Everyone has obsessive-compulsive-like thoughts and behaviours from time to time, such as checking several times whether the oven is switched off, avoiding manhole covers or double-checking one last time that the door is locked. However, when obsessive thoughts and compulsive actions prevent you from living your life, you may have obsessive-compulsive disorder.
With obsessive-compulsive disorder, you experience obsessive thoughts that can cause anxiety, discomfort or disgust. The obsessive thoughts are often felt to be intrusive and unwanted. These thoughts might concern the possibility of you or your loved ones getting hurt, or the possibility of you hurting someone else. It’s also common to have obsessive thoughts related to contagion, disease, sexuality or something bad happening. These thoughts often start with “What if…”
To lessen the anxiety caused by these obsessive thoughts, known as obsessions, sufferers perform so-called compulsive actions. For example, you may feel that you need to do something in a particular way to avoid what you think will happen in reality. Most often, these compulsive actions are repetitive behaviours or even mental actions. You may have a strong feeling that something’s wrong and that you need to fix it by performing an action repeatedly until everything feels right again.
Common compulsive actions, known as compulsions, include excessive hand washing, repeating things to yourself like a mantra, constantly checking or double-checking things, counting and sorting things in a certain way, or hoarding things.
In the moment, these obsessions and compulsions may offer temporary relief, but over time, they tend to become increasingly difficult to stop. They can also take an increasingly longer time to perform.
Obsessive-compulsive disorder is also commonly known by its acronym, OCD.
If you suffer from obsessive-compulsive disorder, you often have a strong need for control and routines. It’s common to feel embarrassed by your thoughts and behaviours and to withdraw from your surroundings. Your thoughts and checks can take up so much of your time that you’re often late or don’t even manage to leave home when there’s something you need to do. If you wash your hands excessively, you might develop problems with rashes and sores on your hands.
It’s important to seek help if you feel that your obsessions and compulsions are affecting your daily life – help is available!
You can start by contacting a healthcare centre or a psychiatric outpatient clinic. If you’re under 18, you can contact a youth clinic, your school health service or child and youth psychiatric care (BUP). The step to seeking help can prove easier if a loved one encourages and supports you. If you have obsessive thoughts and are so affected that you feel you can’t take it anymore, contact a psychiatric emergency clinic or an A&E department immediately.
OCD treatment can include psychotherapy, medication or a combination of the two. Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) has shown good results and involves facing your fears one step at a time while fighting your compulsions, with the aim of eventually reducing your anxiety. Relaxation exercises and physical activity can also prove helpful.
Reviewed by: Jacqueline Levi, registered psychologist at Psykologpartners.
Last edited 2024-02-13