Questions about a Disorder?
OCD Diagnosis
There are no blood tests or imaging studies that will diagnose OCD. The doctor or mental health professional will ask you about your thoughts, behavior and past history as well as family history.
The diagnostic criteria for obsessive-compulsive disorder according to the DSM-IV are:
1. Either obsessions or compulsions
- Obsessions – recurrent thoughts, impulses or images that cause marked anxiety or distress, are experienced as intrusive, go beyond excessive worry about real-life problems, and are not related to another mental disorder (eg, are not limited to thoughts about food in a person with anorexia nervosa).
- Compulsions – ritualistic behaviors or mental acts that are performed in response to an obsession or need to be rigidly carried out. These behaviors are excessive and performed to decrease anxiety or distress or avoid some dreaded event, but they are not realistically connected to those dreaded events.
2. The obsessions or compulsions are time-consuming (more than one hour per day), cause clinically significant distress, or interfere with a person’s daily routine and occupational or social functioning.
Psychological testing may be recommended to rule out other disorders or to diagnose other disorders you may have instead or in addition.
Therapy
There are many effective treatments for obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), ranging from therapy to self-help and medication. If you think you have OCD, the first person you should see is your family doctor. A physician can determine whether the symptoms that alarm you are due to OCD, another type of anxiety disorder, or another medical condition.
Medications for OCD
If you start on medication, remember that it is important not to stop taking it abruptly. Certain drugs must be tapered off under the supervision of a doctor or bad reactions can occur. Make sure you talk to the doctor who prescribed your medication before you stop taking it. If you are having trouble with side effects, it’s possible that they can be eliminated by adjusting how much medication you take and when you take it.
Progress Tracker
Track your OCD symptoms to identify patterns and help with your treatment plan. Our progress tracker can be printed or even shared with your healthcare professional electronically.
Progress tracking for OCD
OCD Questionnaire
This simple questionnaire is designed to help you determine if you have symptoms of OCD and could benefit from professional help.