Over time, OCD often becomes more severe, more time-consuming, and harder to overcome without professional help. While it may be possible for people with mild forms of OCD to use self-help resources to overcome OCD, most people need therapy (and sometimes medication) to manage their symptoms.
Unfortunately, OCD doesn't just go away. There is no “cure” for the condition. Thoughts are intrusive by nature, and it's not possible to eliminate them entirely. However, people with OCD can learn to acknowledge their obsessions and find relief without acting on their compulsions.
Some people with mild OCD find themselves able to adapt to their condition, noticing that their symptoms interfere with their life in only minor ways. However, this “mild OCD” is usually only temporary. OCD symptoms tend to start gradually and then, if untreated, can become more severe over time.
When it comes to obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), a common mental health disorder in which a person has reoccurring thoughts and behaviors they continually repeat, avoidance is often used as a coping mechanism. People with OCD may try to avoid unwanted thoughts or situations that may trigger their obsessions.
Research into the connection between OCD and trauma has found that OCD can arise not only from the events that are broadly considered to be traumatic, but also from such events that are experienced as traumatic, within the context of the individual's own perspective.
The onset of OCD is not limited to the original meaning of trauma; rather, traumatic experiences such as unexpected exposure to contaminants or various stressful life events often cause the onset of OCD.
So in essence, the answer is that no, OCD cannot be “cured” per se, but for most, it can be managed to the point where it's no longer debilitating nor significantly interfering with someone's life; almost as if it were “in remission,” so to speak.
Obsessive-compulsive symptoms generally wax and wane over time. Because of this, many individuals diagnosed with OCD may suspect that their OCD comes and goes or even goes away—only to return. However, as mentioned above, obsessive-compulsive traits never truly go away. Instead, they require ongoing management.
You Can Lead a Normal Life With OCD
"People can lead very productive lives (with treatment)," said Davey. Dotson admitted that her mind was "very preoccupied" before her diagnosis.
It takes courage to make changes and face fears, particularly if the obsessions and compulsions have existed for many years. Some people with OCD are afraid to begin treatment; their counterproductive ways of coping create an illusion of safety, and control may be very difficult to give up.
There are several things you can do to help break the OCD cycle, including medication and therapy, as well as everyday strategies. Exposure and response prevention (ERP). This is the first-line therapy for OCD. ERP gradually exposes you to your OCD fear until you're no longer afraid.
Ignoring symptoms of OCD will not cause them to disappear, and they're not going to just go away. That's not the way OCD works. In fact, ignoring symptoms, telling yourself that you're not really that bad and you can manage the disorder by trying self-help for OCD will only exacerbate the situation.
Intrusive thoughts are often repetitive and won't go away. "The more you think about it, the more anxious you get and the worse the thoughts get," says Dr. Williams. Instead of fighting intrusive thoughts, it's better to learn to live with them.
Symptoms fluctuate in severity from time to time, and this fluctuation may be related to the occurrence of stressful events. Because symptoms usually worsen with age, people may have difficulty remembering when OCD began, but can sometimes recall when they first noticed that the symptoms were disrupting their lives.
On top of being attentive, people who have OCD usually want everything to be perfect, and consider themselves to be a perfectionist. That means you're great at meeting deadlines, completing tasks with your best work, and managing your time well.
We don't know for sure what causes OCD, but your family history, psychology, environment, and the way your body works could all play a role. Personality traits like perfectionism may put a person at risk of developing OCD. Stressful life events and psychological trauma may also play a role.
Obsessive thoughts
Some common obsessions that affect people with OCD include: fear of deliberately harming yourself or others – for example, fear you may attack someone else, such as your children. fear of harming yourself or others by mistake – for example, fear you may set the house on fire by leaving the cooker on.
However, with proper treatment, 10% of people with OCD experience full recovery and 50% experience a marked improvement in symptoms. For those with mild OCD symptoms or those who are averse to taking medicine, cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) has been shown to help reduce symptoms.
OCD is generally diagnosed between the ages of 8 and 12 or between the late teenage years and early adulthood, but the condition tends to vary in severity throughout one's life. It doesn't necessarily always get worse for everyone; it may get easier to live with or just stay at the same level.
Experts aren't sure of the exact cause of OCD. Genetics, brain abnormalities, and the environment are thought to play a role. It often starts in the teens or early adulthood. But, it can also start in childhood.
To put it simply, there is absolutely no evidence to suggest that OCD is caused by parenting style. The way you talk to your children doesn't cause OCD. The way you discipline them doesn't cause OCD. The bad advice you give your child doesn't cause OCD.
But while OCD doesn't necessarily cause schizophrenia, it can come with higher chances of experiencing it than people without OCD. A sudden onset of OCD symptoms may also be connected to the development of conditions involving psychosis, like schizophrenia.