OCD

Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) involves obsessions and compulsions that take up a lot of time and get in the way of important activities.  Typically the obsessions (intrusive thoughts) seem uncontrollable. The thoughts may appear to be disturbing, scary or embarrassing. There may be morbid thoughts (“I may have run someone and killed them.” doubting (“Did I really lock the door?”), sexual thoughts (“I may molest that person”), religious (“I hate God”) or other areas related to sexuality, germs, violence, etc. While the individual may strongly fear these outcomes, they never act on them. The individual fights these obsessions with compulsions. Typically, the obsessions obtain minor relief when a compulsion is completed (e.g., “My parents will live a long time if I say this statement”). Compulsions may include: counting, saying a phrase, repeating an action, checking, washing, hoarding, or doing things in a specific manner. They can be obvious like circling around the block to be sure things are okay, or a mental compulsion such as thinking a certain thought to counteract the fearful thought. Many people with OCD believe that they need to protect themselves over their fears when actually do not – OCD lies. It tries to trick one’s brain into believing that danger exists. Cognitive behavioral therapy interventions such as: relaxation training, cognitive restructuring, and Exposure Response Prevention (ERP) have been shown to be most effective and are considered first line treatment for getting control over OCD