OCD: an anxiety disorder characterised by uncontrollable, unwanted thoughts and ritualised, repetitive
behaviours you feel compelled to perform
OBSESSIONS
Involuntary thoughts, images or impulses that occur over and over again in the mind
You don’t want these thoughts but cant stop them
Obsessive thouhgts are disturbing and distracting
COMPULSIONS
Behaviours/rituals that you feel driven to act out again and again
Compulsions are performed to attempt to make obsessions go away
Compulsive rituals and behaviours cause anxiety become more demanding and time-consuming =
vicious cycle of OCD
People with OCD fall into one of these categories:
1. Washers: afraid of contamination, cleaning or hand-washing compulsions
2. Checkers: repeatedly check things (oven turned off, door locked) that they associate with harm or
danger
3. Doubters and Sinners: afraid if everything isn’t perfect or done right something terrible will happen or
they will be punished
4. Counters and Arrangers: obsessed with order and symmetry. Have superstitions about certain
numbers, colours or arrangements
5. Hoarders: fear that something bad will happen if they throw anything away. Compulsively hoard things
they don’t need or use. Can also suffer from other disorders: depression, PTSD, compulsive buying,
kleptomania, ADHD, skin picking or tic disorders
OCD SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS
Having obsessive thoughts or performing compulsive behaviours does not mean you have OCD!!!
Thoughts and behaviours cause tremendous distress, take up a lot of time and interfere with daily life and
relationships
Most people have obsessions, compulsions or BOTH
Common obsessive thoughts include:
- Fear of contamination of germs or contaminating others
- Fear of losing control and harming yourself or others
- Intrusive sexually explicit or violent thoughts and images
- Excessive focus on religious or moral ideas
- Fear of losing or not having things you might need
- Order and symmetry: everything must line up “right”
- Superstitions
- Excessive double checking of things
- Repeatedly checking on loved ones to make sure theyre safe
- Counting, tapping, repeating certain words to reduce anxiety
- Spending a lot of time washing or cleaning
- Ordering or arranging things “just so”
- Praying excessively or engaging in rituals triggered by religious fear
- Accumulating junk
DEALING WITH OCD
- Identify triggers
- Resist compulsions
- Challenge obsessive thoughts
- Reach out for support
- Manage stress
- Lifestyle changes to ease OCD
- Negative comments/criticism make OCD worse
- Be as kind and patient as possible
- Do not play along with rituals
- Keep communication positive and clear
- Find the humour
- Don’t let OCD take over family life
