OCD

What is it?

Obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) is a common mental health condition where a person has obsessive thoughts and compulsive behaviours.

If you have OCD, you'll usually experience frequent obsessive thoughts and compulsive behaviours.

An obsession is an unwanted and unpleasant thought, image or urge that repeatedly enters your mind, causing feelings of anxiety, disgust or unease.

A compulsion is a repetitive behaviour or mental act that you feel you need to do to temporarily relieve the unpleasant feelings brought on by the obsessive thought.

Common compulsions include fear of dirt or germs, a need for order, symmetry or arrangement, fears for their safety or of those around them, fears of acting out violent or aggressive thoughts or impulses. 

https://www.nhs.uk/mental-health/conditions/obsessive-compulsive-disorder-ocd/overview/

Misconceptions about OCD

• You cannot be ‘a little’ OCD. This is a complex and debilitating disorder, affecting around 1-2% of people. It most often develops in early adulthood and can make daily life very difficult to navigate.

• OCD is more complicated than being obsessively tidy or clean. People with OCD experience intensely negative, repetitive and intrusive thoughts, combined with a chronic feeling of doubt or danger. These feelings form the individual’s obsessions. 

• You don’t have to just learn to live with OCD; therapy such as Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) can help people with OCD to face their fears, helping to control the compulsions. Medication may also be prescribed. 

https://www.benenden.co.uk/be-healthy/mind/ocd-myths/

Signs of OCD

Obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) affects people differently, but usually causes a particular pattern of thoughts and behaviours.

OCD has 3 main elements:

• Obsessions – where an unwanted, intrusive and often distressing thought, image or urge repeatedly enters your mind

• Emotions – the obsession causes a feeling of intense anxiety or distress

• Compulsions – repetitive behaviours or mental acts that a person with OCD feels driven to perform as a result of the anxiety and distress caused by the obsession

The compulsive behaviour temporarily relieves the anxiety, but the obsession and anxiety soon return, causing the cycle to begin again.

It's possible to just have obsessive thoughts or just have compulsions, but most people with OCD experience both.

Compulsive behaviour

Compulsions starts as a way of trying to reduce or prevent anxiety caused by the obsessive thought, although in reality this behaviour is either excessive or not realistically connected.

For example, a person who fears contamination with germs may wash their hands repeatedly, or someone with a fear of harming their family may have the urge to repeat an action multiple times to "neutralise" the thought.

Most people with OCD realise that such compulsive behaviour is irrational and makes no logical sense, but they cannot stop acting on it and feel they need to do it "just in case".

Common types of compulsive behaviour in people with OCD include:

• Cleaning and hand washing

• Checking – such as checking doors are locked or that the gas is off

• Counting

• Ordering and arranging

• Hoarding

• Asking for reassurance

• Repeating words in their head

• Thinking "neutralising" thoughts to counter the obsessive thoughts

• Avoiding places and situations that could trigger obsessive thoughts

Not all compulsive behaviours will be obvious to other people.

Amy's Story

Support

OCD Action - https://ocdaction.org.uk/

Offers various types of support such as a forum, helpline and support groups online or face to face. 

OCD UK - https://www.ocduk.org/

Offers advice and support through their helpline, email, support groups and discussion forum. 

Triumph over phobia (TOPUK) - https://www.topuk.org/

Triumph Over Phobia (TOP UK) is a UK registered charity which specialises in helping sufferers of phobias, obsessive compulsive disorder and other related anxiety disorders to overcome their fears. We do this by running a network of weekly, supported self-help groups which deliver a model of Behaviour Therapy.