All About OCD

There are currently around three quarters of a million individuals in the UK suffering from OCD, with the condition affecting as many as 12 out of every 1,000 people. For some people the condition can be severe and incredibly debilitating, whilst for others their OCD is much milder. But what is OCD? What does OCD stand for? And what OCD behaviour do you need to understand? Here‘s everything you need to know about this incredibly common, and yet often misunderstood, condition:

What is OCD and What Does OCD Stand For?

Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) is a very common mental health condition that is characterised by two distinct elements: obsessive thoughts and compulsions. Individuals with OCD will deal with both regular unwelcome thoughts as well as the compulsion to undertake repetitive activities. The obsessions and compulsions that you will have to deal with if you have OCD can vary from individual to individual, but some obsessions and compulsions are more common than others. Here is a breakdown of both the obsessions and the compulsions that characterise this condition:

Obsessions are thoughts that you have persistently: these can be either negative thoughts, impulses, or even images. Your obsessiveness will make you feel negative emotions such as disgust or anxiety, but despite this you will be unable to remove them from your mind. That is because these obsessive thoughts are intrusive and all-encompassing. You cannot stop yourself from thinking your obsessive thoughts by using reason or logic. Whilst you can sometimes distract yourself from your obsessive thoughts, or suppress them in the short-term they will almost always come back to the fore without treatment. As outlined above, obsessions and obsessive behaviours will vary from person to person, but some of the most common of these include:

• Fearing of blurting out obscenities, insults, or other inappropriate phrases at the wrong moment
• Fear of death, health anxiety, or other health related concerns, such as the loss of a friend or loved one
• Fear of germs or contamination. This can be in the home, from other people, or from environmental settings
• Intrusive sexual thoughts or sexual images at inappropriate moments that you can’t control
• Ongoing concerns about losing something important: this could be an object or an individual
• Constant intrusions of unrelated sounds, numbers, words, or images that are not related to your current train of thought

Compulsions are behaviours, and these are often driven by the intrusive thoughts that you are experiencing. For example, if an individual is experiencing obsessive thoughts about dirt and germs then their compulsion might be obsessive cleaning. The compulsion is, effectively, a manifestation of the obsessive thought. The compulsion, or response to the obsessive thought, is usually excessive and causes distress and trauma in its own right. Compulsions can often lead individuals to repeat their rituals or actions so often that they take over their day. Normal routines are impossible because the compulsion is so time consuming and this, in conjunction with the compulsion itself, can be incredibly distressing. Examples of common compulsions experienced by individuals with OCD include:

• Repetitions related to cleanliness. These include repeated showering, hand washing, or teeth brushing
• Constant cleaning, either in a generalised way or of specific household items
• Ordering and reordering objects
• Checking repetitions. This could be of security items such as locks, or could be compulsively controlling switches or appliances
• Counting rituals. This could be related to other obsessions above, such as counting how many times you flush the toilet or switch a light switch
• Constantly seeking verbal approval or reassurance from those around you

What is it Like Having OCD?

Most people deal with minor obsessions at times, and it is common for individuals who like things a certain way to say they have OCD, but this only minimises the condition, because it does not express the life-changing impact that struggling with OCD can have.

OCD can be an incredibly challenging mental health condition to have, and to treat, because the obsessions and compulsions themselves cause great distress, whilst being in a position where you cannot enact those compulsions can also be incredibly distressing. Having OCD dramatically disturbs your day-to-day life, and you may find that you cannot have a job, visit with your loved ones, or spend time in certain places as these may trigger your condition. Even without triggers, constantly dealing with obsessive thoughts can leave you fatigued and have a negative impact on your mood.

Having OCD can also negatively impact your relationships with your friends, family and loved ones. You may feel pressure to hide the extent of your compulsions from them, whilst dealing with your compulsions will take time away from these relationships. This can leave you feeling lonely, anxious, and ashamed. As a result, many individuals with OCD also suffer from depression and/or anxiety. Being in a position where you have little control over your life because it is being controlled by compulsions can leave you feeling like you are living in a prison of your own making.

Type of OCD

There are many different types of OCD, and the way an individual with the condition will act will vary depending on the type of the condition they are struggling with. The most common types of OCD are:

• OCD with Aggressive Thoughts
• OCD around Germs and Contamination
• OCD with severe doubt
• OCD related to sin, religion and morality
• Order and Symmetry OCD
• Harm to Loved Ones OCD
• Self-Control OCD

Common Traits of Someone With OCD

The common traits or symptoms that you might often see in an individual with OCD, and that will almost certainly make the development of OCD more likely, include:

