OCD - Obsessive-compulsive disorder is much common than you think. That is because most of OCD patients suffer in silence for years ( as many as 5-10 years) due to the shame & guilt associated with their symptoms. They only approach the psychiatrist or counsellor when their symptoms become too bearable or depression sets in due to suffering for so long. In fact, it can be so debilitating and disabling that the World Health Organisation (WHO) has actually ranked OCD in the top ten of the most disabling illnesses of any kind, in terms of lost earnings and diminished quality of life.

OCD ( Obsessive compulsive disorder ) is an anxiety-related disorder, that has obsessions & compulsions as the main symptoms. Obsessions are repeated, unwanted, intrusive thoughts, images, urges that flood a person's mind to a point of severe distress. At this point when these thoughts become unbearable, inorder to neutralise these thoughts or reduce the associated anxiety, the person engages in certain repetitive behaviour, which are called compulsions.

Common types of obsessions

  • Fear of being contaminated by germs or dirt 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
  • Excessive order & Symmetry

Common types of compulsions

  • Repeated hand washing or cleaning 
  • Repeatedly checking the door, gas knobs, electric switches
  • Counting objects again & again 
  • Chanting to avoid the obsessive thoughts to become the reality.
  • Ordering or arranging objects 
  • Hoarding or collecting unnecessary things
  • Constant Reassurance seeking

Treating OCD

If  left untreated, people slowly go into depression due to their suffering for so many years.Various effective medication are available which can help in managing the symptoms of OCD. Psychotherapy or counselling techniques like ERP ( Exposure & Response Prevention ), CBT ( Cognitive Behavioral therapy ) too show good response.

Thus suffering from OCD is like having a bully in your head who creates unwanted thoughts & make you perform certain actions inorder to prevent those thoughts becoming a reality or to escape the shame & guilt associated with these thoughts. Treating OCD is like defeating that bully in your head & finding some mental peace & regaining back your happiness.