Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, most of us have heard of it, but what do we really know about it and how it may affect you as an individual? How many times have you heard someone say, “I’m OCD?” I hear it a lot in people, but we need to know what that means before we blurt it out! Let’s start by understanding that:
OCD is not about keeping things neat, or in order, and more about how the individual obsesses.
what makes OCD a unique challenge?
Sometimes we’re not even sure we have OCD. So many people live with it, that it becomes a natural occurrence in their daily lives but that doesn’t have to be. There are tools out there that can help you manage and live with OCD. This is when thoughts take over in our minds and become compulsions, also known as patterns of fear, that resonate in different ways. (National Institute of Mental Health, NIMH.)
Obsessions can be those feelings of worries or doubts, thoughts and feelings that keeps coming to your mind over and over and you just can’t get rid of them. Compulsions are things that we do repetitively to help reduce the distress or uncertainty caused by obsessions for example repeatedly checking to make sure the door is locked or making sure that you turned off the stove. Did you know that hoarding can be a form of OCD? It’s that feeling that we just can’t get rid of things that affect our day-to-day lives it’s our urge to keep things because you just might need it in the future.
what are the symptoms of obsessive compulsive disorder?
Feeling like something bad is going to happen.
Fear – this looks different for many people.
Feeling like you must have things symmetrically or in a particular order.
Compulsions which are repeated behaviors that cannot be controlled.
Doing things excessively like hand washing, checking locks on the doors, and even organizing or arranging things in a particular manner.
Some of these compulsions make the individual feel anxious or feel like they can’t control their thought process. Not all repeated patterns of obsessions or OCD (NIMH). OCD can be biological, part of your genetics, and can be a factor in childhood trauma.
How to interrupt oCD patterns
Fact checking is a great tool to use with OCD patterns. This includes writing down when you did something, locked door and checked it. Psychotherapy is an effective treatment for children and adults with OCD.
The utilization of cognitive behavioral therapy, CBT, is a great tool to learn how to alter these behavioral patterns. Exposure therapy utilizes techniques that can help reduce compulsive behaviors. Currently there have been some statistics that reflect on prescription medication to help reduce the obsessive compulsion of OCD. Other research has reflected on different types of magnetic stimulation to help individuals with these obsessions (NIMH).
You do not have to suffer with this type of anxiety and compulsions. Schedule an appointment today!
References
National Institute of Mental Health. (2022, September). Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, National Institutes of Health.
Meet The Author
LEE ANN WEILER
MAC, LPC, CCTP, EAT (Q)
Meet The Author
Lee Ann is a Clinical Therapist at Sea Glass Mental Health. She works with teens, adults, and couples. Lee Ann specializes in PTSD, trauma, and women’s issues.
