Before we discuss specifics about Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD), it is important to know mental health symptoms such as irritability, intrusive thoughts, and constant worry as well as others fall under the symptomology for multiple diagnoses. All PMADs or Perinatal Mood and Anxiety Disorders have symptoms that can cause a great deal of distress. Identifying which PMAD/s you are experiencing can help know what support and treatment will work best for you.
Specific Symptoms of OCD include:
-Obsessions
Recurrent thoughts, urges, or images that cause anxiety/distress
Attempt to ignore thoughts
-Compulsions
Behaviors that reduce distress triggered by obsession
Behaviors are repetitive (checking, seeking reassurance, ordering, handwashing, praying, repeating words)
-Behaviors can be time-consuming and/or impair important areas of functioning
What can these symptoms look like during the perinatal period?
| Obsessions/Recurrent Thoughts | Compulsions/Behaviors | Impairment of Functioning |
| What if my baby stops breathing while I am asleep in the other room? | Checking the baby in person or on monitor many times while sleeping to see if they are breathing. | Checking the baby multiple times can cause the mother to get less sleep, causing symptoms to worsen and mother to feel unwell. |
| What if I accidentally throw the baby down the stairs? | Praying repeatedly asking why this thought is happening, asking God to give you the strength to get rid of thought. | Repeatedly praying can cause completion of tasks to take longer and ability to go down the stairs difficult. |
| I gave my child Tylenol, did I give them the right amount? | Researching online continuously and looking on the medication box how many ML of medicine your child should consume for their age/weight. | Inability to concentrate at work or other tasks because researching and checking is time consuming. |
| Did I touch my baby inappropriately when I changed their diaper? | Reviewing in your mind how you went about changing your child’s diaper, where you touched them, did arousal occur. | Inability to change your child’s diaper. Feeling disgusted with self. |
| What if my baby did not get enough tummy time? | Reviewing recommendations from the doctor of the amount of tummy time a child should get. Checking the information repeatedly. | Spending a large amount of time checking and reviewing. |
Obsessions and intrusive thoughts can sound scary and can be distressing to even read. Although intrusive thoughts can cause distress, the calming news is…they are “just thoughts”. These thoughts are considered “ego-dystonic” which means they pose no actual threat. Some mothers believe they are horrible for even having the thoughts or are confused about why they feel so much love for their child, but these random thoughts seem to pop up out of nowhere.
*If you have recognized you may be having intrusive thoughts followed by compulsions, we encourage you to be open and honest if/when starting therapy sessions. We will explore thoughts in a nonjudgmental way and point you in the correct direction for treatment. Evidence-based approaches that are proven to help with OCD include ERP (Exposure and Response Prevention), I-CBT (Inference- Based Cognitive Behavioral Therapy) as well as other interventions.
American Psychiatric Association. (2022). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (5th ed., text rev.). https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.books.9780890425787
Please contact our office if you would like to schedule a time to talk with one of our clinicians.