Disclaimer: Some of this is me speaking about my own experience, and some is from online sources that describe my thoughts better than I do to save myself from being triggered. My experience may not be the same as yours, but that doesn’t make either of us less valid. Also, please don’t use this to diagnose – this is perspective, not a doctor appointment.
The unique thing about OCD is how even without stigma and misconceptions, I don’t personally think we’d hear that much more about it due to its nature. It’s so difficult to talk about, even in a safe space like therapy. I know I’d much rather discuss how I’m struggling with depression and the gross sides of that than talk about my relatively well handled OCD.
This is because in OCD, saying our thoughts out loud make us feel like they are going to come true – that’s a scary thing, especially with the concept of manifestation out there. We can’t control our thoughts, yet we worry about them coming true.
But I’m getting ahead of myself. What is OCD and what is just a misconception?
Obsessions Versus Compulsions
Obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) is a mental illness characterized by the presence of obsessions and/or compulsions.
Obsessions: Unwanted thoughts, images, or urges that trigger intense distress (International OCD Foundation, n.d.).
We fear that these thoughts will come reality
Not the same as being “obsessed” with a band
Compulsions: Repetitive behaviors performed in to attempt to decrease the distress associated with obsessions (International OCD Foundation, n.d.).
May or may not be related to an obsession
Ex. Checking locks to prevent a break in vs tapping a specific wall a certain number of times to keep a loved one safe
Time consuming and get in the way of daily life (Raypole, 2019)
Common obsession themes and examples:
Contamination – fear of contracting a disease
Harm/losing control – fear of accidentally hurting someone
Sexual – forbidden sexual thoughts or images
Religious – concerns regarding blasphemy
Perfectionism – concern about exactness
Common compulsions and examples:
Washing/cleaning – excessive teeth brushing
Checking – checking that you did not harm someone
Repeating – repetitive tapping
Mental – praying to prevent something terrible from happening in relation to obsession
Avoidance – avoiding potential obsession triggers
Misconceptions
"I love cleaning/organization so maybe I have OCD."
OCD is not enjoyable. If you love making things look nice and neat and that is the reason you do things, you do not have OCD. People with OCD feel they have to perform compulsions because otherwise something awful is going to happen. Compulsions are driven by distress, not fun. Note: If you’re heard me say that I love organizing, it's either not related to my OCD, or sometimes I’m trying to minimize it and pretend it’s not there (even though no, it does not work)
"I would know if someone had ocd."
Some people have mental compulsions. This may include mental review of events to ensure someone with OCD did not accidentally cause harm to someone. You cannot see these mental compulsions and thus may not know if someone has OCD unless they tell you.
"People with OCD just have bad values."
OCD is ego-dystonic, which means that these thoughts are not reflective of an individual, or inconsistent with a person's beliefs. These thoughts occur against their will. This is part of what contributes to the great distress developed by obsessions.
"I've had intrusive thoughts before so maybe I have ocd."
I mean, you might. I don't know you. But before you go seeking out a diagnosis for this reason, you should understand that you can have intrusive thoughts without having OCD.
"Talk therapy helps, right?"
Talk therapy isn't the gold standard for OCD treatment, exposure and response prevention therapy (ERP) is. OCD themes don’t necessarily stay the same over time, and talk therapy alone can result in new compulsions like rumination and reassurance-seeking, as you're frequently analyzing your thoughts. This gives the thoughts more power.
Things to avoid telling people with OCD:
"I'm a little OCD." You have OCD or you don't.
"You're just being dramatic." We are not.
"You should try manifestation." We don't have control over our own thoughts and we fear them becoming reality. Not a promising idea.
"But your thoughts are irrational." We know, that doesn’t change anything.
I hope you learned something reading this.
Until next time,
Raquel
References
American Psychiatric Association. (2020). What is obsessive-compulsive disorder? Retrieved from https://psychiatry.org/patients-families/obsessive-compulsive-disorder/what-is-obsessive-compulsive-disorder
International OCD Foundation. (n.d.). About OCD. Retrieved from https://iocdf.org/about-ocd/#:~:text=Obsessions%20are%20unwanted%2C%20intrusive%20thoughts,decrease%20his%20or%20her%20distress.
NOCD Staff. (2021). A quick guide to some common OCD subtypes. NOCD. Retrieved from https://www.treatmyocd.com/blog/a-quick-guide-to-some-common-ocd-subtypes
Raypole, C. (2019). Understanding the difference between obsessions and compulsions. Healthline. Retrieved from https://www.healthline.com/health/obsession-vs-compulsion
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