What is Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD)?
Obsessive-compulsive disorder is a mental health challenge that is characterised by a pattern of unwanted thoughts and fears, which are also known as obsessions. The obsessions lead to developing repetitive behaviours, which are known as compulsions, and can significantly interfere with the way of performing daily activities while causing anxiety and distress.
OCD involves having unwanted intrusive thoughts and feeling the enhanced need to perform various activities and rituals to reduce the anxiety related to these thoughts. OCD seems to begin with misinterpreted thoughts. On average, think about 6000 thoughts per day, with some of them being unpleasant. Obsessions occur when these thoughts are misinterpreted and make people anxious, which causes these thoughts to occur more often and last longer.
People with OCD judge and monitor their thoughts, whether they are reasonable, bad, safe or dangerous. The thoughts are often perceived as harmful or threatening, and OCD can trick the body into reacting to these thoughts.
Symptoms of OCD
Obsessive-compulsive disorder affects people in many ways but usually causes a pattern of specific compulsive behaviors and thoughts. OCD entails three main elements:
- Emotions – unwanted thoughts cause a feeling of anxiety and distress
- Compulsions – repetitive behaviours that people with OCD are driven to perform as a coping mechanism to avoid anxiety and distress
- Obsessions – unwanted and intrusive thoughts that repeatedly go through someone’s mind
Types of Obsessions
We all have some unpleasant thoughts at some point, like whether we have left the stove on or locked the house door. However, people with OCD have persistent and unpleasant thoughts that dominate every moment of their thinking.
OCD can have different subtypes. Some of the most common features of OCD include:
- Fear of harming yourself or others by mistake
- Fear of getting contaminated by an infection or disease
- Fear of deliberately harming yourself or others
- Need for order and symmetry
Symptoms Related to Obsessions
OCD obsessions are unwanted and lasting thoughts that reoccur constantly and cause images that are intrusive or may cause distress. These intrusive thoughts can trigger obsessions and usually intrude when people think of other things. Also, there are symptoms related to eating disorders such as anorexia and the need for perfectionism, bulimia and the correlation with ritualistic behaviours and also with binge eating due to the correlation with the concept of compulsion.
Some of the symptoms related to common obsessions include:
- Fear of contamination or another OCD subtype
- Doubting and anxiously dealing with uncertainty
- Enhanced need for things to be ordered and balanced
- Intense stress when things aren’t in a certain way
- Feeling anxious over bothersome thoughts
Types of Compulsions
Compulsions are repetitive behaviours that people with OCD do as a way to reduce the distress caused by obsessions. People feel they must continue doing these actions and hope the distress will disappear. Compulsive behavior can make you feel better at first, but when they become repetitive, the urge to do them again only gets stronger and can increase distress in the long term.
Symptoms Related to Compulsions
Compulsions are rules or rituals people with OCD follow to help control anxiety when having obsessive thoughts.
The symptoms of compulsions vary and may entail:
- Constant checking
- Repetitive counting
- Repetitive hand washing and cleaning
- Following strict routines
- Requiring reassurance
- Repeating words or phrases
- Trying to replace negative thoughts with good thoughts
- Arranging objects to face a certain way
Difference Between Obsessions and Compulsions
Obsessions are repeated and unwanted thoughts that cause severe anxiety, while compulsions are repetitive behaviours that people with OCD perform to get temporary relief from this enhanced anxiety.
For example, some people may have intrusive thoughts about contamination and in response, they may feel an enhanced urge to wash their hands repeatedly hundreds of times a day. The thoughts are the obsessive part, while the handwashing is the compulsive part. The two elements are the key features of obsessive-compulsive disorder.
Types of OCD
There aren’t any specific types of OCD technically, but there are some common symptoms that fall into categories described as “types” or “subtypes.” They are based on the similarities of the thoughts and behaviours that people have and perform.
