Obsessive Compulsive Disorder

Obsessive compulsive disorder, also known in its shortened form as OCD, is an anxiety-based mental disorder. It is comprised of 2 parts:

Obsessiveness, which is identified as distressing and intrusive thoughts that tend to repeatedly occupy your mind. These can fall into several different categories, including compulsive habits, which are the most well-known manifestation of the disorder.

Compulsiveness, which pertains to the actions that someone feels compelled to perform in order to reduce their anxiety level about the obsessive thoughts.

OCD tends to occur when your anxious thoughts are uncontrollable and you feel the urge to engage in some form of ritual that is usually senseless or excessive. For example, you may have some anxiety about germs or catching a disease.  It makes sense that you would be very careful washing your hands and practicing good cleaning habits. A person with OCD may have an extremely high fear (obsession) about germs or catching a disease. This leads them to extremely thorough and repetitive handwashing or repeatedly disinfecting objects in their home (compulsive behaviour) even though logically, they know that they’d just washed their hands minutes ago or no one has touched the object they’ve washed for the third time.

Symptoms & signs of obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD)

• Repetitive and overwhelming obsessive thoughts about:
• Dirt, germs, or other contamination
• Doubting that you’ve completed a task or action (locked the doors, for example)
• Impulses that are inappropriate and feel difficult to control (for example, harming others)

Uncontrollable behaviours such as:

• The need to have everything organized in a very particular way
• Repeated handwashing, cleaning
• Checking and rechecking that lights, the stove, etc. are turned off
• Throat clearing, praying, repeating words or phrases (usually silently)
• Counting
• Brief feelings of relief once the daily repeated “rituals” are complete