What should I do if my wife has obsessive-compulsive disorder?

Patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder are more neurotic. First of all, they cannot accept the messiness of things and must put things in neat order. If others mess them up, they will become very manic and may even show very angry behavior. In fact, most patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder are unbearable and may even affect the people around them, so it is necessary to understand some recovery methods for obsessive-compulsive disorder.

1. Can obsessive-compulsive disorder heal on its own? Is it necessary to receive treatment?

According to international literature and my own treatment experience, the possibility of obsessive-compulsive disorder resolving or curing spontaneously is relatively small. 11%-14% of patients will have intervals of complete remission, 33% of patients will have fluctuations in their condition, and 54%-61% of patients will have symptoms that gradually become more severe. Therefore, early detection and early treatment are wise choices that are responsible for yourself and your family.

2. What does recovery mean when it comes to obsessive-compulsive disorder?

Recovery from obsessive-compulsive disorder does not mean that all symptoms will completely disappear. Some symptoms may still remain, but these remaining symptoms will no longer affect our lives or cause us so much pain. If you insist on the complete disappearance of all symptoms, you may be greatly disappointed. This may be the result of the pursuit of perfection in your character. And you should know that 90 percent of normal people also occasionally experience obsessive-compulsive symptoms.

3. Will obsessive-compulsive disorder become more serious if not treated?

Yes. Generally speaking, obsessive-compulsive disorder is relatively mild at the beginning, and the patient and his family members are unaware that it is a mental illness. Symptoms of OCD tend to persist and grow over time, becoming more severe when stress levels are high. For some friends who develop the disease in middle school, the symptoms will become more severe before the middle school entrance examination or the college entrance examination. The symptoms will be milder in the freshman and sophomore years, but will become severe again when facing employment pressure or at work. Therefore, obsessive-compulsive disorder should be detected and treated early, so that the prognosis is better. Otherwise, it will become more and more serious and complicated, making it more difficult to treat.

4. What happens if obsessive-compulsive disorder becomes serious?

When obsessive-compulsive disorder develops to a certain extent, it will seriously affect our social functions. According to the World Health Organization, obsessive-compulsive disorder is the tenth largest disease affecting human social functions. Patients will spend a lot of time on obsessive-compulsive disorder, which greatly reduces their efficiency in work, study and other matters. For patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder and fear of uncleanliness, avoidance behaviors will continue to increase, and eventually they will not be able to carry out normal work, and even going shopping will become impossible.

5. Will anti-obsessive-compulsive disorder drugs cause pregnancy malformations or affect breastfeeding?

Generally speaking, the chance of anti-OCD drugs causing malformations is not high, but you should still discuss the principles of medication during pregnancy with your attending physician. If the husband takes the medicine, there is no need to worry about the fetus being affected by the medicine.