How is OCD and depression related?

Question

why and how so?

Thanks for your answers!

Answer 1

They are connected as in once one happens the other one MAY happen. So if you have OCD then you might get DEPRESSED because it's making your life harder. They aren't really related disorders. I hope it helps.

Answer 2

Depression is 1 of the most common Mental Illnesses, almost 12 million people have this at 1 point in their lives. "The causes of depression are best considered as an interplay of biological (eg. genetics), psychological (personality and cognitive style) and social/environmental (distressing life events or chronic stressors) factors. " Depression and OCD will often be found together, especially with adults. Less common is it for young children and adolescents to have both. Finding out whether the Depression is causing the OCD to get worse or for the OCD to cause the depression to worsen is a question which is on many sufferer's mind.

Maybe it's not all that important to figure out, since they might be equally influencing each other.

But the continuous stress a person endures due to her/his OCD might trigger Depression, which in turn may worsen the symptoms of the OCD. Although for some that have OCD, the depression may actually cause them to be so down they will obsess less about wanting to perform their rituals to perfection, they just don't care enough to or lack the energy. Treating depression involves altering the Brain chemistry. Most medications prescribed to treat OCD will tackle both depression and OCD, at correct dosages of course.

A smaller dosage is used for treating depression alone and will have to be increased to treat the OCD as well. Approximately 85% of the patients respond to treatment. But only 10% to 15% of the patients suffering from Major Depression are treated adequately.

Hope this helps  

Answer 3

I was reading about this today.  It is partly due to the way people with OCD think - in a very rigid/irrational way - which allows depressive thoughts to take hold.

Answer 4

due to low serotonin levels in the brain, this causes both OCD and depression thats why a lot of OCD sufferers have depression too. they are both anxiety disorders due to chemical imbalances in the brain. i have OCD and am constantly plagued with depression too, as if OCD isnt bad enough lol. hope this helps

Answer 5

They are often co-morbid (you often have both).

Both are Axis I disorders, although depression disorders are a mood disorders, and OCD an anxiety depression. Mood and anxiety have a theoretical and well researched as supported causal link. You are less likely to be anxious in a positive mood, for example.

Anxiety disorders like OCD are more likely to start earlier in adolescence - and make people more vulnerable to mood disorders.

Answer 6

OCD is classified as an anxiety disorder but the OCF (Obsessive Compulsive Foundation) believes it is a disorder in the basal ganglion area of the brain.  Either way, it's not easy to live with.  

As with OCD and any anxiety disorder, the individual basically gets worn out.  Claire Weeks wrote some great books on the subject, "Hope and Help for Your Nerves", etc..  In those books, she calls depression "depletion" because the body becomes depleted.  

If you are struggling with OCD you can attend support groups both on-line and in person.  Check out the OCF website for support information and a wealth of information to help people with OCD.

Answer 7

Who said they were related?

Two separate disorders.

Answer 8

Alarafan...  is right it's exactly like that i have OCD myself and as time goes on it starts to feel like it's taking over your life because it consumes so much of your time if starts to make you feel stressed out and gives you depressive thoughts it makes me feel like this and it also makes me feel embarrassed and sometimes ashamed because some poeple don't think it's that big of a deal but i know they would think differently if they had it, it's obviously nothing to really complain about compared to poeple who have terminal illnesses and things like that but it's also not something that a person with OCD can just ignore it does make you feel depressed.