Five OCD FAQs
Obsessive compulsive disorder, or OCD, is a mental health condition in which a person has repeated unwanted thoughts and feels driven to carry out certain behaviours to ease the distress they cause. The charity OCD-UK estimates that around three quarters of a million people in the UK are living with OCD at any one time, about 1.2% of the population. For many of them, it has a significant effect on daily life. Here are answers to five common questions.
1. What causes OCD?
There is no single known cause, and it is likely to be a combination of factors. Some people believe OCD is caused by personal experiences, such as trauma, stressful life events or growing up in a very anxious environment.
Other approaches propose that OCD could be caused by biological differences (e.g. imbalances in brain chemicals) or by genetics (as OCD can run in families). Some individuals may pick up anxious behaviours from those around them. However, there are many different ways in which OCD could have developed and treating the condition is not reliant on finding the root cause.
2. What are the symptoms?
OCD is a disorder with two main components: obsessions and compulsions. Involuntary and intrusive thoughts, urges or images that are distressing, and which happen over and over again are known as obsessions. Compulsions are behaviours or mental acts that a person feels they must repeat over and over in order to reduce the anxiety, or to try to prevent some feared event from happening.
- Fear of contamination, with repeated washing or cleaning.
- Fear of harm or of being responsible for something going wrong, with repeated checking.
- A need for things to be ordered, symmetrical or feel “just right”.
- Unwanted intrusive thoughts, including violent, sexual or religious thoughts that the person finds deeply upsetting.
- Mental compulsions, such as counting, praying or repeating words to “neutralise” a thought.
3. Can OCD be treated?
Yes. The NHS lists two main treatments: a talking therapy called cognitive behavioural therapy with exposure and response prevention, which helps people face their fears without carrying out compulsions, and a type of antidepressant medicine called an SSRI. Some people have one, some have both. The NHS notes that treatment can be very effective, but it can take several months to notice the benefit. You can find out more on the NHS page on OCD treatment.
Awareness of mental health has also grown, and there are more ways to get support at work and in the community. For those looking for mental health training courses Plymouth, companies such as https://www.tidaltraining.co.uk/mental-health-training-courses/plymouth can help.
4. Does someone with OCD believe their thoughts?
Most individuals with OCD recognise the obsessions and compulsions that are part of their symptoms as being unreasonable or excessive. It is this aspect of the symptoms that is so distressing. However, the individual feels unable to resist the compulsions, which bring short-lived relief from the associated anxiety, and in fact the cycle becomes stronger.
5. Can you be a “little bit OCD”?
This phrase is often used casually to describe someone who is ‘fussy’ or ‘inclined to keep things tidy’. It can be stigmatising and misleading, as it makes OCD sound like a harmless personality quirk. However, for someone suffering with the condition, it can dominate their life for hours a day, affect their work and relationships and greatly reduce their quality of life.
When to get help
If obsessive thoughts or compulsive behaviour are causing you distress or taking up a lot of your time then speak to your GP. In England it is possible to refer yourself to NHS talking therapies services for the treatment of OCD without seeing a GP first. OCD is treatable, and early treatment can help prevent it from becoming deep-seated.
Where to go next
For practical ways to manage anxious thoughts day to day, read our guide to effective ways to overcome anxiety.
