Can OCD tendencies naturally decrease with age?
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RobVL
on
Jul 8, 2016
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder Expert
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Yes. Even perfectionists fade with time. Specifically, when one starts to realize what really matters, and what never did.
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Anonymous
on
Nov 3, 2016
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I believe it can decrease with age. You can grow out of a lot of things and almost all mental disorders have cures. You will just need to think of ways to work around them and cope. It may not be easy but it will get easier with time. Everything needs time especially when it means you grow out of it. I personally experienced my OCD tendencies decreasing with age :)
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FairyGodfather
on
Nov 13, 2016
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Short answer is no, but the real question is can OCD be controlled with age? and the answer is yes. People with OCD learn to adapt and cope with it and eventually find a way to balance it in life.
Anonymous
on
Nov 24, 2017
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OCD-like thinking is very common among teenagers. It is likely that when one gets older, those thoughts are milder or easier to deal with. It's as if you naturally develop better coping skills. Recognizing how common OCD thoughts are tends to already heal the pain.
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alexxhere
on
Jul 16, 2016
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In some cases, if you learn to deal with it. But normally the best ways to treat OCD is by some types of medications (I can't say specifically because it is determined on the person as well as the dose) and also CBT is very useful too: Cognitive Behavioural Therapy.
This can be a process of questioning and also carrying out some things to help minimize and stop the OCD. Things like delaying the obsession for a certain amount of minutes can help.
I hope this helped in some way :)
Anonymous
on
Sep 9, 2017
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I personally found that, to the contrary, my OCD tendencies increased with age. Part of this was largely due to the additional stresses that come with growing up. For instance, my OCD began aged five, where my stresses beyond mental health were non existent. It occurred on and off throughout childhood and my teens but came back badly once I was at university with academic pressures, financial pressures, relationship pressures etc. Such triggers are clearly unhelpful for mental health problems. Not only this, but as a child I think there can be a certain element of having great trust in your parents and authority figures: when my parents told me that I would be ok if I didn't carry out a compulsion it was reassuring to the point of helping me resist it. But with my teenage years and adulthood came the realisation that maybe my parents don't know everything and doubts that they could be sure that everything would be ok if I didn't carry out a compulsion. Maybe people have vastly different experiences but this is definitely what I've found!
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LilGreenBird
on
Nov 12, 2017
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OCD can present differently in people so how it changes over one's lifetime may also be different. My supervisor once mentioned that OCD which occurs children and adolescents are sometimes 'outgrown' or decrease as they get older whereas OCD that starts later in life (late adolescence or adulthood) may stay for a much longer time. Seeking treatment can also make a difference as a person who has been having treatment for longer (be in medication or therapy) could have their symptoms reduce over time as they learn to better manage them.
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gracefulBeauty100
on
Feb 15, 2018
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Yes. There are studies that show that. But, if you have OCD you should take a therapy, because it will help you a great deal.
Anonymous
on
Aug 11, 2016
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It is difficult for OCD tendencies to decrease with age. With proper therapies their are chances of them decreasing gradually.
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TheAdmirableCreatureAmanda
on
Oct 26, 2016
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For some people OCD tendencies do decrease with age. That actually happened with me, I use to have a lot of OCD tendencies but I was able to slowly train myself out of most of them. A lot of that was just me learning about the anxiety that was the route of my tendencies, and then learning how to deal with that anxiety.
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MuniraDhamani
on
Oct 16, 2016
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OCD can't decrease with age if not dealt with it. It has nothing to do with age, it has more to do with how badly the person suffering wants to heal.
Anonymous
on
Feb 16, 2017
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They can, but usually they just get worse over time. Either way, one should always look for ways to seek help in order to get better. OCD tendencies can even be helped with small exercises that you can do by yourself and for free!
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Fwalk4
on
Mar 10, 2017
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They can but in most cases people overcome them. Suffering from OCD is not something that just goes away over night. OCD tendencies are usually used when you are stressed out. You need to work hard to overcome them and realize you went years without doing these ticks
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carefreeWords70
on
Jul 15, 2017
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Based on my personal experience, OCD tendencies do tend to decrease with age. As I've grown older, I've come to be in more control of my thoughts - but I think it can be different for everyone.
Anonymous
on
Apr 27, 2018
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From my personal experience, they can. It all depends on stress, what is going on in your life, and the severity of your OCD.
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radiantFireworks51
on
Jan 3, 2019
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I think maybe yes. I don’t think it’s quite so natural. You will have to force yourself to stop some tendencies and that should help, but naturally I think, as a person with OCD, some of my my tendencies do tend to decrease in a way that, I don’t feel as much need to do stuff, or the stuff I do do doesn’t bother me to do as much as it use to. Scientifically I do not know the answer sorry but speaking from experience I think partly yes, but in order to fully see a decline it must be partly unnatural
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riv3rrr
on
Apr 26, 2018
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Most likely not, because it is just the way an OCD brain is wired. You can unlearn and cure OCD tendencies with the right help at any age.
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veemcc
on
Jan 24, 2019
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As I have grown, I have noticed that my OCD has changed. When I younger, it was more of having rooms and big areas organized and everything needed to be in its place. Now that I am older, my OCD has transferred into smaller, less conventional things that people wouldn't usually think of. When I eat any sort of candy or gummy where anything that has multiple flavors or colors, I have to eat them in a certain order. Whether it’s by color or flavor I can't physically eat-or in general-pick up a different colored of flavored item. I do believe that OCD tendencies can decrease as you get older.
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kaleitohelp
on
Jul 27, 2016
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My mother used to experience OCD as a young adult. now that she is in her 50s it is manageable.
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BethTheSage
on
Mar 12, 2017
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OCD is an interesting condition that comes with challenges and benefits. Over time these tendencies can certainly change. They may change in frequency but that will differ from one individual to the next.