Does OCD ever go away? And if it doesn’t, how can people who have this condition regain control of their thoughts and behaviors?
How Does OCD Affect People?
If your understanding of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is based on what you’ve seen in movies or on television, you likely have a skewed perspective on how people with this condition are actually affected.
In films and TV shows, OCD is often portrayed as a quirky personality trait that primarily involves an intense need for order and structure. Compounding the problem, characters with OCD are often used for comedic relief.
In reality, OCD isn’t a quirk or an eccentricity. It is a complex mental health condition that can undermine a person’s efforts to live a productive and satisfying life.
As its name suggests, OCD can cause two types of symptoms: obsessions (disruptive thoughts) and compulsions (behaviors that the person feels forced to engage in).
Some people experience both types of OCD symptoms, while others only develop one. Depending on the type and intensity of a person’s symptoms, their experience may include:
- Fearing that they are going to intentionally or unintentionally harm themselves or someone else, such as by suddenly swerving their car into a crowd of pedestrians
- Having recurrent, unwanted, and highly distressing thoughts of a sexual or blasphemous nature
- Being unable to leave a room or building without touching certain objects in a specific order
- Checking multiple times to confirm that they locked a door, turned off lights, shut off the stove, or performed some other basic household safety task
- Washing their hands or showering several times per day, even when there is no hygiene-related reason for doing so
- Cleaning their room, office, or home multiple times, even though the space doesn’t show any signs of dirt, dust, or disorganization
- Repeating certain words, numbers, or phrases over and over again (either aloud or mentally), and fearing that something terrible will happen to themselves or someone else if they don’t continue to do so
- Refusing to shake hands with other people due to an intense fear of contamination
The obsessions and compulsions that are characteristic of OCD can be sources of great emotional pain. The compulsive behaviors can also take up an immense amount of time. The impact of these symptoms can include:
- Living in fear that you are going to hurt or embarrass yourself, or harm or upset someone else
- Being stuck in a room or house until you have perfectly completed a certain ritual
- Becoming upset and being unable to function properly when items are not arranged in a particular order
- Believing that you are in continual danger of becoming infected or contaminated
- Withdrawing from or being shunned by other people due to behavior patterns that you feel incapable of modifying
- Dealing with continued physical and emotional exhaustion as a result of intrusive thoughts and uncontrolled behaviors
- Falling behind in school or at work, or failing to be fully present in your interactions with other people, because you cannot focus or concentrate
Does OCD Ever Go Away?
Understandably, someone who experiences the negative effects of obsessive-compulsive disorder is likely to wonder, does OCD ever go away?
The answer to this question is a bit of a good news/not-so-good news situation:
- The not-so-good news is that OCD is a chronic condition, which means that it is highly unlikely to simply go away.
- The good news is that, with a concerted effort and the right type of help, people can learn to manage the symptoms of OCD.
Adding to the “good news” side of the scale, having a chronic medical or mental health condition doesn’t mean that a person will be limited to an unfulfilling or otherwise second-class lifestyle. Examples of other treatable chronic conditions include anxiety, depression, arthritis, and diabetes.
If you or someone that you care about has been living with OCD, please know that help is available and treatment works. When you get the care that aligns with your specific needs, you can experience considerable improvements in both the substance and quality of your life.
How Do People Effectively Treat the Symptoms of OCD?
To summarize what we’ve discussed thus far:
- Untreated OCD can be a source of significant distress and disruption.
- Does OCD ever go away? No, it doesn’t.
- Can the symptoms of OCD be minimized? Yes, they can.
Effective treatment for OCD often involves a combination of medication and therapy. According to the International OCD Foundation (IOCDF), about 70% of people with OCD benefit from one or both of these interventions. For those who respond to medication, the IOCDF reports, the meds typically elicit a 40%-60% reduction in symptoms.
Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) are typically the most effective medications for people who have OCD. Drugs in this category are commonly used to treat people who have depression, but they can also be beneficial for patients with other concerns, including obsessive-compulsive disorder.
The therapeutic component of OCD treatment may include approaches such as:
- Individual psychotherapy
- Group therapy sessions
- Family therapy
- Holistic therapy
- Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT)
- Exposure and response prevention (ERP) therapy
- Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) therapy
If a person with OCD has also been dealing with depression, addiction, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), or another co-occurring mental health condition, it’s important to address these concerns as well. In these circumstances, elements such as eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) therapy and dual diagnosis services can be valuable.
The impact of OCD can vary considerably from one person to the next. So, too, can the effectiveness of both medications and therapies. A treatment plan that helps one patient make tremendous progress may offer little to no benefit to another.
This is why it is so important to find a provider that will carefully assess your specific needs, take the time to learn how you have been affected by your symptoms, and develop a customized plan just for you.
Contact Montare Behavioral Health if OCD is Causing Problems in Your Life
Montare Behavioral Health offers a full continuum of customized care for individuals whose lives have been disrupted by OCD and common co-occurring conditions.
Your options at our network of OCD treatment centers in Southern California include inpatient care, partial hospitalization/day programs, intensive outpatient programming, outpatient services, telehealth, and alumni support.
To learn more about how we can help you achieve lasting relief from the effects of OCD, please visit our Contact page or call us today.
Published: 10/15/2024
