If you have OCD, it is common to also have other mental health problems, such as anxiety or depression. This can sometimes make OCD difficult to diagnose or treat. This condition can be treated and your life can become easier. Treatment through psychotherapy is essential. In severe cases, treatment with medication by a psychiatrist may also be necessary.
Brikena Krasniqi-Hoti
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) is not about being neat, clean, or having your desk exactly “as you left it,” or having to check all the doors before you leave the house, or having to have your clothes hung a specific way. These obsessions or actions are part of everyone’s life, although they vary from person to person.
Many people may even joke about it, or describe themselves as "a bit OCD," but that no longer accurately describes the suffering that this anxiety disorder actually causes.
OCD is about the fear that if you don't do things a certain way, some harm will be caused or something bad will happen. It's about not having control over your negative thoughts.
What causes further distress for someone with OCD is the fear that they will act on their obsessive thoughts. It should be noted that people with OCD are unlikely to act on their thoughts. However, they often feel as if their thoughts are equivalent to reality, as if the very fact of having a certain thought is the same as having acted on that thought.
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder is not about being a person who prefers organization and order, but it is a serious anxiety disorder that can cause severe distress and can impair one's ability to function in life.
Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is a chronic, long-term disorder in which a person has uncontrollable and repetitive thoughts (obsessions) and/or behaviors (compulsions).
OBSESSIONS are unwanted and disturbing ideas, thoughts, images, or impulses that repeatedly enter your mind, against your will and desire. They may be repulsive to you, you may recognize them as meaningless, and they may not fit your personality. “
“COMPULSIONS, on the other hand, are behaviors or actions that you feel compelled to do, even though they may seem pointless or excessive. Sometimes, you may try to resist doing them, but this can be difficult because you experience anxiety that doesn’t seem to diminish or go away until you do the behavior.”
Common obsessive thoughts in OCD include: Fear of contamination by germs or dirt or contamination of others, fear of losing control and harming yourself or others, unwanted, forbidden or taboo thoughts involving sex or religion, fear of losing or not having things you may need, fear of illness, the idea that everything must be in an order or line "just right", etc.
Common compulsive behaviors in OCD include: Excessive checking of things, such as locks, appliances, and switches; constantly checking on loved ones to make sure they are safe; counting, touching, repeating certain words, or doing other meaningless things to reduce anxiety; ordering and arranging things in a particular, precise way; spending a lot of time washing or cleaning; washing hands according to a certain ritual; praying excessively or engaging in rituals caused by religious fear; compulsive counting, etc.
A person with OCD generally cannot control his or her thoughts or behaviors, even though they are aware that the thoughts or behaviors are irrational and excessive. They spend at least 1 hour a day on these thoughts or behaviors. They do not feel pleasure when they perform the behaviors or rituals, but they may feel brief relief from the anxiety that the thoughts cause.
What is it like to live with OCD?
If you suffer from OCD, it is likely that your obsessions (thoughts) and compulsions (actions) have a major impact on how you live your life.
There is probably no spontaneity in your life, as you struggle to control the thoughts that come to you violently and without your will. Repetition of obligations, actions or rituals can take up a lot of your time and you may avoid or withdraw from certain situations in your daily life. This may mean that you are unable to go to work, see family and friends, eat out or even leave the house.
Obsessive thoughts can make it difficult to concentrate and leave you feeling exhausted.
OCD can affect your relationships. You may feel like you have to hide your OCD from those close to you, or the doubts and anxiety you experience may make it very difficult to start or continue a relationship.
You may feel ashamed of your obsessive thoughts, or worry that they may come true, think that they cannot be treated, and feel hopeless. You may want to hide this part from other people and find it difficult to be around people or go out. This can make you feel isolated and lonely.
You may have constant feelings of anxiety and feel like you have to perform actions or rituals so often that you feel like you have little control over them and that in this way you feel like you are preventing "the bad thing your mind tells you will happen."
If you have OCD, it's common to also have other mental health problems, such as anxiety or depression. This can sometimes make OCD difficult to diagnose or treat.
Because of the above-mentioned things, you cannot live life as you would like and do the things you enjoy.
Remember that this condition can be treated and your life can be made easier. Therefore, treatment through psychotherapy is essential. In severe cases, treatment with medication by a psychiatrist may also be necessary.
/The author is a specialist in Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy
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