.
What is Contamination OCD?
True or False: Most people with a diagnosable case of OCD are well aware that their obsessions and compulsions are irrational.
What is True?
This specific form of cognitive-behavioral therapy is the most effective in treating OCD.
What is Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) therapy?
While rare, OCD symptoms in children can sometimes develop suddenly after an infection from this common bacteria.
What is strep (streptococcus)?
These are repetitive behaviors or mental acts that an individual feels driven to perform in response to an obsession or according to rigid rules.
What are compulsions (or rituals)?
This type involves a need for things to be arranged perfectly or symmetrically until a feeling of "just right" is achieved.
What is Symmetry/Ordering OCD (or "Just Right" OCD)?
True or False: Obsessions in OCD are voluntary thoughts that are easily controlled with simple thought-stopping techniques.
What is False?
ERP therapy works by gradually exposing individuals to their triggers and asking them to do this with their compulsions.
What is resist/prevent performing the compulsions/rituals?
OCD is often linked with other mental health conditions. Name one common co-occurring condition.
What is depression, ADHD, or a tic disorder?
OCD can appear at any age, from preschool to adulthood, but it most commonly surfaces during these two general age ranges.
What are the late teen years/early adulthood, or between ages 8 and 12?
This subtype is characterized by unwanted, intrusive thoughts of a sexual, religious (scrupulosity), or violent nature.
What are Taboo/Forbidden Thoughts OCD (or Harm OCD or Religious OCD)?
True or False: OCD is a chronic condition, meaning it often requires ongoing management even with treatment.
What is True?
Jeffrey Schwartz developed a 4-step self-help method for managing OCD symptoms that includes Relabel, Reattribute, Refocus, and this 'R'.
What is Revalue?
Stressful life events can act as a trigger or a worsening factor for existing OCD symptoms.
What is a trigger (or a worsening factor)?
This is a specifier used in diagnosis when a person recognizes their obsessions are probably not true, even if they cause distress.
What is "good or fair insight"?
This specifier in the DSM-5 refers to difficulty discarding items, regardless of their actual value, a condition that can be its own separate disorder.
What is Hoarding?
True or False: Obsessive Compulsive Personality Disorder (OCPD) is the same condition as Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD).
What is False (they are different diagnoses)?
Antidepressant medications, specifically selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), are often used in the pharmacological treatment of OCD. Name a class of medication NOT typically effective for treating core OCD symptoms.
What are anti-anxiety medications (anxiolytics) or psychodynamic therapy?
This particular specifier in the DSM-5 is added to an OCD diagnosis if the individual has a current or past history of a tic disorder.
What is "tic-related"?