OCD is often referred to trivially within media and TV, or perhaps you’ve heard someone state that they’re “so OCD” because they like being clean and tidy. Yet, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) is far from a casual adjective. In fact, it’s a complex and challenging mental health disorder affecting about 1-2% of the UK population. People with OCD experience negative, repetitive and intrusive thoughts, alongside a chronic feeling of doubt or danger. These thoughts are often combined with repeated actions to try and quieten the intensity of the thought or alleviate anxiety surrounding it. This cycle is often referred to as “obsessions” and “compulsions”. OCD can be a hugely distressing illness to live with, but it is treatable and many people with OCD go on to make a full recovery.

Obsessions refer to intrusive and often distressing thoughts that are unwanted, time-consuming and difficult to control. Common themes of intrusive thoughts relate to forgetting to do something important, being contaminated by germs, hurting others, or needing specific things to be in a particular place or order. However each person with OCD is different and will experience different obsessions.

Compulsions refer to rituals that an individual does repeatedly in order to make them feel better about obsessions or to relieve their symptoms. In some instances, rituals are visible to others- for example, compulsively washing your hands to alleviate fears around contamination. In other instances, individuals may have internal rituals, such as counting certain numbers in your head repeatedly. It’s common for individuals with OCD to feel as though they’ve made a mistake during a compulsive behaviour, often causing them to restart this ritual and leading to significant distress. Common compulsions may include:

·       Counting to certain numbers

·       Repeating certain thoughts and phrases in your head

·       Checking that you’ve performed certain tasks- eg- locking the front door

·       Asking others for reassurance repeatedly- for example, repeatedly seeking reassurance that you haven’t done something wrong

·       Looking for evidence that you have done something incorrectly

Whilst many people without OCD might have certain behaviours that resemble the above, for those living with OCD, compulsions often cause significant distress and can take up a significant proportion of an individual’s time and energy. Often individuals with OCD know that their compulsive behaviour is not logical, or  is indeed harmful, but may feel unable to stop the behaviour due to the anxiety that this would cause.

There is no singular ‘cause’ for OCD and each person’s triggers may be different. Whilst OCD can manifest at any age, onset is most common between the ages of 10 and 30. OCD often manifests after a stressful period in an individual’s life. Times of increased change and responsibility can often be a trigger- for example, becoming a parent, moving house, starting university or undergoing exams.

New parents are often at particular risk for OCD during their child’s early years. For many people, this is triggered by the experience of feeling responsible for someone vulnerable for the first time. As a result, parents may worry about doing something wrong or causing their baby harm. Common symptoms of OCD in new parents may include excessively sterilising bottles, repeatedly checking the security of the car seat or experiencing intrusive thoughts that you may harm your infant, despite the fact that you have no desire to do so.

Intrusive thoughts are unwelcome thoughts and images that come into your head without you wanting them to be there. Intrusive thoughts can often be about things that the person thinks are wrong or immoral- for example, these thoughts may be violent in nature. It’s common for individuals with OCD to worry that their thoughts are reflective of who they are- for example, that violent thoughts indicate that you are a violent person. This is not true! In fact, intrusive thoughts are often about the things that upset or scare you the most. Intrusive thoughts can be highly distressing and often lead individuals to perform compulsions in order to stop the thought from coming true.

Intrusive thoughts can often revolve around something bad happening to you or someone you care about. For example, you may worry about harming someone you love or you may have a fear of becoming seriously unwell.  For many people with OCD, they worry that something bad will happen because of their thoughts. As a result, they may perform compulsive behaviours in order to feel in control of their thoughts- the idea that you can stop something bad from happening by performing a certain behaviour. These behaviours may temporarily alleviate your anxiety however do not remove anxiety in the long-term.

If you recognise some of the symptoms in this article, you are not alone! OCD is estimated to affect approximately 1-2% of the population- help is available and you deserve to receive support!

Every person’s recovery journey is different, however in the UK there are two main treatments for OCD.

•  talking therapy – usually a type of therapy that helps you face your fears and obsessive thoughts without "putting them right" with compulsions
• medicine – usually a type of antidepressant medicine that can help by altering the balance of chemicals in your brain

A short course of therapy is usually recommended for relatively mild OCD. If you have more severe OCD, you may need a longer course of combined therapy and medicine.

These treatments can be very effective, but it's important to be aware that it can take several months before you notice the benefit.

Talking therapies and medications can be accessed by visiting your GP. There are also several OCD charities that are available to provide additional support:

·       OCD Action: Provides a free, confidential helpline, online forums, and information. They also have a helpline for urgent support.

·       OCD-UK: A charity run by and for people with OCD. They offer advice, information, and support, including online and local groups.

·       No Panic: Supports people with OCD and other anxiety disorders through their helpline and online resources.

·       Triumph Over Phobia (TOP UK): Offers self-help therapy groups and support for those with OCD and related anxiety disorders.

·       Hub of Hope: A national database that brings together a wide range of mental health support services in one place