Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, How Is It Diagnosed?

Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, How Is It Diagnosed? - Dr. Simpson (VIDEO)

More Videos from Dr. Helen Blair Simpson 20 videos in this series

Dr. Simpson explains how obsessive compulsive disorder/OCD is diagnosed.

Dr. Simpson:
When you diagnose OCD you look for obsessions and compulsions, and there are two important things to keep in mind. One is we all have funny thoughts from time to time and many of us have repetitive behaviors or habits. That isn’t OCD. OCD is when you have obsessions and compulsions that are lasting more than an hour a day, are terribly distressing, and interfere with your functioning.

About Dr. Simpson, M.D., Ph.D.:

Helen Blair Simpson, M.D., Ph.D., an expert on obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), is an associate professor of clinical psychiatry at Columbia University, New York City, where she directs the Anxiety Disorders Clinic and OCD Research Program at the New York State Psychiatric Institute. She was a member of the work group that developed the first “Practice Guidelines for the Treatment of Patients With OCD” for the American Psychiatric Association.

Through her research, Dr. Simpson is working to trace the brain circuits believed to play a major role in the development of obsessions and compulsions, and she has developed novel approaches to treatment. Her research has been supported by a NARSAD Young Investigator grant.

Visit Dr. Simpson at Columbia University Medical Center