Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD)

Descriptive text is not available for this imageBASICS

DESCRIPTION

  • Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is a psychiatric illness characterized by recurrent and persistent obsessions and compulsions.
    • Obsessions are defined as recurrent, intrusive, unwanted thoughts, images, or impulses that cause the patient’s distress.
    • Compulsions are defined as repetitive behaviors or mental rituals that a patient feels driven to perform in response to an obsession. The behaviors are aimed at preventing or reducing anxiety or distress or preventing some dreaded event or situation.
  • It is not necessary that children recognize that these thoughts or behaviors are excessive or unreasonable.
  • The obsessions or compulsions cause marked distress, are time consuming (>1 hour daily), and often have a significant impact on a child’s everyday life, including academic, social, and family functioning.
  • Symptoms not attributed to physiologic effects of a substance or are explained by another mental disorder
  • Specifiers include “with good or fair insight,” “with poor insight,” “with absent insight/delusional beliefs,” or tic-related.

EPIDEMIOLOGY

  • Affects 1–3% of children worldwide
  • Can start at any time from preschool to adulthood
  • Associated with two subtypes: an early onset before puberty and a later onset in late teens and early adulthood

RISK FACTORS

  • Familial heritability pattern
  • Moderate genetic component based on twin studies
  • Acute streptococcal infection (pediatric autoimmune neuropsychiatric disorders associated with streptococcal infections [PANDAS] or other triggers (pediatric acute-onset neuropsychiatric syndrome [PANS].

COMMONLY ASSOCIATED CONDITIONS

  • Depression
  • Anxiety disorders
  • Tourette syndrome
  • Trichotillomania
  • Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)
  • Hoarding disorder
  • Body dysmorphic disorder
  • Excoriation disorder

There's more to see -- the rest of this topic is available only to subscribers.