What Is OCD?

What is OCD? You've heard that term. At least since the 1960’s, television shows and movies have portrayed characters with Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD). I think of Sheldon Cooper in “The Big Bang Theory,” Melvin Udall in “As Good As It Gets,” Adrian Monk in “Monk,” Bob Wiley in “What About Bob,” and Felix Ungar in “The Odd Couple.” You can probably think of others.

The stereo-type is someone who has to knock on a door a certain number of times, have the towels folded a certain way, and is terrified of using public restrooms or touching surfaces. While ordering things and fears of contamination actually can be symptoms of OCD, that is just the tip of the iceberg of the kinds of obsessional thoughts that can plague those who suffer with this malady.

What Is OCD?

According to the Mayo Clinic, Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder is malady in which a person experiences unwanted thoughts and fears (obsessions) that cause repetitive behaviors (compulsions). These obsessions and compulsions interfere with a person’s daily activities and cause great distress.

A person with OCD may try to ignore the compulsions and stop the obsessions, but doing so only causes greater distress and anxiety so that ultimately the person has to perform the compulsive acts to relieve the stress. The more a person tries to ignore or eliminate their obsessive thoughts and compulsive behaviors, they stronger they become, which leads to more ritualistic behavior, which leads to further attempts to repress them, which leads to more ritualistic behavior, a vicious cycle.

Typically, OCD is based on certain themes such as fear of germs/contamination, which leads to compulsively washing hands until they become chapped and sore. There are an unlimited variety of obsessions that a person might fall into. Obsessions can be about anything, and oddly, they usually center around themes that are antithetical to the person’s true values and desires. This is why it becomes rooted in their brain in the first place. They get a thought and know that it is the last thing they would ever want to do, but the thought sets off an emotional alarm in them followed by physiological sensations, which reinforce in the brain the idea that it is not a random thought but is meaningful and potentially dangerous. This causes the same thought to return and become frequent.

Obsession Symptoms

Some of the themes that are common in OCD are…

• Fear of contamination

• Difficulty tolerating uncertainty

• Need for order and symmetry

• Thoughts about losing control and harming self or others

• Unwanted thoughts, including aggression

Some of the kinds of thoughts that are common in OCD are…

• Worries that you will get germs from touching something others have touched

• Doubts that you've locked the door or turned off the stove

• Intense stress when objects aren't orderly or facing a certain way

• Images of driving your car into a crowd of people

• Thoughts about shouting obscenities or acting inappropriately in public

• Unpleasant sexual images

• Avoidance of situations that can trigger obsessions, such as shaking hands

The government’s responses to Covid-19 triggered these kinds of obsessions in many people.

Compulsion Symptoms

Some of the repetitive behaviors that people with OCD feel driven to perform can also have themes such as…

• Washing and cleaning

• Checking

• Counting

• Orderliness

• Following a strict routine

• Demanding reassurance

Ironically, these compulsions often do not logically relate to the problem they’re intended to fix. Some examples of compulsions are…

• Hand-washing until your skin becomes raw

• Checking doors repeatedly to make sure they're locked

• Checking the stove repeatedly to make sure it's off

• Counting in certain patterns

• Silently repeating a prayer, word or phrase

• Arranging items to face the same way, be spaced evenly and straight/level

The Shame of OCD

Beyond the obsessive thoughts and compulsive behaviors, there is also the fear, guilt, and shame that accompanies OCD. The person carries a dreadful secret which she cannot bear to share: thoughts about harming her children that keep her from being able to make sandwiches for them because she would have to use a knife, thoughts about driving a car into a crowd that keep her from being able to drive herself to work, thoughts about shouting obscenities to strangers that keep her from leaving the house. What would happen if these thoughts were disclosed?

No wonder the average time that a person with OCD suffers before seeking treatment is seventeen years. That is nearly two decades of suffering in silence. It is heart breaking.

The Good News About OCD

The good news about OCD is that it is one of the most well-understood and treatable issues in the field of mental health. With consistent sessions with a licensed therapist, you can live a high functioning life. At SoulCare Counseling, using Emotionally Focused Therapy, we can help you break the cycle of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder by tracking thought patterns, uncovering hidden fears and other emotional trauma, and validating suppressed feelings.

If you are struggling with OCD, I urge you to read more about anxiety therapy and then reach out to us to schedule a free thirty-minute consultation to get you started on the road to recovery.