What is OCD?

Director: Thomas Brandon

What is OCD and what does OCD mean?

OCD, which stands for Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, is one of the most common anxiety disorders affecting the mental health of people throughout the world. OCD is characterized by uncontrollable thoughts, known as obsessions, and desires to complete specific actions, known as compulsions. If you have OCD, you may experience obsessions, compulsions, or both. Everyone has little quirks, but if you can’t function normally and your life is constantly interrupted by obsessive thoughts, or if neglecting to complete a compulsive action causes you to feel overwhelming anxiety, you may need treatment for OCD.

Obsessions

Obsessions are intrusive thoughts, impulses, or images that race through one’s mind, repeatedly occurring over and over again. These thoughts are accompanied by disturbing feelings like fear, disgust, or doubt. Obsessions are irrational, and they’re not based on everyday worries such as money or job performance. For instance, someone suffering from OCD might have an obsessive fear of being contaminated with germs despite the reality that he’s perfectly clean and well kempt. The obsession is so pervasive that he washes his hands or body to the point that they become raw and red. To contrast, someone who does not suffer from OCD may worry about losing his job. This type of worry is based in reality: his company has recently been laying workers off. But he doesn’t obsess and dwell on the worry, and he will deal with it accordingly.

Compulsions

Compulsions are very specific acts often carried out according to a precise set of rules. These actions are performed over and over again in an attempt to reduce or control obsessive thoughts. A person with an obsessive fear of being robbed may check each door and window lock in his house 3 times each before going to sleep. A person with an obsession with symmetry may repeatedly rearrange household belongings until they’re “just right” (like the man in the above video). A person with an obsession with dirt or germs may create a system of washing and drying his hands 10 times in a row after a perceived “contamination”. Unlike compulsive drinking or gambling, though, OCD compulsions are not pleasurable. Rather, these rituals are performed to obtain short-term relief from obsessive thoughts and are never sufficient at once-and-for-all ending the anxiety associated with the obsession.

How do I know I have OCD?

Many people do not even recognize their problems as Obsessive Compulsive Disorder because they’ve never heard of a mental disorder that involves their particular symptoms. When OCD is discussed in newspapers and on television, we often hear about washing and checking compulsions, and about obsessions that concern dirt and germs. But there are actually a huge variety of obsessions and compulsions. Some are more common, but no two are exactly the same.

OCD is a chronic and recurring mental disorder. The intensity of your symptoms may not remain static, strengthening and lessening over time. Some of your symptoms may only be small annoyances while others may cause you severe anxiety. But generally speaking, OCD causes distress, takes up time (sometimes more than an hour a day), and obstructs your work life and social life. Most OCD sufferers recognize that their obsessions are figments of their minds and not based on legitimately problematic or worrisome situations, and they realize that the compulsions they perform are irrational and nonsensical. Some people with OCD, however, do not recognize that their beliefs and actions are unreasonable.

In assessing whether or not you might have OCD, it is important to focus on the definitions of obsession and compulsion. The examples mentioned in this article are only intended to illustrate how the disorder can manifest itself in a person’s life. It is how these symptoms are experienced (unwanted, distressing), rather than the type of symptom  (e.g. checking, washing) that ultimately determines your diagnosis.

If you think that you may be suffering from OCD, you may feel unusual or alone, as if you’re the only one who could possibly be experiencing such disruptive, unsettling thoughts. But it is important to remember that it is much more common than you would think; anyone can suffer from OCD. In fact, up to 2 in every 100 people have suffered with OCD at some point in their life. Some famous people, such as celebrities and sports personalities, have even spoken out about their OCD.