O B S E S S I V E -

C O M P U L S I V E
D I S O R D E R
( O C D )
W H AT I S
OCD?
OCD
• Obsessive-compulsion disorder (OCD) is
a common, chronic, and long-lasting
disorder in which a person has
uncontrollable, reoccurring thoughts
(“obsessions”) and / or behaviors
(“compulsion”) that he or she feels the
urge to repeat over and over.
OBSESSIVE- COMPULSIVE DISORDER (OCD)

Has two main

OBSESSIONS COMPULSIONS
parts;
WHAT IS OBSESSION
AND COMPULSIONS

OBSESSION- ARE UNWELCOME

COMPULSIONS- ARE REPETITIVE
THOUGHTS, IMAGES URGES, WORRIES,
ACTIVITIES THAT YOU DO TO REDUCE
OR DOUBTS THAT REPEATEDLY
THE ANXIETY CAUSE BY OBSESSION. IT
APPEAR IN YOUR MIND. THEY CAN
COULD BE SOMETHING LIKE
MAKE YOU FEEL VERY ANXIOUS
REPEATEDLY CHECKING A DOOR IS
(ALTHOUGH SOME PEOPLE DESCRIBE
LOCKED, REPEATING A SPECIFIC
IT AS MENTAL DISCOMFORT RATHER
PHRASE IN YOUR HEAD OR CHECKING
THAN ANXIETY)
HOW YOUR BODY FEELS.
RELATED DISORDERS

THERE ARE SOME

OTHER MENTAL • PERINATAL OCD- IS WHEN YOU EXPERIENCE OCD DURING PREGNANCY OR AFTER
HEALTH PROBLEMS BIRTH.
• BODY DYSMORPHIC DISORDER (BDD)- INVOLVES OBSESSIVE WORRYING ABOUT ONE
THAT ARE SIMILAR OR MORE PRECIEVED FLAWS IN YOUR PHYSICAL APPEARANCE AND DEVELOPING
COMPULSIVE ROUTINES TO DEAL WITH WORRIES ABOUT THE WAY YOU LOOK.
TO OCD BECAUSE • COMPULSIVE SKIN PICKING (CSP)- IS THE REPETITIVE PICKING AT YOUR SKIN TO
RELIEVE ANXIETY.
THEY INVOLVED • OBSESSIVE COMPULSIVE PERSONALITY DISORDER (OCPD)- IS A TYPE OF
PERSONALITY DISORDER. IT HAS SOME RELATED TRAITS TO OCD, BUT IS A DIFFERENT
REPETITIVE AND SEPARATE CONDITION.
• IF YOU HAVE OCD, IT IS COMMON TO HAVE OTHER MENTAL HEALTH PROBLEMS AS
THOUGHTS, WELL, SUCH AS ANXIETY OR DEPRESSION. THIS CAN MAKE OCD DIFFICULT TO
BEHAVIOURS OR DIAGNOSE AND TREAT

URGES.
OCD & STIGMA

LOTS OF PEOPLE HAVE MISCONCEPTION ABOUT WHAT OCD IS. SOME PEOPLE THINK IT
JUST MEANS YOU WASH YOUR HANDS A LOT OR THAT YOU LIKE THINGS TO BE TIDY. THEY
MIGHT EVEN MAKE JOKES ABOUT IT, OR DESCRIBE THEMSELVES AS A ‘LITTLE BIT OCD’.

THIS CAN BE FRUSTRATING AND UPSETTING, ESPECIALLY IF SOMEONE WHO FEELS THIS
WAY IS A FRIEND,FAMILY MEMBER OR A HEALTH CARE PROFESSIONAL.

STIGMA ABOUT OCD CAN MAKE IT DIFFICULT TO TALK ABOUT, BUT IT’S IMPORTANT TO
REMEMBER YOU ARE NOT ALONE, AND YOU DON’T HAVE TO PUT UP WITH PEOPLE
TREATING YOU BADLY.
WHAT ARE THE SYMPTOMS OF OCD?

