Navigating Obsessions and Compulsions
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder
If you are dealing with the challenges that come with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, you do not have to do it alone. Our mental health professionals are here to help, so please contact us.
In everyday conversation, the term “OCD” is often used casually to describe a preference for neatness or a quirky habit.
However, for those who are truly living with OCD, the reality is profoundly different and far more distressing. Obsessive Compulsive Disorder is not a personality trait or a choice; it is a serious and often debilitating mental health condition that can trap you in a relentless cycle of unwanted thoughts and repetitive behaviors.
At Resilient Psychotherapy & Psychiatric Services, we understand the silent struggle of OCD. You are not alone, and you do not have to be a prisoner to this cycle. With the right care, it is possible to break free, manage your symptoms, and reclaim a life of peace and control.
What to Know About Obsessive Compulsive Disorder
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder is a mental health condition that involves two core components: obsessions and compulsions. It operates in a vicious cycle: an obsessive thought creates intense anxiety, which leads to a compulsive behavior to relieve that anxiety. While the compulsion provides temporary relief, it ultimately reinforces the obsession, ensuring the cycle continues and often becomes more severe over time.
Understanding the distinct roles of obsessions and compulsions is the first step toward recognizing the pattern in your own life and seeking the right help.
The Two Sides of OCD
Each person’s experience with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder is unique. However, it always involves the presence of obsessions, compulsions, or both.
Obsessions: Intrusive Thoughts
Obsessions are defined as repeated, persistent, and unwanted thoughts or urges that are intrusive by nature and lead to significant distress. You may recognize that these thoughts are irrational, but you feel unable to control or suppress them. Common themes of obsessions include:
- Contamination: An intense fear of germs, dirt, illness, or being contaminated by bodily fluids or environmental chemicals.
- Fear of Harming Self or Others: Unwanted and disturbing thoughts or images of causing harm to yourself or a loved one, even though you have no intention of acting on them.
- Need for Order, Symmetry, or “Just Right” Feelings: An overwhelming need to have things arranged perfectly, evenly, or in a specific order, leading to distress when things feel “off.”
- Unwanted Religious or Sexual Thoughts: Intrusive thoughts that go against your personal values or beliefs, such as blasphemous thoughts in a religious person or unwanted sexual thoughts about others.
- Perfectionism and Fear of Making Mistakes: An excessive worry about making a mistake, being forgetful, or behaving in a socially unacceptable way.
Compulsions: Repetitive Behaviors
In response to an obsession, you may feel an overwhelming urge to perform a compulsion—a repetitive behavior or mental act—in an attempt to reduce your anxiety or prevent a feared event. However, the relief is only temporary. Common compulsions include:
- Washing and Cleaning: Excessive hand washing, showering, or cleaning of household objects to address a fear of contamination.
- Checking: Repeatedly checking things like locks, appliances, or that you haven’t harmed someone (e.g., re-driving a route to ensure you didn’t hit a pedestrian).
- Ordering and Arranging: Spending a great deal of time arranging objects to be perfectly aligned or symmetrical.
- Mental Rituals: Silently repeating a prayer, word, or phrase, or mentally reviewing events to “neutralize” an obsessive thought. This is a form of compulsion that others cannot see.
- Reassurance Seeking: Engaging in a cycle of repeatedly asking others for confirmation that a feared event won’t happen and that everything is safe.
A Path to Relief from Obsessive Compulsive Disorder
You do not have to be defined by Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. Living with OCD is challenging, but it is important to remember that it is a highly treatable condition. With the right support, it is possible to significantly reduce your symptoms and reclaim your life from the cycle of obsessions and compulsions.
At Resilient Psychotherapy & Psychiatric Services, our process begins with an evaluation where we take the time to understand your personal experience, symptoms, and needs. From there, we’ll share our evidence-based recommendations for the next steps in your care, whether that involves therapy, medication management, or information on other supportive services.
Please fill out the form below to schedule your confidential appointment. If you do not hear from our team within 36 hours, please reach out to us at admin@resilienttherapyokc.com.
