Obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) is a mental health condition where people have obsessive thoughts and compulsive behaviours.
Obsessions: In the context of OCD, obsessions are unwanted images, feelings, thoughts or urges that you feel unable to ignore. They are usually anxiety inducing. For example, a persistent feeling that you have not locked the door.
Compulsions: Refer to the repetitive behaviours that people do to reduce the anxiety caused by the obsessions. For example, checking the door multiple times to ensure it is locked.
Many people experience minor obsessions and compulsions in their day-to-day life, e.g. a worry that you have not set an alarm, so you go back to double check. For many people, you are able to alleviate these concerns and continue about your day. For people with a diagnosis of OCD, their obsessions and compulsions impact their day to day living and ability to go about their tasks as usual.
For example, someone may have an obsession about germs so they spend excessive amounts of time washing their hands, impacting their schedule and the rest of their day. On the more severe end of OCD, some people may feel unable to leave their house, go to work or interact with others.
OCD can look different for everyone. The diagnosis is complex and there are many misconceptions of what OCD really is. Below is an examples of obsessions and compulsions people may experience but it is important to note that these are merely examples and symptoms can transpire in various ways for different people.
The exact causes of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) are not fully understood, but several factors may contribute:
Forms of treatment
The most popular form of treatment for OCD is psychological interventions. This may involve talking therapies such as Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT) or exposure therapies such as Exposure and Response prevention (ERP) – which is commonly used for OCD patients.
