Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder by Chelsea Lowe

• Is It OCD?
• Types of OCD
• The Science of OCD
• Non-Medical Treatment Options
• Medication
• The Therapy Route
• The World Around You
• Things You Might Not Know
• Coping Strategies: When Anxiety Attacks
• OCD and Depression
• Your Personal Life
• Your Work Life
• Counteracting Stress with Diet and Exercise
• OCD and Your Physical Health
• OCD: What Is It Good For?
• Venturing Forth, Despite the Fear
• OCD in Kids and Seniors
• For Friends, Family Members, and Others
• The Media and OCD
• Making Use of Resources
• OCD Resources

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So much more is known now about obsessive-compulsive disorder than was known even 25 years ago. We're familiar with what causes it, how to treat it, and — more important, perhaps — what doesn't cause it and how not to treat it.

Although OCD can be frustrating to live with (or around), the news is mostly good: It is infinitely treatable. The hardest part might just be getting started.

If you have OCD, or suspect that you do, take heart: you're much better off than your grandmother would have been under the same circumstances. (In fact, if you have OCD, it's likely that others in your family did or do, too, as it's largely hereditary.)

There's truth in the adage that knowledge is power. Hold a little information up to the OCD monster and watch it shrink.

OCD can be unpleasant, but it is not fatal and it is far from hopeless.

If you learn one thing about the disorder, let it be this: It is a neurological condition, most probably genetic. Whether you have it has little to do with your upbringing, experiences or anything other than the workings of your brain. A person who has OCD may act a little “crazy,” but absolutely isn't.

OCD can be horrible, but it is also fascinating. And you may be pleased to know that it often affects bright, creative people.

Forget the stereotypes: OCD isn't necessarily about cleaning your kitchen counters endlessly or counting the number of steps you take on the way from your house to the supermarket (although it can be). OCD can mean the agony of uncertainty — or of near certainty: that you've run over a pedestrian, spread germs, or failed, in some other way, to live responsibly. It can mean constant worry about your health. Or horrifying thoughts that just won't go away, about disgusting or upsetting things (things that you would never even actually do). It can mean living in filth or clutter extreme enough to threaten your life. Showers that last a near eternity. And anxiety. Always, anxiety.

If any of that describes you, welcome home. (There can be many other symptoms, as well.) Your obsessive thoughts and compulsive behaviors might seem a little “out there” to you or to others, but rest assured: they may be commonplace within the OC community. In fact, they probably are.

You might also be surprised to receive more understanding from strangers than from family or friends (although this is not always the case). People often find themselves feeling frustrated when someone they care about begins to make strange demands, or stops doing things he once enjoyed and didn't seem to consider twice.

OCD symptoms can begin gradually or seem to come on “all of a sudden.” Young adulthood is a common time for onset, although children and elderly persons can develop the disorder, too. (Especially in the latter case, this is often the result of an illness.)

The happy news about OCD is that it tends to respond remarkably well to treatment, both cognitive and medical (assuming you get the right kinds of both, or either). While it doesn't go away completely, it can definitely recede enough to allow you to live a productive and happy life. It is, in short, nothing to worry about.