Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD)
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) is characterised by intrusive and repetitive anxiety provoking thoughts (obsessions), which lead to a need to perform and repeat rituals (compulsions), in order to temporarily reduce the anxiety. People with OCD may experience extreme distress, and find OCD interferes with their lives through the amount of time it delays them by. In the UK, OCD affects 9 in every 1000 men and 13 in every 1000 women (ONS).
Symptoms
The main symptom of OCD is anxiety. When people with OCD try to resist their obsessions and compulsions, anxiety rises. Obsessions are often about aggression, criminality, contamination, order or sex. To repeatedly check, clean, collect, count, wash, or say words to oneself are common compulsions. OCD can be logical - such as hand washing to prevent contamination, or superstitious - such as believing that saying words to oneself will stop ones' mother dying.
Causes
The causes of OCD include difficulty controlling unpleasant internal states, defence against aggressive or sexual impulses, developmental regression, anxiety provoking events, and learnt anxiety reducing actions. OCD is often related to other anxiety conditions, and types of depression. If you are concerned about a problem do not diagnose yourself. Always consult
your GP or a therapist who is qualified to both diagnose the issue and help you
work through it.