10/19/2024
This week is OCD Awareness Week!
Many people have heard about OCD, and know that it stands for Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. But most people only know about OCD through stereotypes they've seen in the media or heard about from others. In actuality, OCD is much more complex than the common portrayal of "overly tidy and afraid of germs". So what is OCD?
OCD is an anxiety disorder that centers around an individual experiencing obsessions and compulsions. While we may use these words in our day to day language generally, for this condition, they have very specific definitions. An obsession is an unwanted, intrusive thought that comes very frequently and causes extreme anxiety, fear, and/or disgust to the point that it impairs that individual's daily functioning. While a common type of obsession can be around cleanliness, which is where our typical view of OCD comes from, there are a lot of other types of obsessions that people may struggle with, including:
* Perfectionism, such as needing to be exact or precise, fear or misremembering or forgetting things, or being afraid of making mistakes
* Responsibility, such as being afraid of harming others accidentally or otherwise being responsible for a bad event happening
* Violence or Sexual Related, such as being afraid they may act on a violent/sexual thought, being afraid they may hurt others, particularly vulnerable populations like children, through physical or sexual violence
* Religious, such as being afraid of blasphemy or offending God, or worrying about right/wrong and morality
* And many others! OCD is highly individual, and there are many ways that obsessions can manifest.
Compulsions are repetitive actions or thoughts that are done in order to counteract the obsession. They are a coping mechanism to help put an end to the obsession, but can become time-consuming and ultimately also get in the way of a person's ability to function. People often feel as though they cannot stopengaging in the compulsive behavior, even though they would like to, and that they must always do it after an obsessive thought.
Examples of common compulsions include:
* Cleaning and washing - hand washing is the most commonly depicted, but it can also include the need to clean other objects, or any other action centered around the removal of potential contaminants from one's environment
* Checking - constantly reassuring oneself that nothing bad has happened, and that no harm has come to others or their own self
* Repeating - needing to repeat certain activities (like going in and out of a door, going up and down steps) or body movements, oftentimes a certain number of times
* And many others!
If any of these things sound familiar, it's okay. You are not alone. Many people living with OCD are able to manage it with medication and an OCD-specific type of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) called Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP). If you are worried about yourself or a loved one, please see your community or private medical providers.
