Can one have an OCD flare up around stressful times?

Question:

I used to be textbook OCD, touching things a certain number of times so no one in my family would be injured or die, I would pray for hours on end bc I had to complete a prayer with just the right picture in my head or I would have to start all over again. Over time as my anxiety decreased, so did these symptoms (gradually over a period of 5 years or so).

Now I'm starting up dental school and I have been out of grad school for a few years now. On top of this, I am getting my apartment set up and it isn't going as smoothly as planned. I moved into an apartment that had roaches. I found remains when I moved in and have found 3 in 2 weeks.

I started caulking for them and cleaning constantly. Now, I catch myself caulking obsessively when I feel anxious about school and I check for roaches about every 3 hours, on the hour, 24 hrs/day with a flashlight in the kitchen because I'm afraid if I don't, the roaches will come out. This is ridiculous. Can OCD flare up from anxiety?

Answers:
yes in stressful times OCD can flare up very easily. it only takes one ritual to get you right back to where you started. You need to do whatever you did to make it die down the first time. try not to stress, and take things one at a time and try really hard to break your rituals. good luck i know my OCD is really hard to break.. but i work on it every day.

I've heard about people having relapse OCD when they get over it when they're under stress.

My cousins OCD flares up when he is stressed. He starts his ritual of lining up cups in the cupboard and making this sound five times when he walks thru doorways. He usually goes for more sessions a weeks when this happens with his psychologist.

Can one have an OCD flare up around stressful times?

Health Resources