Coping with a single mental health issue can be challenging, but when you find yourself dealing with two, the difficulties multiply. This is especially true for individuals facing OCD with depression.
OCD is a complex mental health condition characterized by intrusive, distressing thoughts or obsessions and repetitive behaviors or compulsions. Depression, on the other hand, is a mood disorder that manifests as persistent sadness and loss of interest. Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) often co-occurs with depression due to shared underlying factors and neurobiological mechanisms.
To help you understand the relationship between OCD and depression further and how the conditions are treated, read on.
What Is The Correlation Between OCD And Depression?
How are OCD and depression related?
According to research, around 63% of people with OCD exhibit mood disorder symptoms. Individuals who suffer from both disorders also tend to show more severe symptoms of anxiety, more functional disability, and higher chances of unemployment than those who have OCD but are not depressed.
Depression and OCD influence each other in several ways, such as the following:
- OCD may lead to depression because the compulsions that it causes may trigger frustrations, hopelessness, and sadness and negatively affect your quality of life
- OCD and depression share common causes or triggers, such as genetic factors, environmental factors, and neurological abnormalities
- Depression may worsen OCD symptoms because low energy, bad thoughts, and demotivation often signify the former. These factors may make it harder to resist OCD behaviors. Depression may also impede the results of exposure and response therapy (ERP) often used to treat OCD.
What Are The Symptoms Of OCD?
The symptoms of OCD may be categorized into two: obsessions and compulsions. Symptoms that qualify as obsessions include the following:
- The need for order and symmetry, wherein you are compelled to arrange or organize things perfectly and spend hours doing it
- The fear of coming into contact with germs, dirt, or other contaminants, causing you to exhibit extreme avoidance or excessive washing
- The persistent thoughts or urges that are hard to control
- The constant fear of making a mistake, needing reassurance, or seeking validation
- Thinking taboo thoughts related to sex, violence, or moral beliefs, leading to feelings of guilt and distress
The OCD symptoms that qualify under compulsions include:
- Frequent checking of appliances, locks, or belongings to ensure safety or avoid harm
- The need to follow rigid rules, especially in arranging items
- Excessive cleaning and washing rituals, like frequent handwashing or extreme use of sanitizers
- Exhibiting repetitive behaviors such as repeating words or phrases or doing the same actions over and over again
- Performing mental exercises, such as repeating prayers or specific phrases to address obsessive thoughts
These symptoms can impact your daily life if left untreated. Giving in to your obsessions or compulsions can be time-consuming, making you less productive at work or home.
They can also affect your relationships, with other people possibly getting frustrated with you or misunderstanding your compulsions. OCD can cause emotional distress as you try to resist your obsessions and fail, making you more anxious, guilty, frustrated, and ashamed.
As a chronic condition, OCD will affect your mental health. It may trigger anxiety disorders, substance abuse, or depression.
Can Depression Cause OCD?
Studies are still exploring the causes of OCD, but no research has suggested depression as one of its causes. The National Institute of Mental Health reports that OCD may be caused by genetics, childhood trauma, differences in the brain’s subcortical and frontal cortex regions, and streptococcal infection.
However, both conditions tend to co-occur. Studies suggest it could be due to shared genetic, environmental reasons, or neurobiological factors that lead to the development of the said disorders.
If you are curious about addressing these conditions or want to know how to help someone with OCD and depression, you should explore potential comprehensive treatments like Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS). It is a non-invasive treatment that relies on magnetic fields to reach some parts of the brain and stimulate them. It is also an emerging treatment for OCD because it does not require surgery and is becoming more available at local US clinics.
Does OCD Get Worse As You Age?
OCD symptoms may fluctuate in severity over time, but they usually get worse when stressful events happen. They may also worsen with age if left untreated. It is likely because, over time, people encounter increased stressors, difficulties in getting treatment or adhering to one, or changes in brain chemistry.
Other factors may also contribute to the increased severity of the condition’s symptoms, such as the following:
- The longer the OCD is left untreated, the more severe it may become, so getting early treatment can prevent the symptoms from progressing
- Stressful situations can make OCD worse as they trigger your obsessions and compulsions
- Co-occurring conditions, such as anxiety or depression, can contribute to worsening symptoms
- Inability to adhere to treatment strategies, such as medication, TMS, or therapy
- Your attitude and beliefs toward your OCD also affect your condition’s severity, such as believing that indulging in your compulsions will relieve your anxiety when it does the opposite
How Are OCD And Depression Treated?
Treating OCD with depression usually involves several techniques, such as medication, therapy, and lifestyle changes. The most common methods include the following:
Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
CBT is a psychological treatment used to address anxiety disorders, depression, OCD, and other mental health disorders. It often involves changing your thinking patterns by using strategies such as modifying negative thought patterns, finding appropriate coping strategies, and exposing yourself to situations that usually trigger your anxiety to face your fears instead of avoiding them.
Medications
People with OCD and depression may be prescribed selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) as antidepressants. These medications regulate serotonin levels to alleviate the symptoms of both depression and OCD.
Lifestyle changes
It helps to exercise regularly, get enough sleep, follow a healthy diet, practice stress management techniques, and avoid substance abuse.
Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS)
This procedure uses magnetic fields to reach certain parts of the brain affecting OCD to stimulate brain activity. It was developed in 1985 and is now used to address several mental health conditions.
So, how does TMS work? The brain comprises cells that communicate with each other using electricity. TMS can influence electrical activity in specific parts of the brain by placing a magnet near the brain.
TMS works by using magnets to change the way electricity flows in the brain. This can have an impact on how certain areas of the brain function.
Treating OCD and depression together comes with several benefits, such as:
- It ensures that both conditions’ overlapping relevant symptoms are addressed, making the treatment effective.
- It increases the likelihood of a favorable outcome before any of the two conditions worsens.
- It prevents relapse due to better symptom management.
- It improves one’s resilience and coping strategies
When you have OCD with depression, you should consider getting integrated treatments for both so that one condition will not trigger the other and worsen its symptoms. Depending on your specific needs, you may use TMS with medication, CBT, and other treatments.
If you or someone you know wants to seek OCD with depression treatment, find the help you need at Roots Mental Wellness Experience. Contact us today for a free consultation.
