What Is Obsessive Compulsive Disorder?
Obsessive-compulsive disorder is a mental health condition where individuals experience persistent thoughts and urges (obsessions) and feel compelled to perform certain actions repeatedly (compulsions).
These thoughts and actions can be disturbing because they interfere with daily life. We all tend to possess certain habits (think nail-biting or worrying occasionally). However, OCD involves intense and irrational fixations.
For instance, someone might constantly worry that they forgot to check if the door is locked before they leave the house. As such, they feel the need to see it repeatedly.
They might also have a compulsion to arrange things in a specific order. For example, you may notice them repeatedly arranging books on a shelf in a particular way.
According to the International OCD Foundation, around 2-3 million US adults have OCD.
Living with this condition is challenging because these thoughts and behaviors take up a lot of time and cause excessive anxiety.
Types of Obsessive Compulsive Disorders
Clinicians have not officially recognized specific types of OCD. However, obsessions and compulsions often fall into certain categories.
- Safety checking involves constant worry about mistakes or something bad happening. A person may repeatedly check the oven, switches, and doors to ensure safety.
- Orderliness. You may need things to be in a certain order or done in a specific way. As a result, you may perform certain actions repeatedly to calm your anxiety.
- Intrusive thoughts. Harvard Health highlights that intrusive thoughts affect “some six million Americans.” You may get stuck on certain thoughts and ideas, which can be disturbing. Controlling these thoughts is challenging even though you don’t want to think about them.
- Postpartum OCD. After having a baby, some parents might excessively worry about their safety. They may also constantly clean baby items due to new responsibilities.
- Hygiene concerns fall under the category of the most common type of OCD. Fear generally revolves around contamination from germs or dirt. As such, you may avoid certain objects like doorknobs or possess excessive cleaning behaviors.
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder Symptoms
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Obsessive-compulsive disorder symptoms typically involve obsessions, compulsions, or both. They often intrude when you’re trying to focus on other activities.
Below, we discuss the common symptoms of obsessive-compulsive disorder.
Obsession Symptoms
Obsessions are persistent and unwanted thoughts that cause distress. You may try to ignore or reduce their intensity by engaging in certain rituals. As a result, they often disrupt your daily routine by forcing you to do things despite your efforts to dismiss them. Common symptoms include:
- Doubts and uncertainty. Persistent doubts about whether you’ve completed tasks correctly. For example, you may return home repeatedly to check if the stove is turned off despite having checked it multiple times.
- Fear of contamination: You may constantly worry about germs and avoid touching objects others have touched. For instance, you may avoid using public restrooms and use paper towels to open doors.
- Need for order. Feeling intense stress when things aren’t arranged symmetrically or in a specific order. This may urge you to repeatedly organize things on the shelf by size and color until they feel “right.”
- Aggressive and unwanted thoughts. Disturbing thoughts about harming yourself or others, even though you don’t want to act on them. For instance, you may experience intrusive images of pushing someone onto train tracks while waiting at the station.
Compulsion Symptoms
OCD compulsions involve repetitive actions or mental rituals that you feel compelled to perform. These behaviors aim to alleviate anxiety caused by obsessive thoughts. However, engaging in these compulsions typically provides minimal relief and no enjoyment.
Individuals often create random rituals to manage anxiety that are often unrelated to the actual concern they’re trying to address.
- Washing and cleaning. Excessive hand-washing, showering, or cleaning surfaces to reduce the fear of contamination. You may spend hours scrubbing your hands with soap until you’re sure you got rid of the imagined germs.
- Checking. Repeatedly checking locks and appliances to ensure they’re off and secure.
- Reassurance seeking. This involves asking others repeatedly for reassurance about fears and concerns. Asking a family member multiple times if they’re sure that the windows were closed securely.
- Counting in certain patterns or sequences to reduce anxiety. For instance, you may count steps in multiples of four whenever walking to a new location.
- Repetition. Repeating certain phrases, words, or prayers silently to oneself can calm anxiety.
Variation In Severity of OCD
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OCD typically starts during teenage or adult years. However, for some people, it starts in their childhood.
Symptoms develop gradually and can fluctuate in intensity over time. For instance, someone might initially experience mild obsessions and compulsions that become more severe during stressful times.
The types of obsessions and compulsions can also evolve over time. Initially, someone might struggle with fears of contamination. However, later in life, their OCD might focus on ordering and arranging objects. These shifts can occur as life circumstances and stressors change.
Besides, the severity of symptoms can vary widely among individuals. Some people may have mild symptoms that they can manage with minimal disruption in their daily lives.
Others, in contrast, may experience severe symptoms that significantly impair their ability to work, study, or maintain relationships.
For example, mild OCD might involve occasional checking behaviors like ensuring the stove is off several times before leaving home. On the other hand, severe OCD could involve hours spent each day performing certain rituals (such as repetitive counting or extensive cleaning).
Conclusion
Understanding obsessive-compulsive disorder goes beyond its clinical definitions. It requires one to recognize individuals’ daily battles – like fighting invisible foes or trying to recognize chaos in their minds.
Each person’s experience is unique and deserves patience and understanding. We discussed what is obsessive-compulsive disorder and its symptoms to promote an understanding of the challenges people with OCD undergo.
FAQs
Q1. What Is the Overview of OCD?
OCD is a mental health condition that involves recurring unwanted thoughts (obsessions) and repetitive behaviors (compulsions). The aim is to reduce anxiety or prevent perceived harm through certain thoughts or rituals.
Q2. What Are the Three C’s of OCD?
Therapists often use the “Three C’s” method to reduce OCD symptoms. It includes the following:
- Catching. This involves catching the negative thoughts associated with emotions
- Checking. Check these thoughts by gathering evidence and considering alternatives
- Changing. Change them into more accurate and helpful responses.
Q3. How to Tell If Someone Has OCD?
To identify if someone has OCD, watch for repetitive behaviors like constant handwashing or checking. They may also experience persistent and unwanted thoughts that make them anxious.
