New Delhi, Oct. 17 -- Have you ever had a thought you desperately wanted to get out of your head, only to find it becoming louder?
"Did I lock the door?" "What if I accidentally hurt someone?" "What if something terrible happens?"
For most people, an uncomfortable thought like this comes and goes, but for someone with Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, or OCD, it can become a loop, stuck like a broken record.
What is OCD?
OCD is a mental health condition involving obsessions, compulsions or both.
Obsessions are unwanted, intrusive thoughts, images or urges that create anxiety or distress. Compulsions are repetitive behaviours or mental acts performed to reduce that distress or prevent something feared from happening.
The problem is that the relief usually does not last. The brain learns: I felt anxious, I performed the ritual, and I felt better. So it asks for the ritual again and again.
What is NOT OCD?
Being neat is not automatically OCD. Liking things organised is not OCD. Checking the door twice is not necessarily OCD. Saying "I am so OCD" because someone kept a spoon outside the sink is also not OCD. It's a preference.
OCD is about distressing, unwanted experiences and repetitive behaviours that consume significant time or interfere with daily life. In fact, you can have OCD and be messy; you can have OCD and hate cleaning. The disorder is not about being particular. It is about getting trapped in a cycle of anxiety and compulsive behaviour.
What does OCD look like?
Contamination OCD: Fears about germs, illness or contamination.
Checking OCD: Repeatedly checking locks, appliances, mistakes or safety.
Harm OCD: Intrusive fears about hurting yourself or someone else.
Sexual or religious OCD: Unwanted intrusive thoughts involving sexuality, religion or morality.
Symmetry OCD: Intense discomfort when things feel uneven, incomplete or "not right".
How is OCD treated?
The good news is that OCD is treatable. Treatment can include medication, therapy and lifestyle interventions in combination.
The most established therapy is Exposure and Response Prevention, or ERP, which involves gradually facing feared situations while learning not to perform the usual compulsion. Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, or CBT, can also help people identify and change unhelpful patterns of thinking and behaviour.
Medication, particularly SSRIs, can be effective, often at doses and treatment durations different from those commonly used for depression. For severe or treatment-resistant OCD, newer and emerging approaches include neuromodulation techniques like rTMS (repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation).
What can you do yourself?
Do not spend hours trying to prove that an intrusive thought is false, because that can become another compulsion. Instead, learn to recognise the OCD cycle.Notice the thought.Notice the urge to perform the ritual.Delay or resist the compulsion when appropriate.Reduce reassurance-seeking.
And seek professional help, particularly if OCD is consuming significant time or interfering with your life.
OCD Awareness
Famous figures have spoken about experiencing OCD, including David Beckham, Lena Dunham and Howie Mandel. Films such as As Good as It Gets and The Aviator have featured characters with prominent obsessive-compulsive symptoms.
October is observed as OCD Awareness Month, aimed at increasing understanding, reducing stigma and helping people recognise when obsessive thoughts and compulsive behaviours have moved beyond everyday worries or habits.
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.