Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (oCD)
oCD
What is OCD
OCD is the short form of obsessive-compulsive disorder. OCD is a thought process, a cognitive and perception issue. OCD is rooted in distorted thinking patterns. OCD is not merely a behavioral issue but arises from irrational thought processes, rigid cognitive distortions, and faulty perceptions of reality. OCD involves intrusive, illogical thoughts that a person with OCD misinterprets as threats, leading to distress and repetitive behaviors.
What is Obsessions
Obsessions are those thoughts, beliefs, and images that are unwanted, involuntary, and intrusive. Once obsessional thoughts popup these thoughts create distress & anxiety. Persons with OCD know these thoughts, images, beliefs are irrational, illogical, not true, not correct, not based on reality. But due to obsessive thoughts complex and rigid nature, person with OCD even knowing all these things, is not able to come out of those thought chains. Further, even knowing everything, a person with OCD keeps overanalyzing and doubting their thoughts, which leads to anxiety, guilt, and emotional distress.
What is Compulsion
Obsessions in OCD
- Fear of Contamination– Excessive worry about germs, dirt, or toxins, often linked to fear of illness or spreading contamination.
- Doubting & Checking– Repeatedly checking things like doors, stoves, locks, emails, or devices due to constant doubts.
- Social Media Anxiety– Obsessions about posting mistakes, inappropriate content, or making irreversible online errors.
- Fear of Harming Others– Intrusive fears of accidentally hurting oneself or others, despite having no harmful intent.
- Sexual Intrusive Thoughts– Unwanted, disturbing sexual thoughts that conflict with personal values, causing guilt or shame.
- Violent Intrusions– Distressing thoughts of violence or aggression, not reflective of the person's true intentions.
- Perfectionism– The need for things to be flawless, often repeating tasks until they feel “just right.”
- Sensory Motor OCD (Hyperawareness of Body Functions) – Obsessive focus on normal bodily sensations like breathing, blinking, or heartbeat.
- Existential Obsessions– Fixation on deep, unanswerable questions about life, existence, or death.
- Religious Obsessions – Excessive guilt or fear about religious or moral mistakes, leading to repeated rituals or confessions.
Compulsions in OCD
- Excessive Cleaning/Washing – Repeated handwashing, cleaning due to fear of contamination. Avoiding places, objects, or visuals perceived as dirty.
- Religious Rituals (Scrupulosity) – Rigid, repetitive prayers or rituals to reduce guilt or prevent moral/religious wrongdoing.
- Checking Behaviors – Constant checking of locks, taps, appliances, or rechecking messages/posts for accuracy or mistakes.
- Reassurance Seeking – Frequently asking others or oneself for confirmation that nothing bad will happen.
- Mental Validation – Internally arguing with or replacing distressing thoughts to feel safe or correct.
- Counting as compulsion – End number attemt in counting in certain order and patterns
- Avoidance as behaviour – Avoid to face certain people, places, object, words and statement that can stimulate and trigger the anxiety.
- Staring Compulsion– uncontrol and Involuntary staring at specific body parts of oppsite gender and sometiem to same gender that laed to doubt about sexual orientation andintention.
Vicious Cycle Of Obsessional Thought & Compulsion
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• Obsessional Thoughts Popup
• Anxiety and Distress Increase
• Compulsion is Performed
• Temporary Relief is Experienced
• Obsessions Again Return
• Cycle Restarts
This cycle can occur end numbers of times in a day. Person may repeat 20–30 times or more, depending on, OCD Severity, Subtype of OCD, Thought patterns & complexity, Personality dynamic Emotional stability.
Causes Of Ocd
Psychological Factors Contributing to OCD
we understand that these underlying emotions play a significant role in maintaining OCD, and addressing them is essential for true and lasting recovery.
The Role of Negative Emotions in OCD: Many individuals with OCD experience persistent negative emotions that contribute to the development and continuation of their symptoms. These emotions are often overlooked but are critical to address as part of a comprehensive OCD recovery process.
Guilt, Regret, Feelings of Failure, Fear of Rejection, Extream Dissatisfaction, Unexpressed Emotions,
A Core Part of Our Approach: At Emotion of Life, we recognize that OCD recovery goes beyond symptom management. Through our specialized OCD Recovery and Cure Program, we focus on identifying and resolving these emotion alongside treating the obsessive-compulsive patterns.
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According to ICD-11
Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is characterized by persistent obsessions and compulsions. These obsessions and compulsions must be time-consuming and cause significant distress or impairment.
Obsessions
- Repetitive, unwanted, and intrusive thoughts, images, or impulses
- Commonly associated with anxiety
- The individual attempts to suppress obsessions
Compulsions
- Repetitive behaviors or rituals that the individual feels driven to perform
- Performed in response to an obsession
- Can include repetitive mental acts
- Not connected in a realistic way to the feared event or are clearly excessive
Other criteria
- Obsessions and compulsions must be present for a minimal duration, such as most days for at least two weeks
- The individual must recognize the obsessions and compulsions as their own thoughts or impulses
- The individual must resist unsuccessfully at least one obsession or compulsion
- The obsessions and compulsions must not be pleasurable in themselves