Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) is a fairly common condition, with at least one in 40 UCLA students having it. Most people with OCD are diagnosed with the condition when they are young; 75% of cases are diagnosed before the age of 30. People who have OCD can suffer from obsessions alone, compulsions, or both.

Obsessions are intrusive, unwanted and recurrent thoughts, images or impulses. These intrusive thoughts and images are often repugnant, worrying or aversive in some way. For example, someone may have recurrent thoughts of someone close to them dying in some horrible manner. Or the obsessions may be focused on contamination or illness, or the thought that one is going to do something bad (like molest a child or murder a relative). These are acts that the person with OCD has no intention of performing. Some of the most common obsessions involve themes about aggression, contamination, sex, illness, or religious or moral issues. The person experiencing the obsessions does not want to have these thoughts and images and experiences them as highly distressing.

A compulsion is a repetitive behavior that is performed according to particular rules. Sometimes the behavior is intended to prevent some event from occurring (e.g. repetitive hand washing to prevent infection), or it may be disconnected logically from the goal it is intended to achieve (e.g. touching all the walls in a room in order to prevent some sort of disaster from occurring). Some of the most common compulsions are washing, checking, repeating, counting, ordering, and hoarding. A person with OCD usually realizes that the behavior is exaggerated or irrationally connected to the desired outcome, but they are unable to prevent themselves from engaging in the compulsion. Not all compulsions are overt or observable. Some are performed mentally, such as mental counting or saying certain phrases over and over to oneself.

Whether a person is diagnosed as having Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder depends upon how much their obsessions and compulsions disrupt their life. The vast majority of the general population experiences obsessions or compulsions, and they are no different in form or content from those of people who are diagnosed with OCD. The difference lies in the frequency and level of distress caused by the obsessions or compulsions. For example, someone who checks four times each night to see that their stove is turned off may not experience much disruption in their life from this compulsion and would not be diagnosed as having OCD. But a person who spends 4 or 5 hours a day washing and cleaning in order to avoid contamination does experience significant disruption.

There is evidence today that biological factors may be involved in OCD. Studies using PET scans to look at the brain have found that for people with OCD, the use of energy in the orbital cortex (the underside of the front of the brain) is higher than it is in people without OCD. Researchers found that after treatment with Cognitive-Behavioral therapy, these PET scan differences disappeared. Before beginning treatment, a counselor will first want to get a very clear idea of the nature and extent of a person's obsessions and compulsions. Sometimes this involves filling out a pencil and paper inventory. The counselor will then help a client identify and understand which behaviors and thoughts occur as a result of the client's OCD.

The experience of having OCD can often affect a person's self-esteem. As a person with OCD begins to distinguish those thoughts, impulses, and behaviors that are the product of their OCD, their self-esteem begins to improve. It is very helpful for people who have OCD to learn about the nature of OCD because this will help in their treatment.

The most effective treatment for OCD is Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy and/or medication. Treatment involves a series of interventions and exercises which, when repeated over time, helps clients learn how to control and stop their obsessions and compulsions. In psychotherapy, a client with OCD also learns specific techniques that will help them cope with their condition until their symptoms begin to subside. An OCD support group can also be very helpful. Once a student with OCD gets appropriate treatment, they start to find that their energy and concentration is freed up for more important and enjoyable concerns.

Links to 12-step groups off campus:

EA (Emotions Anonymous)
www.emotionsanonymous.org

Recovery, Inc. 
www.recovery-inc.org