OCD is a mental health diagnosis. OCD has two main parts - an obsession and compulsion. Most people have obsessive/intrsuive thoughts and/or compulsive behaviours at some point in time, but this does not mean you have OCD. OCD diagnosis requires a cycle of obsessions and compulsions to be significantly impacting the person’s life and getting in the way of doing things the person values, taking up a lot of time, and causing intense distress. OCD often surrounds certain themes - e.g., a fear of being contaminated by germs, and to ease the fears, you might wash your hands so much they end up cracked and sore.

OCD is a common condition and affects people of all ages and walks of life.

Not everyone experiences the same OCD obsessions or compulsions, and OCD can look different for each individual person.

There are also different types of OCD including: Contamination OCD; Checking OCD; Counting OCD; Existential OCD; Harm OCD; Hoarding OCD; ‘Just Right’ OCD; Perinatal OCD; Relationship OCD; Scrupulosity/Religious OCD; Tourettic OCD, amongst others.

An obsession is also often referred to as an intrusive thought. An obsession is an uninvited, unwanted thought, image, or impulse, and is no more than a doubt about what is there. Often questioning “what if…?” “maybe …”, or a “could be …”. For example, if you didn’t count to 100 when washing your hands, then there is a possibility or doubt in your mind that motivates you to re-start the hand washing process. Perhaps you believe you may not have rid all the potential germs or contaminants from your hands, so this would be the doubt or possibility we are talking about. Obsessions often result in distressing or uncomfortable feelings.

Compulsions always start with obsessions. If you do not have the obsession, there would be no need to do the compulsion. If you did not have the obsession, you would not feel anxiety or discomfort. Compulsions are sometimes referred to as rituals, and they are repetitive behaviours that a person uses to reduce or neutralise the discomfort/distress brought on by the obsessions/doubt. Not all rituals/repetitive behaviours are compulsions. There are many types of compulsions, these can be mental (e.g., rumination and counting) or physical (e.g., checking and hand washing). Sometimes the mental compulsions are not visible to other people (e.g., mentally checking yourself that you are not harming others).

The cause of OCD is not well understood. Researchers suggest that symptoms develop as a result of biology (e.g., brain chemistry and functions), genetics (specific genes are yet to be identified), and learning (e.g., specific fears and behaviours can be gradually learned over time).

There a number of treatments available for OCD. There are medications available either taking it by itself or in conjunction with therapy. Most of the SRI medicines that help with OCD are also known as antidepressants. Only your medical doctor can prescribe these medications.

The most widely available psychological treatment is Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP), and is often combined with Mindfulness base approaches. Another treatment option is Inference-Based Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (I-CBT). Both approaches target different components in the OCD process. For childhood OCD, parents are heavily involved in sessions. Talk to your clinician to discuss which treatment approach would be best suited for your needs.

Naomi Newton has training in both the above approaches and can help you or your child with management of OCD symptoms.