Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD)

Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) has two main components: obsessions and compulsions. Obsessions refer to unwanted thoughts, ideas, and fears that individuals experience. Compulsions refer to recurring behaviours that individuals feel compelled to engage in to relieve the anxiety caused by their obsessions. A person with OCD might, for example, constantly worry that they have left the door unlocked or the stove on. To alleviate these worries, they may repeatedly check the door or stove, even though they know logically that they have already locked the door or turned off the stove. If you or someone you know is experiencing these symptoms, it may be a sign of OCD. While the exact causes of OCD are still unknown, certain risk factors increase the likelihood of developing the disorder. These include genetics, biology, and childhood trauma.

Examples of common obsessional thoughts and compulsions:

• Worry/fear/ afraid of infection by people or the environment, which leads to excessive hand washing, showering, changing clothes
• Extreme concern with order, accuracy, and perfection, so organizing or arranging things in a particular way
• Doubts about locking the door or turning off the stove, so check doors and stove over and over again to make sure that the door is locked and the stove is turned off.
• Unwanted, forbidden, or taboo thoughts involving sex, religion, or harm, so involved in intrapersonal communication
• Feel uncertainty about something, so seek approval or reassurance constantly