- What is and what is not OCD?
- Is OCD curable?
- At what age does OCD begin?
- Is there a trigger for OCD? Can it be prevented?
- Are there differences in the symptoms of OCD experienced by boys and girls?
- How long do symptoms have to last for an OCD diagnosis?
- What is the treatment for OCD?
- What is the approximate time it takes for a person with OCD to experience a reduction in their symptoms during therapy?
- If you take medication and it works, do you need to take it for life?
- Do yoga, meditation, or other therapies work for OCD?
- Is OCD dangerous for the person who has it?
- How can we differentiate OCD from the symptoms of ASD?
- If a child with ASD has OCD, should we leave it alone or try to reduce or eliminate it?
- Is OCD associated with ADHD or bipolar disorder?
- How can I tell if my son or daughter has OCD?
- My daughter's hair is constantly breaking, which weakens it. She's even gone into the house up to 10 times to check that the gas was off. What can we do to stop her?
- How can we help our daughter with OCD to gain more self-confidence and reduce her anxiety?
- Why does a person with OCD generally have thoughts related to magic and religion?
- What should mothers do if they detect exaggerated symptoms in their children that cause suffering?
- Can people with pathological jealousy be treated with strategies similar to those used for people with OCD?
- I have an 11-year-old daughter who does a lot of things that seem like OCD. Is a diagnosis necessary? I'm afraid the label will overshadow the disorder itself, and that any behavior will be excused because she has OCD.
- I was diagnosed with OCD 20 years ago, I can't stop talking to myself (silently or in a low voice) and I get very distracted. Why might this be and what can I do?
- What can we, as a family, do if our adult daughter refuses help and has no interest in getting better?
- When my OCD drives the people around me crazy, what should they do?
- What is the difference between having tics and doing compulsions?
How can we differentiate OCD from the symptoms of ASD?
It is estimated that around 15% of people with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) have comorbid obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD ). It is sometimes difficult to differentiate between the two, as people with ASD often exhibit restricted and repetitive behaviors that could be mistaken for obsessive-compulsive symptoms. Sometimes, the rigidity and inflexibility associated with ASD contribute to the development of fixed routines and rituals centered around a specific theme. In essence, ASD symptoms such as difficulty adapting to change, a need for control, and a tendency to follow repetitive and stereotyped patterns can be factors that maintain OCD in a person with ASD.
However, a key factor in the differential diagnosis between OCD and ASD is that, unlike the repetitive behaviors of ASD, the compulsions of OCD:
- They are preceded by an obsession.
- They are performed in response to the anxiety produced by the obsession.
- They are not desired; they are rejected by the individual who wants to neutralize them.
Repetitive behaviors in ASD are core symptoms of the developmental disorder itself and include two or more of the following:
- Stereotyped movements (often self-stimulatory).
- Inflexibility in routines, ritualized patterns of behavior, intolerance to change, rigid thinking patterns.
- Restricted and fixed interests of high intensity and perseverance.
- Hypo- or hyperreactivity to sensory stimuli.
Rigid behavioral patterns in people with ASD often provide a sense of security; they also have a need for clear rules to follow and to create predictability in their daily lives (schedules, routines), otherwise they become confused and dysregulated; this gives them structure and stability.