Types of OCD include:
- Harm to oneself or loved ones – some people fear that something terrible may happen to them or their loved ones and family members, and compulsive behaviours are often used to prevent the harm from happening.
- Aggressive thoughts – related to fear of causing harm to others or acting violently and even seeing aggressive images that don’t go away.
- Contamination and germs – fear of germs may cause people to wash their hands compulsively and avoid going outside and meeting with people.
- Doubt – OCD causes recurring thoughts and fears that someone didn’t do something completely and correctly.
- Morality and religion – some people worry about being immoral and may use prayers and other words to ask for forgiveness constantly.
- Order and symmetry – people may spend a lot of time organising and arranging objects in a specific order.
- Self-control – fear of losing control and worrying about saying something inappropriate in public.
These types of OCD are the most common.
Causes of OCD
There are many different theories about why people develop OCD. However, no theory thoroughly explains the causes of OCD. Research suggests that there are two main factors involved in causing OCD:
- Biological factors
- Personal factors
Other risk factors for developing OCD include:
- Challenging childhood experiences
- Going through trauma and abuse
- Discrimination and bullying
- Similar parental anxieties
- Ongoing anxiety and stress
- In rare cases, pregnancy and giving birth may trigger perinatal OCD
Some theories suggest that OCD may be developed due to chemical changes in our brain, like a lack of serotonin levels.
Treatment Options for OCD
Obsessive-compulsive disorder can be managed, and treatment depends on the individual and their unique challenges. A mental health professional will go through the options, and some of the main treatments may include:
- Talking therapy
- Cognitive behaviour therapy
- Medication
- Exposure and Response Prevention Therapy
Myths and Misconceptions
Although obsessive-compulsive disorder is clinically recognised, OCD is often misunderstood. People commonly say that they have a “little OCD”, while in reality, there is no such thing. OCD is a complex condition which affects 1-2% of people and develops in early adulthood, making daily life challenging to navigate.
Also, OCD is not just about being tidy or clean. Repetitive and compulsive behaviors are a coping mechanism for people with OCD. The obsession is difficult to rationalise and manage, and people with OCD find it challenging to dismiss their anxiety, but with the proper treatment, the thoughts can become less distressing, and people can overcome their challenges.
As with any condition, support and help are the two best things you can do for someone diagnosed with obsessive-compulsive disorder. Our highly trained clinicians at Unique Community Services can provide guidance and support and help improve quality of life.
How to Support a Loved One With OCD
It’s important first to learn “what is OCD” and how people feel. Your support and understanding can make a big difference, so it is essential to be patient and find out how you can help.
Encouraging people to perform small daily tasks and praise their efforts is one way of supporting people with OCD. Creating less stressful environments and being patient can help towards the gradual improvement of OCD symptoms. Try to learn as much as you can about OCD and anxiety disorders. Accept people’s different experiences, but remember that acceptance and support don’t mean ignoring that this condition exists.
How UCS Can Support Individuals With OCD
Unique Community Services provides holistic and person-centred mental health support, empowering people to live whole and meaningful lives. We deliver care and support in the comfort of people’s homes with dedicated clinicians who help you find strength, motivation and independence.
We are firm mental health advocates who continuously fight against stigma while helping people overcome their challenges. By providing the right care plans, we can help you transform your life for the better.
You can contact us with our offices in Manchester, Bristol and Leeds to learn how we can support you.
FAQs
Is OCD Hereditary?
Although the inheritance factor of OCD is unclear, the risk of developing this mental health challenge is bigger for first-degree relatives. However, most people who have relatives with OCD will not develop this condition themselves.
Can OCD Go Away?
OCD doesn’t simply go away. However, with support and treatment, people with OCD can learn to acknowledge their obsessions and find healthy coping mechanisms without acting on their compulsions.
Is OCD a type of autism?
Although there are some similarities in the symptoms of both autism and OCD, they are different and aren’t related. OCD is a mental health condition, while autism is a neurological difference. OCD develops during one’s lifetime, while people are born with autism.
