Obsessive-compulsive disorder is a widely misunderstood mental health condition. If you suspect that you or a loved one have this disorder, it can be valuable to know the answers to questions such as, what is OCD caused by, what types of symptoms does it cause, and how is it treated? 

What Is OCD?

As its name suggests, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is characterized by two general types of symptoms: obsessions and compulsions.

Some people with OCD only have one type of symptom (which can be either obsessions or compulsions), while others have both.

Obsessions

Obsessions are intrusive thoughts that cause considerable psychological anguish. Examples of OCD-related obsessions include:

• Fear of contamination
• Mental images of a particularly perverse, blasphemous, or otherwise taboo nature
• Urges to harm yourself or someone else. Such as by suddenly veering your car into oncoming traffic or toward a crowd of pedestrians
• Intense worry that you have forgotten to lock a door, turn off the stove, or perform some other household safety task
• People experience emotional distress when they do not arrange items in an orderly fashion.

Compulsions

Compulsions are behaviors or rituals that you feel forced perform, such as:

• Touching certain objects in a certain order before you can leave a room
• Locking, unlocking, and relocking a door multiple times
• Taking several showers per day or washing your hands excessively
• Repeating certain words or numbers over and over again, either aloud or mentally
• Cleaning your room, home, or office, or organizing your possessions, much more frequently than necessary

Sometimes, compulsions are related to obsessions, as with excessive showering or hand-washing and fear of contamination. People may link counting or touching rituals to the fear that something bad will happen to a loved one if they fail to perform the ritual.

What Is OCD Caused By?

Mental health disorders rarely have a sole, clearly identified cause, and OCD is no exception. However, this doesn’t mean that we can’t answer the question, ‘What is OCD caused by?’ It simply acknowledges the importance of assessing a range of risk factors instead of searching for a single origin point.

Several internal (genetic) and external (environmental) factors may influence the likelihood that a person will develop obsessive-compulsive disorder, such as:

• Certain inherited personality traits
• Variations in brain structure and/or function
• Abnormal levels of certain neurotransmitters
• Having a parent or sibling with OCD
• Personal history of other mental illnesses
• Trauma, especially during childhood
• Exposure to substantial stress or pressure

How Is OCD Treated?

Healthcare providers often treat OCD with a combination of medication and therapy.

Prescription medications may be able to alleviate some symptoms of OCD, as well as those of common co-occurring conditions such as anxiety or depression. Therapists can help people learn to manage symptoms that medication doesn’t affect.

Just as there’s no single cause of OCD, there also isn’t a treatment technique or course of care that’s ideal for everyone. Services that are life-changing for one person may offer little to no benefit to another. This is one of the reasons why personalization is such a valuable aspect of treatment.

When developing a customized plan for a new patient, OCD treatment providers may assess a variety of factors, including:

• The patient’s age and gender
• Their treatment history
• Which types of OCD symptoms they have been experiencing
• The severity of their OCD symptoms, and how they have been impacted by them
• If they have a history of trauma
• If they have anxiety, depression, or another co-occurring mental health disorder
• If they have been abusing or become addicted to alcohol or another drug

After evaluating these and other relevant pieces of information, a treatment provider may develop a plan that contains elements such as:

• Medication: According to the International OCD Federation (IOCDF), selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) are the most effective meds for people with OCD. Examples of drugs in this category include fluoxetine (Prozac), sertraline (Zoloft), and escitalopram (Lexapro).
• Individual psychotherapy: One-on-one sessions with a qualified professional are safe environments where patients can process their experiences and discuss topics that they may be hesitant to address in a group setting.
• Group therapy: Groups can be ideal opportunities to learn more about OCD and develop strategies for managing symptoms and minimizing their impact.
• Family therapy: The active support of loved ones can enhance the effectiveness of treatment and help patients achieve improved quality of life.
• Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT): CBT sessions can help people identify the connection between maladaptive thought patterns and self-defeating behaviors, with the goal of replacing them with healthier ways of thinking and acting.
• Exposure and response prevention (ERP) therapy: ERP is a version of CBT that involves exposing patients to triggers in a safe and supportive environment, so they can learn to respond to these difficult stimuli in a healthy manner.
• Holistic therapies: Yoga, mindfulness, meditation, and art therapy are a few examples of the many holistic services that can be beneficial for people who have OCD.

We’ve noted this before, but it is important enough to bear repeating: What Is OCD Caused By? There’s no such thing as a perfect course of OCD treatment that works for everyone. This underscores the value of finding a treatment provider who will take the time to assess the full scope of your unique needs, and then develop a personalized plan just for you.

Find OCD Treatment in Georgia

Valor Behavioral Health is a trusted provider of customized outpatient programming for adolescents and adults who have obsessive-compulsive disorder. We understand the devastation that untreated OCD can cause, and we are committed to helping you find your path toward a much healthier and more hopeful future.

At our OCD treatment center in Georgia, you can receive personalized services at multiple levels of care, including our partial hospitalization program (PHP), intensive outpatient program (IOP), and outpatient rehab. In each of these programs, you will work in close collaboration with a team of experienced professionals who truly care about you.

To learn more or to schedule a free assessment, please visit our Admissions page or call us today.