• Being a perfectionist. If you feel the need to control the situations around you and make them perfect, then you are likely to be a perfectionist. Perfectionists tend to keep neat and tidy homes, and care about their appearance and the way they are presented to the world
• Being indecisive. If you struggle to make decisions, prefer others to make decisions for you, or take a lot of time to make a decision then this could give you greater tendencies to developing OCD
• Being Impulsive. You might not think about OCD as a condition that involves impulsive action, but the trait of doing what feels good without thinking about how it might affect your culture, of being impulsive, is very similar to traits presented by individuals with OCD
• Being responsible. Taking on responsibilities, enjoying or feeling obliged to take on more responsibility than others around you, and being considered responsible are all traits of those with OCD
• Being neurotic. Individuals who go on to develop OCD are often risk averse and have a drive to avoid situations they deem dangerous (whether they are actually dangerous or not)

Causes of OCD

There is no one cause of OCD, but researchers suggest that there are some common traits that could make you more likely to develop the condition. These include your personality type, personal experiences, and biological disposition. It is important to note that these are just theories and no one knows a singular definitive cause of OCD, however sometimes these theories can be useful, particularly if you notice your own experiences within them. Here are some of the suggested causes of the condition:

• Individuals with childhood trauma, childhood bullying, or other negative or painful experiences within their early years may learn, from an early age, to use obsessions to help them deal with these issues. This could ultimately develop into OCD
• OCD behaviours can also be copied or learnt, so for this reason it is thought that if you have a family history of OCD then you are more likely to develop the condition yourself
• If you experience a significant trauma or stressful event then this could trigger OCD, or make a milder case of the condition much worse. Exam stress, the loss of a parent, or being in a car accident are all examples of a trauma or stress that could trigger the condition in this way
• Perinatal OCD can be triggered by giving birth or pregnancy, particularly if any element of the process is traumatic or stressful
• Individuals with some personality traits are considered more likely to develop OCD than others. These include individuals that are need, methodical, driven, and those that have high standards. These personality traits can often also be applied to individuals with OCD
• Some research has been conducted that suggests that a lack of serotonin (a chemical in the brain) can contribute to OCD, however whether this is a cause or effect of the condition, and how this can help treat the condition, has not yet been established
• Studies into genetic factors have also been conducted, but these have not yet found anything conclusive

Stigma of OCD behaviour

The phrase OCD is frequently used as a buzzword for someone that is clean or neat. But the reality of OCD is so much more than this misplaced stereotype. Because it is so common to make jokes about having OCD or to minimise the condition, this can be incredibly upsetting for individuals that have OCD, and whose lives are being ruined or dominated by the condition.

Like all mental health conditions, there is a lot of stigma surrounding suffering from OCD. The stigma and the misconceptions that surround the condition can make it very difficult to talk about, but it’s important to remember that you are not on your own and that your friends and family members will simply want to help you on your journey back to full health. If you want to break the stigma and help those people in your life to be better equipped to support you then there are some things that you can do. These include:

• Educating your loved ones about the condition, ensuring that they are well-informed, and know what your diagnosis really means for you and your life
• Being proactive in seeking out the treatment plans that suit you best. You could also consider involving those closest to you in your treatment plan
• Know what your rights are as a person with a mental health condition. This includes both your legal rights and your employment rights, and knowing these could help you to deal with your condition and enjoy your normal life at the same time
• Campaign for the rights of other OCD sufferers. It is often the case that being actively involved in promoting your condition leaves you feeling more in control of your own diagnosis

Getting Help for OCD

If any of the traits outlined above sound familiar and you suspect that you are suffering from OCD then the good news is that there is help available, and there are also a variety of treatment options available for individuals with an OCD diagnosis. If you think you have OCD and are ready to ask for help then your first step should be to arrange an appointment with your GP. Your GP will be able to assess whether they feel you have the condition by talking to you about your symptoms: they will then be able to work with you to consider an appropriate treatment plan.

There are two main treatments available to help those with OCD. These are medication and talking therapy: which of these treatments will work best for you, or whether you will need a combination of both medication and talking therapy, will depend on the severity of your OCD and your preferences, as well as the advice of your GP. The range of therapies you might be offered include:

• Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) which is a type of therapy that focuses on your thoughts, beliefs and attitudes. By understanding your own thoughts, you will be better placed to understand the impact these have on your behaviour, your feelings and, ultimately, your condition
• Exposure and response prevention (ERP) therapy is a type of therapy that has been specifically developed for the treatment of OCD. This therapy may seem daunting, but it invites sufferers to confront their obsessions and then prevent themselves from carrying out their compulsions. ERP helps you to see that the uncomfortable feelings that you feel when faced with your obsessions will eventually go away even if you don’t perform a compulsion, breaking the cycle that you have established over a long period of time. This therapy can be mentally and physically exhausting, but it has excellent long-term results
• Finally, cognitive therapy is similar to cognitive behavioural therapy, as it also forces you to look inwards, focusing on the way you feel about yourself (particularly any negative thoughts you have about yourself) and then change your negative responses. This, in turn, will change your negative behaviours and compulsions