11 Facts About Obsessive Compulsive Disorders (OCD)

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1. Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) is a mental anxiety disorder which produces repeated thoughts or images about many different things, such as fear of germs, dirt, or intruders; acts of violence; hurting loved ones; sexual acts; or being overly tidy.^[National Institutes of Health. "Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, OCD." National Institutes of Mental Health. Accessed April 23, 2014.]
2. Daniel Radcliffe, Cameron Diaz, Leonardo DiCaprio, Megan Fox and Justin Timberlake are all celebrities who have lived with OCD.^[Gluck, Samantha. "I Have OCD: People with OCD and OCD Celebrities." Healthy Place. Accessed April 23, 2014. .]
3. On average, people are diagnosed with OCD when they are 19-years-old.^[National Institutes of Health. "Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, OCD." National Institutes of Mental Health. Accessed April 23, 2014. .]
4. In the U.S. 1 in 40 adults and 1 in 100 children face OCD.^[National Institutes of Health. "Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, OCD." National Institutes of Mental Health. Accessed April 23, 2014. .]
5. According to the World Health Organization, anxiety disorders, like OCD, are more prevalent in developed countries than in developing countries.^[Charles, Katie. "Obsessive-compulsive disorder is a leading cause of disability worldwide, with causes not fully understood." NY Daily News. Last modified July 21, 2013.]
6. OCD symptoms are divided between obsessions: recurrent and persistent thoughts, urges, or impulses, and compulsions: repetitive behaviors or mental acts that the individual feels driven to perform in response to an obsession.^[American Psychiatric Association. Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders: DSM-5. 2013.]
7. The difference between OCD in adults and in children is that children may not be able to realize the reason for their behavior or thoughts (or that their behaviors or thoughts are unusual).^[OCD Resource Center of Florida. "OCD Resource Center of Florida: Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder in Kids." Accessed April 23, 2014.]
8. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and medication are two ways of treating OCD.^[American Psychiatric Association. "Obsessive Compulsive Disorder." Psychiatry.org. Accessed April 23, 2014.]
9. People with family members who suffer from OCD might be predisposed to the illness. Also, as an anxiety disorder, experts believe that OCD might also be linked to levels of serotonin in the brain and stress or illness may trigger its symptoms.^[KidsHealth. "Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder." The Nemours Foundation. Accessed April 23, 2014.]
10. OCD is treatable, and people who suffer from it can live a normal life.^[National Institutes of Health. "Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, OCD." National Institutes of Mental Health. Accessed April 23, 2014.]
11. OCD may affect men and women equally.^[National Institutes of Health. "Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, OCD." National Institutes of Mental Health. Accessed April 23, 2014.]