OBSESSIONS- OBSESSIONS ARE

PERSISTENT, PICTURES, URGES OR
DOUBTS THAT APPEAR IN YOUR MIND
REMEMBER: OBSESSIONS ARE NOT
AGAIN AND AGAIN. THEY CAN
REFLECTION OF YOUR PERSONALITY.
INTERRUPTYOURV THOUGHTS AGAINTS
PEOPLE WITH OCD ARE VERY UNLIKELY
YOUR CONTROL, AND CAN BE REALLY
TO ACT ON THEIR THOUGHTS.
FRIGHTENING AND DISTURBONG. THEY
MAY MAKE YOU FEEL ANXIOUS,
DISGUSTED OR UNCOMFORTABLE.
SYMPTOMS OF OCD?
TYPE OF OBSESSIONS EXAMPLES INCLUDE
• WORRYING YOU’VE ALREADY HARMED SOMEONE BY NOT BEING CAREFUL ENOUGH. FOR
FEAR OF CAUSING OR FALLING EXAMPLE; THAT YOU HAVE KNOCKED SOMEONE OVER IN YOUR CAR

TO PREVENT HARM. • WORRYING YOU’RE GOING TO HARM SOMEONE BECAUSE YOU WILL LOSE CONTROL. FOR
EXAMPLE; THAT YOU WILL PUSH SOMEONE IN FRONT OF A JEEP OR STAB HIM.

INCLUSIVE THOUGHTS, IMAGES • VIOLENT INTRUSIVE THOUGHTS OR IMAGE OF YOURSELF DOING SOMETHING VIOLENT OR
ABUSIVE. THESE THOUGHTS MIGHTS MAKE YOU WORRY THAT YOU ARE A DANGEROUS

AND IMPULSIVE. PERSON.

• RELATIONSHIP INTRUSIVE THOUGHTS OFTEN APPEAR AS DOUBTS ABOUT WHETHER A
RELATIONSHIP IS RIGHT OR WHETHER YOU OR YOUR PARTNER’S FEELING ARE STRONG
ENOUGH. THEY MIGHT LEAD YOU TO END YOUR RELATIONSHIP TO GET RID OF THE DOUBT

FEAR OF CONTAMINATION AND ANXIETY

• CONTAMINATION (FOR EXAMPLE BY DIRT, GERMS) YOU MIGHT WORRY THAT YOU HAVE BEEN
CONTAMINATED AND THAT YOU- OR OTHER PEOPLE- ARE SPREADING THE CONTAMINATIO.
YOU MIGHT WORRY THAT YOU HAVE OR MIGHT GET A DISEASE.
FEARS AND WORRIES RELATED
TO ORDER OR SYMMETRY • YOU MIGHT HAVE FEAR THAT SOMETHING BAD WILL HAPPEN IF EVERYTHING ISN’T RIGHT-
FOR EXAMPLE IF THINGS ARE NOT IN CLEAN. IN ORDER OR SYMMETRICAL.
 COMPULSIONS ARE REPETITVE ACTIVITIES THAT YOU FEEL YOU
HAVE TO DO. THE AIM OF A COMPULSIONS IS TO TRY AND DEAL
WITH DISTRESS CAUSED BY OBSESSIVE THOUGHTS.

YOU MIGHT HAVE TO CONTINUE DOING THE COMPULSION UNTIL

THE ANXIETY GOES AWAY AND THINGS FEEL RIGHT AGAIN. YOU
MIGHT KNOW THAT IT DOESN’T MAKE SENSE TO CARRY OUT A
COMPULSION BUT IT CAN STILL FEEL TOO SCARY NOT TO.

REPEATING COMPULSIONS IS OFTEN VERY TIME CONSUMING AND

THE RELIEF THEY GIVE YOU DOESN’T USUALLY LAST VERY LONG.

COMPULSIONS CAN:

C O M P U L S I O N S BE PHYSICAL ACTIONS

BE MENTAL RITUALS (PEOPLE WHO ONLY HAVE MENTAL

COMPULSIONS SOMETIMES REFER TO THEIR OCD AS PURE O)

INVOLVE A NUMBER ( FOR EXAMPLE, YOU MIGHT FEEL YOU HAVE TO

COMPPLETE A COMPULSIONS A SPECIFIC NUMBER OF TIMES
WITHOUT INTERRUPTION.
TYPES OF COMPULSIONS
TYPE OF COMPULSION • EXAMPLES INCLUDE

