15.3.09

Can OCD Change Over Time







The course of OCD can vary enormously from one person to another. The symptoms may also change, so that you be a washer at one time and checker later in life. At one extreme, Ocd can be relatively mild, consisting of one or two episodes and never returning. At the other extreme, usually when the oneset is earlier, it is unremitting, constant, and more severly disabling. In between these two extremes are people for whom Ocd comes and goes in episodes, usually at times of stress.

One study, carried out before effective treatments were available, found that if left untreated the majority of individuals with OCD generally make minor improvements over the 10-20 years after oneset but do continue to experience to experience significant symptoms. About 10 percent made no improvement and 10 percent became worse. Fortunately, things have improved since then, and the message we want to get across is that OCD is treatable: it is possible either to banish it or at least diminish it so that you will get more enjoyment out of life and find it easier to function.