Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder

Obsessive-compulsive disorder, or OCD, disrupts daily functioning through repeated and time-consuming engagement in obsessions, compulsions, or both, often occurring hundreds of times a day.

Obsessions are persistent, recurrent, and unwanted thoughts, images, or urges that cause significant anxiety. For example, an individual may obsess over germs, even when the risk is irrational.

Compulsions are recurrent behaviors or mental routines performed to alleviate anxiety caused by obsessions. For example, an individual obsessing over germs may compulsively wash hands and clean surfaces repeatedly.

Biological factors contributing to OCD include genetics and hyperactivity in the frontal cortex or basal ganglia, which drive excessive impulses to the thalamus, triggering obsessive thoughts or compulsive actions.

Low levels of serotonin, dopamine, and glutamate are likely involved in brain pathways associated with OCD.

Psychological factors sometimes like life stress, such as childbirth or changes in occupational or marital status, and personality traits, such as perfectionism, may heighten OCD symptoms.

A key cognitive factor causing OCD is difficulty dismissing intrusive and negative thoughts.