OCD Information for Individuals

If you or someone you love suffers from OCD, you’re not alone. Millions of people have it. OCD doesn’t discriminate. Men, women, teens and children from every background, race and ethnicity have OCD. When you include others – family members, friends, school personnel – whose lives are touched by someone with OCD, this condition affects many millions more. The good news is that with the appropriate treatment, relief is likely. So not getting treatment is, in a sense, like agreeing to struggle with OCD.

OCD manifests in a number of different ways, and not every person with OCD has the same symptoms. Many people have different combinations of various OCD symptoms. The information on this web site addresses many of these symptoms.

Because a number of other mental health disorders are seen concurrently in people with OCD, a person’s symptoms can be confusing. To get the right treatment, a qualified mental health professional must perform an evaluation, taking all of an individual’s symptoms into consideration. Treatment for OCD is not the same as treatment for other mental health disorders, such as bipolar disorder.

Getting proper treatment is essential to taking control over OCD and gaining relief. And becoming knowledgeable about OCD is critical to finding the right treatment and overcoming this frequently debilitating illness.

Beyond OCD works to help people with OCD get relief. We encourage you to review all the information on this web site – especially OCD Facts – to arm yourself with knowledge about OCD and learn how proper treatment can help you or someone you care about. You can also find download copies of our information-rich OCD Guides. And check out More Resources for recommended books, getting treatment and finding a support group.

How You Can Help

Please join us in our fight against OCD. We need your help to bring information and education to people with OCD, their families and friends, educators, clergy and the media. Your help will allow us to continue to provide this information free of charge to anyone who needs it.

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