Overcoming OCD

You’ve just left the house, you know you’ve locked the door, because you’ve checked it 3 times already, but now you have this overwhelming panic that if you don’t go back and check it again, something bad may happen.

So you return and check the door again. It’s not normal to be this way, but this sadly, is the life of someone living with OCD.

OCD is a mental health disorder where the person has an intense thought (Obsession) to perform a particular behaviour or ritual (Compulsion) in the hope to alleviate anxiety around a particular thing. These thoughts can be unpleasant, constant & urgent that creates stress, high anxiety & distress and can be very difficult to control. In extreme cases OCD can completely take over your life.

Common compulsions are constant hand washing, checking if doors & windows are locked, plug sockets are turned off, obsessive cleaning, organizing & counting. Common obsessive thoughts are around fear of contamination, of harming the self or others and those that if they don’t carry out this particular behaviour then something bad will happen.

A high degree of anxiety & stress in your life can cause OCD behaviour, whether this is from some current problems or from some problems more deep rooted in the past that has been triggered by factors in the present. OCD won’t just go away on its own, professional therapeutic support is the only best known intervention, proven to be extremely effective.

The day you can walk out of the house, lock the door normally and the only thing on your mind is your destination, then you know you have overcome your OCD.