• WASHING YOUR HANDS, BODY OR THINGS AROUND YOU A LOT

RITUALS • ARRANGING OBJECTS IN A PARTICULAR WAY

• CHECKING DOORS OR WINDOWS TO MAKE SURE THEY ARE LOCKED

• CHECKING YOUR ROUTE TO WORK TO MAKE SURE YOU DIDN’T
CHECKING CAUSE AN ACCIDENT

• REPEATING A WORD, NAME OR PHRASE IN YOUR HEAD OR OUT

LOUD
CORRECTING THOUGHTS • COUNTING TO A CERTAIN NUMBER

• REPEATEDLY ASKING OTHERS TO TELL YOU EVERYTHING IS

REASSURANCE ALRIGHT
 •T H E R E A R E D I F F E R E N T
THEORIES ABOUT WHY OCD
DEVELOPS. NONE OF THESE
T H E O R I E S C A N F U L LY E X P L A I N
EVERY PERSON’S EXPERIENCE,
WHAT BUT RESEARCHERS SUGGEST
T H AT T H E F O L LO W I N G A R E

CAUSES L I K E LY T O B E I N V O LV E D I N
CAUSING OCD.

OCD? • PERSONAL EXPERIENCE

• PERSONALITY
• BIOLOGICAL FACTORS
PERSONAL EXPERIENCE
SOME THEORIES SUGGEST THAT OCD IS CAUSED BY PERSONAL EXPERIENCE. FOR EXAMPLE:

IF YOUR PARENTS HAD SIMILAR ANXIETIES AND SHOWED SIMILAR KINDS OF COMPULSIVE
BEHAVIOUR, YOU MAY HAVE LEARNED OCD BEGAVIOURS AS A COPING TECHNIQUE.

ONGOING ANXIETY OR STRESS OR EXPERIENCING A STRESSFUL EVENT LIKE A CAR ACCIDENT

OR STARTING A NEW JOB COULD TRIGGER A OCD OR MAKE IT WORSE.

FOR SOME WOMAN, PREGNANCY OR BIRTH CAN TRIGGER PERINATAL OCD.

 • SOME RESEARCHERS SUGGEST
THAT PEOPLE HAVE DIFFERENT
PERSONALITY TRAITS MAY BE
MORE LIKELY TO HAVE OCD. FOR
EXAMPLE, IF YOU ARE A NEAT,
METICULOUS, METHODICAL
PERSON WITH HIGH
STANDARDS, YOU MAY BE MORE
LIKELY TO DEVELOP OCD.
PERSONALIT
Y
BIOLOGICAL FACTORS

SOME BIOLOGICAL THEORIES

STUDIESHAVE ALSO LOOKED AT
SUGGEST THAT A LACK OF BRAIN
GENETIC FACTORS AND HOW
CHEMICAL SEROTONIN MAY HAVE
DIFFERENT PARTS OF THE BRAIN
A ROLE IN OCD. HOWEVER, IT’S
MIGHT BE INVOLVED IN CAUSING
UNCLEAR WGETHER THIS IS THE
OCD, BUT HAVE FOUND NOTHING
CAUSE OR AN EFFECT OF THE
CONCLUSIVE.
CONDITION.
LOOK AFTER YOUR PHYSICAL HEALTH
GET ENOUGH SLEEP: SLEEP CAN GIVE YOU THE
ENERGY TO COPE WITH DIFFICULT FEELINGS AND
EXPERIENCES.
THINK ABOUT YOUR DIET: EATING REGULARY
AND KEEPING YOUR BLOOD SUGAR STABLE CAN
MAKE A DIFFERENCE TO YOUR MOOD AND
ENERGY LEVELS.
TRY TO DO SOME PHYSICAL ACTIVITY: MANY
PEOPLE FIND EXERCISE A CHALLENGE BUT
ACTIVITIES LIKE YOGA, SWIMMING, OR WALKING
CAN HELP IMPROVE YOUR MOOD. ANY KIND OF
PHYSICAL ACTIVITY COUNTS- FROM A CHAIR-
BASED EXERCISE.
 LEARN TO
LET GO
• MANAGE YOUR STRESS-STRESS AND ANXIETY CAN MAKE OCD
WORSE
• T R Y A R E L A X AT I O N T E C H N I Q U E - R E L A X A T I O N C A N H E L P Y O U
LOOK AFTER YOUR WELL BEING WHEN YOU ARE FEELING STRESSED,
A N X I O U S O R B U S Y.
• T RY MI NDF UL NE S S- YOU M I GHT F I N D THAT YOU C BT T HE RAP I ST
I N C L U D E S S O M E P R I N C I P L E S O F M I N D F U L N E S S I N Y O U R T H E R A P Y.
M I N D F U L N E S S C A N H E L P Y O U R E D U C E S T R E S S A N D A N X I E T Y. F O R
SOME PEOPLE, IT CAN HELPFUL AS PART OF RECOVERY FROM OCD.