What is OCD?
OCD is a common mental health disorder that affects millions of people around across the globe, and is often reported to be one of the ten most disabling medical conditions worldwide when classed as an anxiety disorder.
OCD is characterised by intrusive thoughts and repetitive behaviours or actions that can be experienced as difficult to control, and can have a significant impact on daily life. At its core, OCD is driven by a person’s worry and rumination about spontaneous mental experiences and/or catastrophic fears. These experiences (“obsessions”) are often described as recurrent, uncontrollable, and associated with a subjective experience of suffering, shame, distress, anxiety, or being “not quite right”. Obsessions can be any type of repeated mental experience, including thoughts, images, feelings, urges, impulses, or perceptions and awareness, to name a few. The content and focus of obsessions can concern any aspect of a person’s life, from personal hygiene to safety or superstition.
To relieve distress associated with obsessive ruminations, people with OCD may use repetitive behaviours or rituals. For example, a person with OCD may feel compelled to check that their door is locked multiple times before leaving the house, or at night when they wake from sleep. Others may find themselves washing their hands over and over again to make sure they’re clean, when any obsessive worry about contamination takes hold. These behaviours can become so ingrained that they interfere with daily life and cause significant distress and functional impairment in a person’s roles and duties.
Fortunately, OCD is highly treatable, and I support patients and families in managing anxious distress and breaking the maintenance cycles of compulsive rituals at the Melbourne Clinic in Richmond, Australia. To achieve these goals, Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) with incorporated Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) techniques is the most commonly used treatment for OCD, and has been found to be very effective. It helps people with OCD recognise their intrusive thoughts and understand how to manage them. Medication may also be used to reduce anxiety and help people with OCD manage their symptoms. If you think you may have OCD, it’s important to talk to a mental health professional. They can help you identify and manage your symptoms, and get you the help you need.