Author: Christina Caron

When most people think of obsessive-compulsive disorder, they may picture behaviors they’ve seen on TV — like repetitive hand-washing, flicking light switches on and off and meticulously arranging small items over and over.But the disorder manifests in many other ways. Some patients obsess over thoughts that they might hurt someone, while others fixate on certain aspects of their personal relationships.The comedian Maria Bamford, for example, has called her O.C.D. “unwanted thoughts syndrome.” On “The Late Show With Stephen Colbert,” she shared a story about how she couldn’t stop thinking horrific thoughts about her family members. On social media, people describe many types of obsessions and compulsions: “relationship O.C.D.,” “sexual orientation O.C.D.” or “emotional contamination O.C.D.” These aren’t separate diagnoses, but rather they are different expressions of the same disorder — much like how people with phobias can suffer from different fears, said Dr. Carolyn Rodriguez, an O.C.D. expert and a professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Stanford Medicine.Understanding these distinctions can help clinicians tailor a precise treatment plan, she added. And they’re important for the public to grasp as well. Otherwise, people who experience the disorder might not even recognize they have it, Dr. Rodriguez said.People who are fearful of harming others might think, “Maybe I am a murderer,” she added. “If I tell anybody these things, I’m going to be put in jail.”We are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.Already a subscriber? Log in.Want all of The Times? Subscribe.

The drugs treat disorders such as anxiety, panic attacks and insomnia, but stopping them abruptly can compound users’ symptoms and even endanger their lives.Tasha Hedges took Xanax for 20 years to treat her anxiety and panic attacks, exactly as a psychiatrist had prescribed it. Then in 2022, that doctor unexpectedly died.A general practitioner continued her prescription but retired shortly afterward. The next doctor moved to Canada. Finally, Ms. Hedges found a new psychiatrist.“The first thing he did was start yelling at me that I had been on Xanax too long,” said Ms. Hedges, 41, who lives in Falling Waters, W.Va. “He ripped me off my meds.”Discontinuing the drug typically requires decreasing the dose slowly over months or even years, a process called tapering. Ms. Hedges stopped cold turkey. Debilitating withdrawal symptoms followed: hot flashes, cold sweats, restless legs, the shakes and teeth grinding.“It was a nightmare,” she said. Two years after discontinuing the medication, she is still dealing with the fallout. “My brain has not been the same.”In social media groups and websites such as BenzoBuddies, people like Ms. Hedges say they have become physically dependent on benzodiazepines. Many then get cut off from their medication or taper too quickly, and face dangerous and potentially life-threatening withdrawal symptoms that can linger long after the drugs are discontinued. Some doctors, fearful of the risks and stigma associated with these drugs, refuse to prescribe them at all.We are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.Already a subscriber? Log in.Want all of The Times? Subscribe.