Obsessive Compulsive Disorder or OCD is an anxiety disorder where people experience both obsessions and compulsions.
Obsessions are persistent, unwanted and disturbing thoughts, images, pictures or impulses and urges that suddenly pop into the mind and cause a great deal of anxiety or distress. They are usually accompanied by a sudden feeling that you are about to do something awful.
They are normal and experienced by 98% of the population. They only become a problem if they are interpreted in such a way that they seem threatening and so an action (or compulsion) is taken to prevent whatever is feared from happening. This can lead to the thought becoming stuck and very disturbing.
Compulsions are not normally enjoyable but bring about temporary relief from feelings of anxiety, tension and frustration which are associated with obsessions.
Types of OCD
There is a common misconception that OCD is just about being excessively clean. However, this is not the case, there are actually many different types of OCD:
- Cleaning
People with this type of OCD tend to be pre-occupied with thoughts of germs in the environment and possible contamination. They cope by cleaning and washing excessively and avoiding places or situations that may result in contamination.
- Checking
People with this obsession are pre-occupied with making sure everything is safe so that harm does not come to themselves or other people. To cope with this, they will check things repeatedly, just in case.
- Order and symmetry
People with this type of OCD want to make sure that everything is done in exactly the right way and in the right order. Objects must be put in exactly the right place. If this order is disturbed, then they may get very agitated or upset.
- Intrusive thoughts
Some people experience unpleasant thoughts that pop into their minds. These are thoughts that they find horrible or repulsive. The more someone tries not to think about them, the more intense they get. There is usually a fear that they will carry out these thoughts. People with this type of OCD are often very hard on themselves for having such thoughts and think that it makes them a “bad person”.
We have partnered with Silvercloud to offer you free access to a Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) self-help programme, designed by clinical experts using proven methods for helping people, all with the aim of empowering you to think and feel better.
This programme is based on the principles of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT).
CBT consists of two key steps to feeling well:
- Understanding what’s going on inside you
- Making changes to feel better
The key idea behind CBT is that your emotions, thoughts, behaviours and physical sensations are connected, and affect each other.
Simply choose your programme on SilverCloud. When prompted to sign up, you will need an access code to enable you to create your account and use this resource. The access code is kwnelselfhelp