Obsessive & Compulsive
Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder
Also known as OCD
Intrusive, unwanted thoughts paired with rituals that briefly quiet the fear and then strengthen it.
What it can feel like
- Unwanted thoughts of harm, contamination, or something being wrong
- Checking, cleaning, counting or repeating
- Mental rituals such as reviewing or praying to neutralise a thought
- Needing certainty before being able to move on
- Hours lost to the cycle, with shame attached
Not everyone has every symptom, and you do not need a label to deserve support.
Things that help
Response prevention is the active ingredient
The thought is not the problem; the ritual is what keeps it alive. Delay a ritual by a minute, then five, and notice the fear falling without it.
Label it as an intrusion
Say out loud: 'this is an intrusive thought, not a fact or a plan'. Distance from the thought weakens its pull.
Expect the uncertainty, don't resolve it
Practising 'maybe, maybe not' is the skill. OCD's currency is certainty, and withholding it is the treatment.
Want to actually do these? Save them to your practices and tick them off as you go.
Add to my practicesWhen to reach for more support
CBT with exposure and response prevention is the first-line treatment. Seek a clinician who specialises in OCD.
Often looked at together
Body Dysmorphic Disorder
Preoccupation with a perceived flaw in appearance that others cannot see, or see as minor, causing real distress and repetitive checking.
Hoarding Disorder
Persistent difficulty discarding possessions, whatever their value, leading to clutter that makes living spaces hard to use.
Skin Picking Disorder
Repeated picking at skin, causing wounds, scarring and distress, often in response to tension or as an automatic habit.