Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD): From Stereotype to Understanding
- medyouthalliance
- 3d
- 5 min read
Written by Hadia Arian
Introduction
To start off its worth recognising OCD is often stereotyped as simply being overly neat, organised, or obsessed with cleanliness, but this is a misunderstanding which can be potentially harmful because it minimises the true complexity of the disorder and may leave people who experience distressing, intrusive thoughts or compulsions feeling confused or invalidated when their symptoms don’t match these stereotypes therefore it’s crucial that we educate ourselves about what OCD actually is so we can offer genuine understanding, reduce stigma, and better support those who live with it.
What is OCD?
OCD is a mental health problem affecting approximately 1.2% of adults in the UK (around 750,000 people) and consists of two connected parts: obsessions and compulsions.
Obsessions are recurrent, unwanted and intrusive thoughts, images or urges which can cause significant anxiety or distress in people and compulsions are repetitive physical or mental behaviours that a person feels driven to perform in a response to an obsession or according to rigid rules which are aimed to reduce the anxiety or distress caused by the before mentioned obsessions to make things feel ‘right’ however usually this only provides temporary relief.
Key characteristics of compulsion include:
- Repetition meaning they are done over and over
- They are usually a direct response to an intrusive thought, image or urge
- They usually aim to relieve distress by reducing anxiety or preventing a feared outcome
- Can be both physical (like washing hands, checking locks) or mental (counting, silently repeating words, reviewing events)
- Usually excessive
The point should be made that everyone can experience obsessive thoughts or compulsive behaviours at times so that doesn’t mean you necessarily have OCD when you experience these things however the difference with people who have the disorder is that their doubts and fears about their thoughts can lead to constant distress in their lives which can have a large impact on their overall wellbeing.
The OCD Cycle
Compulsions might make people feel better at first but people with OCD usually experience that acting on these compulsions make the urge to do them even stronger leading to a cycle of thoughts, feelings and behaviours.
This is a general and simplified diagram of the OCD diagram and may not be applicable to everyone with the disorder as all mental health problems manifest differently in each person and their experience with mental illnesses and disorders is unique to each person’s circumstances and mental state.
Obsessions can stem from intrusive thoughts, images or urges and for people with OCD they don’t go away easily leading them to question these thoughts or worry about what they mean and compulsions result from feeling like they can’t cope with the distress or doubt caused by these lingering intrusive thoughts. But acting on compulsions provide short-term relief, and the intrusive thoughts might return to people restarting the cycle.
Symptoms of OCD
Obsession related symptoms which are the most common can include:
- Fear of contamination (germs, dirt, illness)
- Fear of harm (either hurting others or even yourself)
- Intrusive violent or sexual acts that go against one’s values
- Need for symmetry or exactness – e.g. things can feel ‘off’ or ‘not right’
- Excessive doubt like constantly checking your bag for your keys
Common behaviour related symptoms:
- Excessive cleaning or handwashing
- Checking
- Counting to repeating certain actions until it feels ‘right’
- Arranging or ordering things in a precise or symmetrical way
- Seeking reassurance form others or mentally reviewing actions repeatedly
Important points about the symptoms of OCD includes:
- People with OCD often know their thoughts are unreasonable but will feel intense anxiety if they don’t act upon compulsions
- Their symptoms can consume significant chunks of people’s time in work, school at home and etc
- And it’s important to take note the spectrum of symptoms varies widely and not everyone’s experience will look the same
Diagnosing OCD
OCD.UK have outlined the criteria for diagnosing OCD as stated below:
“For a definite diagnosis, obsessional symptoms or compulsive acts, or both, must be present on most days for at least two successive weeks and be a source of distress or interference with activities.
The obsessional symptoms should have the following characteristics:
· (a) they must be recognised as the individual’s own thoughts or impulses:
· (b) there must be at least one thought or act that is still resisted unsuccessfully, even though others may be present which the sufferer no longer resists.
· (c) the thought of carrying out the act must not in itself be pleasurable (simple relief of tension or anxiety is not regarded as pleasure in this sense).
· (d) the thoughts, images, or impulses must be unpleasantly repetitive.”
What is ‘pure O’?
This phrase which stands for ‘purely obsessional’ is sometimes used to describe a type of OCD where people experience frequent intrusive and distressing thoughts but they don’t have external signs of compulsion instead its purely mental meaning you act out your compulsions in your mind which makes this type of OCD slightly harder to spot however ‘pure O’ isn’t considered a separate form of OCD by OCD.UK so the treatment approaches would be the same as all types of OCD.
Symptoms include:
- Checking how you feel (like checking if you still like a friend or love a partner)
- Checking how you feel about a though and continuing to monitor your feelings about it
- Repeating number or phrases in your head
- Ruminating about problems for extensive periods of time
- Reassuring yourself that you’re a good person or that your intrusive thoughts aren’t true
Who is most likely to be affected by OCD?
According to OCD.UK ‘Anyone!’ as experiences of OCD can be traced historically, across many cultures and socio-economic backgrounds showing it not to appear to be constricted mainly to one group of people in society. Numerous examples of OCD cases imply an undetectable different in terms of the disorders incidence rates across race, nationality or class. Similarly, OCD affects males as frequently as females but the disorders onset is reported to occur earlier in men then woman.
Can OCD be treated?
For some people with the right support and treatment, they could potentially find themselves recovered from the disorder to the point where they could be considered ‘cured’. However, this is not always the case and recovery mean different things for different people.
Treatment methods include:
1. Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT):
This is a type of talk therapy helping people identify and challenge unhelpful thoughts and behaviours teaching people to respond to them differently than acting upon compulsions – the most effective type called Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) which is where people with the disorder are gradually exposed to triggers specific to their form of the disorder and over time their anxiety is naturally expected to decrease
2. Medication
This helps reduce obsessive thoughts and anxieties making therapy easier. Common types include SSRIs (Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors) like fluoxetine, sertraline or paroxetine and it’s important to note this medication often works best combined with therapy not as a standalone treatment
3. Mindfulness and Acceptance based therapies teaching people to accept their intrusive thoughts
4. (For severe cases) Advanced or Intensive Treatments
- Intensive outpatient or residential programs which offer structured ERP
- Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS): non-invasive brain stimulation used when medication and therapy don’t work
- Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS): a surgical option used only in the most severe, treatment-resistant cases.
Conclusion
In conclusion, understanding OCD with empathy and accuracy is essential, because by breaking down stereotypes, promoting awareness, and offering genuine support, we can help those living with the disorder feel seen, accepted, and empowered to seek the help they deserve and this can be achieved by educating ourselves and informing ourselves beyond from stereotypes we hear in the media.
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