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Behavioral Health
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Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD): A Quick Overview

Build nursing competence in recognizing OCD, differentiating related conditions, supporting evidence-based treatment, assessing safety, and promoting long-term recovery.

A registered nurse conducts a private, nonjudgmental behavioral health assessment with an adult experiencing intrusive thoughts and repetitive rituals.
Contact hours
3
Format
Self-paced, online
Last reviewed
Sep 19, 2026

$15.00or included with All-Access

$5 per contact hour · 3 contact hours

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  • No post-test required · unlimited retakes · evaluation and attestation always required

Course Purpose

Build nursing competence in recognizing OCD, differentiating related conditions, supporting evidence-based treatment, assessing safety, and promoting long-term recovery.

Continuing Education Credit Designation

This educational activity is credited for 3 contact hours at completion of the activity.

Overview

After completing this course, nurses will be able to recognize obsessions, compulsions, insight levels, functional impairment, common comorbidities, and urgent safety concerns associated with obsessive-compulsive disorder. Learners will also be able to support diagnostic assessment, explain exposure and response prevention and medication treatment, monitor outcomes and adverse effects, and provide individualized education for long-term management.

Objectives

Upon completion of this independent study, the learner will be able to:

  1. Differentiate obsessive-compulsive disorder from generalized anxiety disorder, psychosis, depressive rumination, trauma-related symptoms, obsessive-compulsive personality disorder, and related conditions.
  2. Identify obsessions, compulsions, avoidance, reassurance seeking, insight levels, functional impairment, risk factors, and common comorbidities during a nursing assessment.
  3. Explain current evidence concerning genetic, neurobiological, developmental, psychological, and environmental contributors to obsessive-compulsive disorder.
  4. Apply a structured nursing approach to symptom assessment, suicide screening, medication monitoring, therapeutic communication, and referral.
  5. Describe evidence-based use of cognitive behavioral therapy with exposure and response prevention, serotonin reuptake inhibitors, augmentation strategies, and specialty interventions.
  6. Develop a person-centered plan for adherence, relapse prevention, physical health promotion, family education, and continuity of care.

Policy Statement

This activity has been planned and implemented in accordance with the policies of FastCEForLess.com. This course should be used for informational purposes only and should not be used to diagnose, treat, prescribe, recommend, or initiate therapies or treatments in any setting. This course is copyrighted by Fast CE For Less, Inc. and may not be replicated, copied, or dispersed without written consent.

Disclosures

Fast CE For Less, Inc. and its authors have no disclosures. There is no commercial support.

Who this course is for:

Healthcare professionals who want continuing education on Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD): A Quick Overview.

Course outline

10 sections · finish in any order across devices

  1. 1

    Introduction

  2. 2

    Understanding Generalized Anxiety Disorders

  3. 3

    Definition of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD)

  4. 4

    Causes of Obsession and Compulsion Symptoms

  5. 5

    Risk Factors

  6. 6

    Diagnosis

  7. 7

    Treatment Options

  8. 8

    Long-Term Management

  9. 9

    Nursing Considerations

  10. 10

    Conclusion

References

The full reference list is included inside the course, after the Conclusion.

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