What is OCD?

Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, commonly known as OCD, is characterised by patterns of intrusive (obsessive) thoughts that provoke anxiety, which in turn lead to repetitive (compulsive) behaviours in an attempt to manage or reduce feelings anxiety. These are often carried out with the intention to stop something bad from happening, although you may be unclear what the ‘bad thing’ is.

There are different types of OCD and people may be affected by one or several types. The kinds of thoughts (intrusions) and behaviours (compulsions) will vary depending on the type of OCD.

Do I have OCD?

Types of OCD:

• Contamination– This is often marked by anxious thoughts regarding germs / not being ‘clean’ and compulsive desires to ‘decontaminate’). For example, you may think your hands are contaminated with germs, causing anxiety, and so you feel compelled to wash or ‘decontaminate’ them to what feels like a satisfactory level.  Usually with OCD, compulsions, such as decontaminating or checking go beyond a quick hand wash, or checking something once; there is an often a strong urge to carry out these behaviours and to do them to them for longer and/or to a higher standard than most. 
• Aggressive or sexual thoughts – This variation is marked by intrusive and upsetting thoughts of a sexual or aggressive nature, and compulsions to ‘undo’ the feared harm these thoughts will cause. A particularly common intrusive thought in this category are incredibly distressing thoughts of being a paedophile. With this kind of OCD there are no actual intentions of acting on any paedophilic, rather an extreme fear and worry that one might, or has, leading to a compulsive avoidance of possible triggering situations (e.g., seeing children).
• Checking – Another common subtype is intrusive thoughts about checking whether something has or has not happened. For example, thoughts such as ‘did I lock the door?’ which cause a feeling of unease and an urge to check that a door is definitely locked, often repeatedly.
• Sexual orientation– This tends to manifest in unwanted recurring and upsetting intrusive thoughts about being attracted to members of the same sex and unwanted or intrusive thoughts about your own sexuality. Typical compulsive responses include constantly reassuring yourself that you are heterosexual and avoiding people of the same gender due to anxiety or unwanted fears that you might be gay.
• Harm to loved ones – This is marked by intrusive and upsetting thoughts of harm coming to a loved one and compulsions to prevent this from happening and / or ‘undo’ the feared possibility of this happening.
• Sin, religion, and morality – This typically manifests in frequent distressing thoughts that one may have done something ‘sinful’ or blasphemous and the possible consequences of these thoughts. Consequential compulsive behaviours are carried out to undo or neutralise these thoughts and may include intense prayer, counting, and repetitive touching of objects.
• Order and symmetry –This is marked by intrusive thoughts about things being in order and / or symmetrical and compulsives urges to rectify perceived disorder / create symmetry.
• Relationship OCD /ROCD – Those effected by this subtype typically experience recurrent intrusive thoughts about their relationship and may engage in internal and external reassurance seeking amongst other compulsions as a way of managing their anxiety.

The severity of OCD varies significantly from person to person. Whilst some obsessions and compulsions are manageable, others can cause significant distress interfere with a person’s day-to-day life. People with OCD, are often aware their behaviour is excessive and may not make logical sense, but due to high levels of anxiety, they feel unable to control their urges to act on the compulsion. This can lead to feelings of shame, isolation and can impact relationships.

Causes of OCD differ from person to person, and several factors can trigger the development of the disorder.

Online therapy and treatment for OCD:

Fortunately, there has been lots of research conducted on the most effective ways to treat those with OCD, with CBT, ACT, CFT, exposure and response prevention (ERP), as well as EMDR all showing promising results in helping people to overcome this difficulty.  

At Counselling Psychology Online, many of our online therapists are trained in these approaches and have several years’ experience in helping people overcome OCD. Please do not hesitate to contact us if you would like to arrange an initial assessment session.

You may also wish to look at our resources page for further ideas of getting help to manage your OCD.

FAQs

We’ve answered some of our most commonly asked questions below. For any extra information about our psychological therapy or counselling for OCD, or to find out anything more about Counselling Psychology Online, please email [email protected] or telephone 07584 328192.