Everybody Has Intrusive Thoughts, So What Makes OCD A Problem?

What is obsessive compulsive disorder?

Obsessive compulsive disorder, also known as OCD, is a mental illness characterised by distressing intrusive thoughts, then rituals and compulsions to relieve the anxiety they cause. Unfortunately, the rituals and compulsions can make intrusive thoughts much more intense as time goes on, meaning that they have to perform them more and more.

What are intrusive thoughts?

Everybody has intrusive thoughts. They’re the thoughts that pop into our minds when we least expect it. Sometimes we might wonder where they came from, because they’re not something we would usually think or want to happen. It’s normal to have these thoughts and just dismiss them. However, someone with obsessive compulsive disorder would find their intrusive thoughts very distressing and struggle to dismiss them. It may put them into a state of uncomfortable self-doubt. An example would be an intrusive thought about using a knife to hurt somebody, triggered by using a knife to chop up some food. They wouldn’t really intend to harm somebody, but because they can’t let go of the thought, it makes them anxious. They start to doubt themselves, which may cause them to think about harming somebody in even more detail. This may lead to an avoidance of knives all together, making it harder for them to prepare food. However, this is just one example. OCD can affect people in lots of different ways. Another example of harm OCD would be if somebody drives around the block a few times because they are plagued by intrusive thoughts that they might have run somebody over with their car and not realised.

What compulsions are there?

Rituals and compulsions differ from person to person. Different intrusive thoughts require different actions to get rid of them. Some people who obsess over bacteria and germs may have hand-washing compulsions. While it is a good idea to wash your hands regularly to avoid bacteria, OCD might cause somebody with hand-washing compulsions to wash their hands until they damage their skin. Others afraid of bacteria and germs may avoid public toilets, restaurants, or any other environments that they can’t control, which could then affect their social life. Some compulsions may be based on religious views and superstitions, while others are based on things feeling ‘right’ or not wanting to be a bad person. Someone with OCD may feel the need to check things a certain number of times until they feel right.

Are all compulsions are obvious?

Not all compulsions are visible. For example, if somebody has a compulsion to count to a certain number, they may do that in their heads until things feel ‘right’. Other compulsions may include ‘correcting thoughts’. This is when the person feels a thought is wrong, so they force themselves to think of things that are more acceptable to them to correct the thought. Ruminating is also invisible, and can take up a lot of time.

OCD

The most difficult thing about obsessive compulsive disorder is that most people who have it are aware that their compulsions do not help them, but they cannot cope with their anxiety levels when they do not act on them. It is a vicious cycle, but it is treatable and OCD can become manageable.