Many people have rituals they perform regularly and repetitively, such as checking several times to see whether the alarm clock is set before going to bed. But for about 2.2 million Americans, such rituals can take over their lives. These individuals suffer from obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD): They know that their routines don’t make sense, but they feel extreme anxiety if they don’t follow them anyway.

To be diagnosed with OCD, a chronic anxiety disorder, a person must show certain characteristics. He or she must either suffer from repeated and persistent thoughts or feel driven to perform the same task over and over again. These obsessions and compulsions are excessive and unreasonable and significantly interfere with daily routine. Often the two are related: Someone might attempt to relieve constant worrying about germs, for example, by washing his hands until they are raw and chapped.

People with OCD may be preoccupied with shapes and patterns, lucky numbers, or counting or touching things in particular sequences. At best, these routines provide temporary relief from their obsessive thoughts, which often involve loved ones being harmed, inappropriate or unpleasant sexual acts, or thoughts that go against their religious beliefs.

Some researchers believe that OCD results from a natural change in the body’s chemistry; others, that it stems from habits of behavior that a person learns over time. Studies show that an insufficient level of serotonin in the brain may contribute to symptoms.

OCD often runs in families, and scientists in recent years have found that several variations within one specific gene seem to raise the risk of the disorder. Other research suggests that it is the absence of a specific gene that causes the disorder; one group of researchers created mice with OCD tendencies by selectively breeding them without this gene. The genetic causes of OCD are being studied further.

People with OCD usually respond well to antidepressant medications that increase levels of serotonin in the brain. Cognitive behavioral therapy, in which patients are gradually exposed to items or situations that cause them anxiety (dirt, for example) until they become less sensitive to them, can also be successful.

ADDITIONAL FACTS

  1. Obsessive-compulsive behavior is commonly seen as a minor character trait, such as extreme neatness and orderliness or making daily lists of things.
  2. The OCD mice, created by researchers at Duke University, displayed symptoms of the disorder by compulsively grooming themselves, leading to injuries. Humans with OCD may repeatedly wash their hands or scratch their skins.