Obsessive Compulsive Disorder
It is thought that OCD affects about 1.2% of the UK population. It affects everyone differently - there is no “one size fits all” OCD.
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder is a psychological health condition where a person has obsessive thoughts and compulsive activities. The obsession can be either unpleasant or unwanted thoughts, images, doubts or ruminations that repeatedly enter your mind and cause feelings of anxiety, disgust or unease. The compulsion is a repetitive activity that you feel you need to complete in order to temporarily relieve the anxiety the obsession causes. For example, someone might obsess or worry about germs causing a severe infection so they feel the compulsion to wash their hands over and over again before leaving the house.
Compulsions can take up lots of time and can severely impact daily living, affect the ability to work and interfere with building healthy relationships. It is very important to note that any relief you might feel from the anxiety when performing a compulsive behaviour is only temporary.
As with many conditions OCD is often a symptom of an underlying cause not dissimilar to an addiction. Therapy can give you tools that can help you manage your symptoms. However while it is important to manage your symptoms it is vital to get to the under lying causes.
If you are suffering from OCD please speak to your GP or a trained counsellor or psychotherapist as soon as possible.
Useful Articles
Here's a list of articles on OCD you might find helpful.
Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD)
Symptoms, Self-Help, and Treatment for Obsessions and Compulsions
It’s normal, on occasion, to go back and double-check that the iron is unplugged or your car is locked. But if you suffer from obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), obsessive thoughts and compulsive behaviours become so excessive they interfere with your daily life. No matter what you do, you can’t seem to shake them. But help is available. With treatment and self-help strategies, you can break free of the unwanted thoughts and irrational urges and take back control of your life.
O.C.D., a Disorder That Cannot Be Ignored
People with O.C.D. know that their thoughts and actions are not realistic, but they cannot stop themselves from behaving as if they were grounded in fact. Performing compulsive rituals does not give them pleasure and only temporarily relieves their anxiety, resulting in a need to re-enact them again and again.
Articles by Dr. Steven Phillipson
A collection of articles by Dr. Steven Phillipson found on OCD Online
Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD): Causes, Symptoms and Treatments
Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is a chronic, debilitating mental health condition characterised by distressing, intrusive obsessive thoughts and repetitive, compulsive physical or mental acts. OCD is a distinct condition but falls within the category of "obsessive-compulsive and related disorders."
What It's Like to Live With Obsessive Compulsive Disorder
Exactly why OCD happens, science is puzzling out, but it's probably a complex genetics/environment smoothie. Onset typically happens before age 25, and it tends to run in families. People say that it is often a traumatic event — a death, something that made you feel real danger for the first time — that triggers symptoms. There is also evidence that the brain structure or blood flow might be subtly different in people with OCD, says Ben Greenberg, M.D., Ph.D., professor of psychiatry and human behaviour at Brown University. But he adds it's unclear if these differences cause OCD or are due to its symptoms.
Poems and Quotes to Inspire You
Dare we hope? We dare.
Can we hope? We can.
Should we hope? We must, because to do otherwise is to waste the most precious of gifts given so freely by God to all of us. So when we do die, it will be with hope and it will be easy and our hearts will not be broken.
Andy Ripley – England and Lions rugby legend, often described as one of the most colourful personalities in the history of English rugby
Helpful articles often written by our fabulous practitioners.