OCD can take over your life. But what is OCD?
In this blog post, I’m going to take you through the basics of OCD—from the signs and symptoms to the types and themes, as well as the treatments. For the video to this blog please see below:
OCD, or obsessive-compulsive disorder, is a mental health condition characterized by obsessions and compulsions. In the UK, it can affect about 12 out of every 1,000 people, and globally that figure is about 18 in every 1,000 people. However, it’s likely much more than that due to shame and stigma preventing many people from seeking help.
Obsessions and Compulsions
Obsessions are repetitive thoughts, images, urges, and impulses that cause anxiety and doubt. They are ego-dystonic, meaning they go against your values and morals. Intrusive thoughts are distressing and unwanted, often popping up out of nowhere.
Compulsions, on the other hand, are repetitive behaviours or actions that are very time-consuming. They can be physical, like washing your hands or checking the locks, or mental, like reviewing memories or replacing negative thoughts with neutral ones. While compulsions are the visible aspect of OCD, the experience is often characterized by lots of shame, guilt, frustration, anger, a need for certainty, and a heightened sense of responsibility.
The Impact of OCD
OCD can take up a significant amount of time and have a major impact on your life, ruining relationships, stopping you from working, socializing, or studying. Research shows that up to one-third of people with OCD also experience depression or low mood.
If you’re the loved one of someone experiencing OCD, you may find it frustrating to see them stuck in obsessional thinking or performing compulsions. It’s important to understand that people with OCD know their actions aren’t logical, but they feel compelled to perform them to prevent something bad from happening or to make things feel “right.”
Common Types of OCD
1. Contamination Fears
Involves fears of getting dirty or contaminated, leading to hand washing or mental contamination where one's mind feels contaminated with bad thoughts.
2. Symmetry and Order:
Characterized by the need for things to be in a certain order or symmetry, often represented in films.
3. Doubt and Harm (Harm OCD or HOCD): Concerned about the impact of one's actions on others, leading to behaviours like excessive checking.
4. Unacceptable or Taboo Thoughts (Taboo OCD): Involves intrusive thoughts that are taboo or stigmatized, like violent or sexual thoughts.
5. Perinatal OCD: Occurs during pregnancy or after having a baby, marked by intrusive, distressing thoughts about the baby.
6. Relationship OCD (ROCD): Involves intrusive thoughts about the partner or the relationship, leading to compulsions like checking the partner’s phone.
Lesser-Known Types of OCD
1. Sexual Orientation OCD (SO-OCD) : Involves doubts about one’s sexual orientation regardless of their actual sexuality.
2. Existential OCD: Involves anxious thoughts about life, the universe, and philosophical questions.
3. Real Event or False Memory OCD: Involves a distorted focus on past events and their significance.
Avoidance and Reassurance Seeking
Besides obsessions and compulsions, OCD also includes elements like avoidance—where triggers of obsessional thoughts are avoided—and reassurance seeking, which is a coping strategy that can make OCD more entrenched.
Treatments for OCD
Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT) and Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP)
These are the gold-standard treatments for OCD. CBT involves education about OCD, identifying avoidance and reassurance strategies, and creating a map of OCD symptoms. ERP involves exposing oneself to the feared situation without performing the compulsion, leading to reduced anxiety over time.
Effective psychological treatments can help get a handle on intrusive thoughts and compulsions. If you're interested in learning more about CBT and ERP, stay tuned for upcoming posts.
Conclusion
OCD is a complex mental health problem with a wide range of presentations. This article has described the most common forms of OCD as well as the treatments that serve to help people overcome OCD. I hope this gives you a comprehensive overview of what OCD is.
Seeking Further Support
I have experience in helping with all subtypes of OCD, if you would like further support, get in touch today to see how I can help.
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