![]() ![]() The charity Mind has more examples of obsessions and compulsions on their website. They might feel they need to repeat a phrase or prayer in their head to ‘keep their loved one safe’ or they might repeatedly ask their loved one for reassurance that they’re OK. Someone might worry that a loved one will be involved in an accident. They might check how they feel or how their body responds when these obsessions come up, check whether the thoughts are ‘gone’, or avoid situations with certain people. Someone might experience intrusive thoughts or images of a sexual nature – these might be related to children, family members, or sexually aggressive behaviour. They might check their social media accounts frequently or have a set routine they feel they have to follow to put their phone away ‘safely’. Someone might worry that they’ve posted something abusive or hateful online. They might avoid eating food anyone else has prepared, avoid certain types of food, or frequently check things like use by dates or food temperatures when cooking. Someone might worry that they’ll get food poisoning. They might ‘check’ whether they’re in love with their partner or keep track of things their partner says or does. Someone might doubt whether their relationship is right, or whether their (or their partner’s) feelings are strong enough. ![]() They might go back through their memories throughout the day to check they haven’t done anything harmful or hurt themselves to ‘make up’ for the obsession. Someone might have a violent thought about harming someone else in a specific way. Skip ahead to read about recovering from OCD. Some people might not want to read these examples, which include details about specific obsessions and compulsions people can experience. Some people with OCD know that their compulsions don’t make logical sense – but they still feel like they have to do them. But people with OCD might keep their compulsions private, and some compulsions are totally invisible, such as going back over memories, repeating something in your head, or trying to think certain thoughts on purpose. Some compulsions involve other obvious and visible actions like checking switches, asking for reassurance, or arranging things in a specific order. Some compulsions can involve cleaning (including handwashing) – some people ask ‘is OCD always about germs’ – but this isn’t the case. ![]() ![]() If you have OCD, you might start to believe that compulsions might get rid of the anxiety you feel as a result of your obsessions, make the obsessive thoughts, feelings or urges go away altogether, or even stop things you worry about from happening. When someone has OCD, these ‘compulsions’ become something they have to do – even if they’re getting in the way of their everyday life or hurting them. People with OCD usually try to help themselves cope with the distress their obsessions cause by doing (or thinking) something that brings relief. For example, people might have obsessions around others being harmed (in ways not to do with contamination), violence, or the consequences of forgetting to do an everyday action like locking a door or switching something off. Some people with OCD do have obsessions about contamination or germs – but obsessions can also be about lots of other things. If you experience these kinds of obsessions, it’s important to remember this your obsessions are just thoughts and having them does not mean you will act on them. This might be because they’re repetitive, or because the person with OCD worries about whether their obsession means something about them (for example, whether they’re ‘dangerous’ or ‘mad’ or ‘bad’). It’s really common – and not something you need to feel guilty or ashamed about.įor people with OCD, these unwanted ‘obsessions’ are especially distressing or anxiety-inducing. Most people (including people without OCD or any other anxiety disorder) experience repeating intrusive thoughts, feelings, or urges sometimes – including ones that are violent or upsetting. It’s a type of anxiety disorder that involves ‘obsessions’ (thoughts, feelings, or urges) and compulsions (doing or thinking things to reduce the anxiety caused by obsessions). OCD stands for obsessive compulsive disorder. The reality is that people’s experiences of OCD are much more diverse. It’s a common myth that OCD is always about germs – and that people with OCD always have obvious ‘rituals’ to do with cleaning or other stereotypes like putting things in order. ![]()
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