Perinatal OCD

Written By jenn lowe

Perinatal OCD may also be referred to as postpartum OCD or maternal/parental OCD. Perinatal OCD takes place during pregnancy and the postpartum period. It involves upsetting and unwanted intrusive thoughts, images, and repetitive impulses. It produces anxiety, and then a person may engage in repetitive behaviors, known as compulsions, which offer temporary relief (IOCDF, 2023). A mix of hormonal and medical factors causes perinatal OCD, and environmental factors influence it (IOCDF, 2023). A prior diagnosis of OCD increases the likelihood that a female will experience perinatal OCD during or after pregnancy. Perinatal OCD can affect 2-3% of women. However, these numbers may be higher as it is often misdiagnosed as postpartum anxiety or postpartum psychosis (IOCDF, 2023).

Common Obsessions:

  • Fears of harm and contamination coming to the baby.

  • Fears around poisoning (intentionally or unintentionally) the baby

  • Fears that the baby will stop breathing

  • Fears that the parent may harm the baby (VonWiefand & VonWiegand, 2023)

Common compulsions:

  • Lots of baby-checking

  • Excessive use of baby-checking apps (diaper changes, sleep, bottles)

  • Staying up to make sure the baby is breathing

  • Avoiding tasks

  • Sending the pediatrician frequent messages on MyChart

  • Restricting certain foods and drinks during pregnancy and breastfeeding to prevent perceived harm to the baby

Common Consequences:

  • Exhaustion

  • Isolation

  • Depression

  • Panic attacks

Treatment:

  • Exposure with response prevention (ERP) is the gold standard for treatment.

  • Exposure involves intentionally confronting situations that provoke anxiety, such as skipping the logging of a diaper change on an app. Response prevention involves resisting the urge to perform the usual compulsive behavior, like confessing to a partner that the diaper change wasn’t logged.

  • All of this is done with the guidance of a trained, licensed therapist.

References

International OCD Foundation (2023, April 28). What is Perinatal OCD? IOCDF. Retrieved June 12, 2024, from https://iocdf.org/perinatal-ocd/what-is-perinatal-ocd/.

VonWiegand, A., VonWiegand, H. (2023, August 4). Tailored Exposures for Specific OCD Themes [Conference presentation]. The Knowledge Tree, Atlanta, GA, United States https://www.theknowledgetree.org.

jenn lowe
Previous

Relationship OCD
Next

10 Ways to Break Up with Anxiety