The Facts about OCD

OCD affects between 2 and 3 percent of the general population. That’s between 6 and 9 million Americans.

1 in 40 adults will suffer from OCD at some point in their lives.

OCD affects men and women equally.

The most common age for onset of OCD is 18-24, although it is possible for symptoms to begin at any age.

Many people with OCD also suffer from a co-existing, or comorbid, mental illness such as depression or another anxiety disorder.

Evidence suggests that OCD has some genetic component and can be inherited in families.

About 80% of OCD sufferers have both obsessions and compulsions. About 20% suffer from only obsessions or only compulsions.

Research suggests that those who have OCD have brains that function differently from those who do not have OCD. Hyperactivity in the frontal lobe, cingulate gyrus, and striatum has been observed in those with OCD.

OCD can be treated with medication, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), or a combination of the two.

For those with OCD it takes, on average, 7 years between the onset of symptoms and reaching successful management of symptoms through treatment.