No one knows exactly what causes these communication errors \u2014 studies suggest that brain chemistry and genetics<\/a> play a role \u2014 but psychiatrists do know how to treat them. Many people with O.C.D. do not get treated for it, but for those who do, medication and cognitive behavioral therapy can benefit about 70 percent. My psychiatrist prescribed both.<\/p>\n
In therapy, I learned how to separate myself from my obsessions, ignore my compulsions and refocus my attention elsewhere. I did exposure therapy, sitting amid the soap scum in a bathtub and trying not to hyperventilate. Slowly my anxiety subsided. I still preferred a tidy bathroom, but I no longer panicked at the sight of a few hairs on the floor tile. I began to think of O.C.D. as a problem I\u2019d solved.<\/p>\n
Fifteen years later, I had a baby.<\/p>\n
I spent the first few weeks after my son\u2019s birth washing my hands over and over. (What new parent doesn\u2019t?) I developed elaborate rituals for wiping the sink. (Who knew what germs were left over from last night\u2019s chicken?) My mind hummed with a tinnitus of dread. (What parent isn\u2019t nervous?)<\/p>\n
\u201cThings are fine,\u201d my husband told me. \u201cTry to relax.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI can\u2019t relax. Every second I\u2019m thinking: \u2018Where is the baby? What\u2019s the baby doing? Is he breathing? Is he O.K.?\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWell, that\u2019s good. That\u2019s what all new moms think.\u201d<\/p>\n
Research backs him up. Studies show that most new parents \u2014 mothers especially \u2014 can\u2019t go more than a minute or two without thinking about their newborns.<\/p>\n
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In research by Nichole Fairbrother<\/a>, a clinical psychologist and assistant professor in the University of British Columbia department of psychiatry, all new mothers had intrusive thoughts<\/a> of accidental harm befalling their infant \u2014 a symptom commonly associated with O.C.D.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think there has to be an evolutionary component,\u201d Dr. Fairbrother said. \u201cWe can see how the accidental thoughts are protective: What if I trip down the stairs? What if I get too close to the balcony?<\/em> They impel us to behave in a very cautious way.\u201d<\/p>\n Dr. James Leckman, a professor of child psychiatry, psychology and pediatrics at Yale who studies postpartum O.C.D., said he has experienced these thoughts firsthand.<\/p>\n Continue reading the main story<\/a><\/p>\n View all New York Times newsletters.<\/a><\/p>\n <\/p>\nNewsletter Sign Up<\/h2>\n
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