Health Topic

Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder

People with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) suffer from frequent, upsetting thoughts called obsessions. Read about the treatments available.

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Also called: OCD

Important: This page is general information, not medical advice. It does not recommend or prescribe any treatment. Always consult your doctor or pharmacist before starting, stopping or changing any medicine.

About Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder

Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is a mental disorder in which you have thoughts (obsessions) and rituals (compulsions) over and over. They interfere with your life, but you cannot control or stop them.

The cause of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is unknown. Factors such as genetics, brain biology and chemistry, and your environment may play a role.

Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) usually begins when you are a teen or young adult. Boys often develop OCD at a younger age than girls.

Risk factors for OCD include:

  • Family history. People with a first-degree relative (such as a parent, sibling, or child) who has OCD are at higher risk. This is especially true if the relative developed OCD as a child or teen.
  • Brain structure and functioning. Imaging studies have shown that people with OCD have differences in certain parts of the brain. Researchers need to do more studies to understand the connection between the brain differences and OCD.
  • Childhood trauma, such as child abuse. Some studies have found a link between trauma in childhood and OCD. More research is needed to understand this relationship better.

In some cases, children may develop OCD or OCD symptoms following a streptococcal infection. This is called Pediatric Autoimmune Neuropsychiatric Disorders Associated with Streptococcal Infections (PANDAS).

People with OCD may have symptoms of obsessions, compulsions, or both:

  • Obsessions are repeated thoughts, urges, or mental images that cause anxiety. They may involve things such as Fear of germs or contamination
  • Fear of losing or misplacing something
  • Worries about harm coming towards yourself or others
  • Unwanted forbidden thoughts involving sex or religion
  • Aggressive thoughts towards yourself or others
  • Needing things lined up exactly or arranged in a particular, precise way
  • Excessive cleaning and/or handwashing
  • Repeatedly checking on things, such as whether the door is locked or the oven is off
  • Compulsive counting
  • Ordering and arranging things in a particular, precise way

Some people with OCD also have Tourette syndrome or another tic disorder. Tics are sudden twitches, movements, or sounds that people do over and over. People who have tics cannot stop their body from doing these things.

The first step is to talk with your health care provider about your symptoms. It's important to check whether a physical problem is causing your symptoms. So your provider will do a physical exam and will ask you about your medical history. If your symptoms do not seem to be caused by a physical problem, your provider may do an OCD test or may refer you to a mental health specialist for further evaluation or treatment.

Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) can sometimes be hard to diagnose. Its symptoms are like those of other mental disorders, such as anxiety disorders. It is also possible to have both OCD and another mental disorder.

Not everyone who has obsessions or compulsions has OCD. Your symptoms would usually be considered OCD when you:

  • Can't control your thoughts or behaviors, even when you know that they are excessive
  • Spend at least 1 hour a day on these thoughts or behaviors
  • Don't get pleasure when performing the behaviors. But doing them may briefly give you relief from the anxiety.
  • Have significant problems in your daily life because of these thoughts or behaviors

The main treatments for obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) are cognitive behavioral therapy, medicines, or both:

  • Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is a type of psychotherapy. It teaches you different ways of thinking, behaving, and reacting to your obsessions and compulsions. Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) s a specific type of CBT. ERP involves gradually exposing you to your fears or obsessions. You learn healthy ways to deal with the anxiety they cause.

If you have severe OCD that does not get better with these treatments, your provider may suggest a treatment called repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS). It is a brain stimulation procedure that uses magnetic waves. It can target specific brain areas associated with OCD.

It sits within Mental Health and Behavior.

The lead U.S. institute for this subject is the National Institute of Mental Health.

When to speak to someone. Reading about a topic cannot tell you whether it applies to you. Speak to a doctor or pharmacist if symptoms are severe, sudden, getting worse, or simply not going away — and seek emergency care immediately for chest pain, breathing difficulty, sudden weakness or confusion, or a serious allergic reaction.

Research on Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder

739 studies areregistered for this condition on ClinicalTrials.gov, the U.S. National Library of Medicine's public registry. A selection is below — the links go straight to the registry entry, not to a summary of ours.

What a registered study does and does not mean. Registration means a study exists and has been declared publicly. It says nothing about whether the treatment being tested works, is safe, or is available to you. Many studies find no benefit — that is what research is for. Never seek out an experimental treatment on the strength of a registry entry alone.

Research currently under way

Research already completed

Study data from ClinicalTrials.gov, a service of the U.S. National Library of Medicine. Retrieved 2026-07-30. Registry entries are supplied by study sponsors and investigators; ClinicalTrials.gov does not verify their scientific validity. PocketsInfo is not affiliated with, and not endorsed by, the NLM or the NIH.

Where to read more

Rather than paraphrase, we point you to the primary sources. Every link below is to a government health agency, a national institute or a recognised medical body — grouped by what you are trying to find out.

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Diagnosis and Tests

Treatments and Therapies

Related Issues

Genetics

Statistics and Research

Clinical Trials

Medical subject headings

Clinicians and researchers index this subject under Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder. These are the terms to use when searching medical literature.

This page is built from the MedlinePlus health topic record for Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, a service of the U.S. National Library of Medicine (NLM), National Institutes of Health. Information is from MedlinePlus.gov. PocketsInfo is not affiliated with, and is not endorsed by, the NLM or the NIH. Retrieved 30 July 2026.