Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is a mental health condition that can be challenging to manage. It can cause a lot of anxiety and distress for the 2% of the population who experience it. OCD is characterized by two main things:

• Obsessions — These are unwanted and intrusive thoughts, images, or urges that can repeatedly pop into your head. They can be very distressing and can cause a lot of anxiety. Common obsessions can include:
• Fear of germs or contamination
• Fear of harm coming to yourself or others
• Unwanted thoughts about violence, sex or religion
• Need for things to be symmetrical or in perfect order
• Compulsions — These are repetitive behaviors or mental acts that you feel you have to do because of your obsessions. They are meant to help reduce the anxiety caused by the obsessions, but they don’t actually get rid of the thoughts or feelings. This temporary relief can actually reinforce the behavior and create the cycle that is characteristic of OCD. Some common compulsions may include:
• Washing hands excessively
• Checking things repeatedly
• Counting things in a specific order
• Arranging things in a certain way

It’s important to note that everyone can have occasional intrusive thoughts or engage in repetitive behaviors. For people with OCD, these thoughts and behaviors are extreme and interfere with their daily life. They can take up a significant amount of time and cause a lot of distress. 

If you or a loved one is experiencing OCD, it’s natural to wonder if there may be a family connection. The short answer is yes, genetics can play a role in OCD, but it’s not a simple answer. 

Family ties can mean a higher risk, but not a guarantee

There are roughly 30,000 genes at play in your development. Genes are your body’s blueprint for making different proteins that are used to create a variety of tissue and biochemicals. Some conditions can be caused by a single faulty gene. However, OCD is more complex. Scientists believe that it may be a combination of many different genes, each with a small influence, that can increase the risk. Research is ongoing to help identify these specific genes, but genetics are a complicated puzzle.

Currently, specific genes haven’t been isolated to know which ones can contribute to a person developing OCD. If you have a close family member with OCD, you may have a higher chance of developing OCD compared to someone who doesn’t have a family history of the condition. Studies show that people with a parent or sibling with OCD can be up to 20 times more likely to experience it themselves.

The mix of nature and nurture

Even if you have a family history of OCD, it doesn’t mean that you will definitely develop OCD. You still need the right factors to trigger OCD into developing — which can be environmental or biological. These factors, along with your genes, can influence whether you will develop OCD. Factors that can help influence the development of OCD include:

• Childhood trauma, abuse, discrimination or bullying
• Parents with similar anxieties
• Ongoing stress or anxiety
• Pregnancy or giving birth (can trigger perinatal OCD)
• Faulty production of serotonin, brain-derived neurotrophic factor and glutamate in the brain

There is no way to prevent the development of obsessive-compulsive disorder. However, watching for symptoms of the disorder and seeking early treatment can help reduce the effect on your life and keep it from having a significant impact on your ability to function. 

Treatments for obsessive-compulsive disorder

OCD can be managed by mental health treatment. Some people respond to one approach, while others may need a combination approach. The most common treatment approach is a combination of:

• Therapy — Working with a therapist can help you learn effective tools and strategies to manage your symptoms. You can learn to understand the underlying thought patterns and beliefs that are driving your OCD symptoms. This can empower you to challenge them and reframe these thoughts. Therapy can also provide you with a safe and supportive environment to explore your experiences, emotions and concerns related to OCD to help you foster a sense of understanding and acceptance. Therapy can help reduce the impact of OCD on your daily life and improve your overall well-being. 
• Exposure and response prevention (ERP) — ERP is a form of cognitive behavioral therapy that has been specifically tailored to help treat OCD. ERP is used by a therapist to expose the client to the source of their anxiety in a safe and supportive environment. This exposure can help them learn to refrain from their compulsive responses. 
• Medication — Your health care provider may prescribe medication to help manage or alleviate the symptoms of OCD. Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) can help manage OCD by changing the balance of neurotransmitters in your brain. Serotonin helps regulate your mood, anxiety and obsessive thoughts. Medication can work on its own or in combination with therapy for comprehensive treatment. It can take several weeks to show results, so it’s important to be patient when starting a new medication treatment. 

Remember that you’re not alone. With the right support and treatment, you can learn to manage your OCD symptoms and live a fulfilling life. 

Reclaim your hope for living a full and meaningful life with Lightfully

At Lightfully Behavioral Health, we understand that living with OCD can be incredibly challenging. It can disrupt your ability to think clearly, manage your emotions, feel safe and secure, and interact effectively with the world around you. Our deeply compassionate experts can provide you with whole-person-centered care through our unique clinical model for personalized treatment. We have pioneered the use of process-based therapy, which allows us to take a holistic approach to creating a framework of the most effective components of evidence-based treatments, like cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), dialectical behavioral therapy (DBT), cognitive processing therapy (CPT), and acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT), as well as compassion-based and somatic therapies to help target the drivers that contribute to mental health disorders like OCD. 

Change is possible. When you’re ready to take the first step, reach out to our compassionate, licensed clinical therapists. We’ll take the next steps together, toward the fullest, brightest version of you.