Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder

Obsessive? Sometimes I feel that's an understatement. Welcome to my little info corner where I'll attempt to describe the anxiety disorder I've personally been dealing with all of my life. Since I've read a lot that people on the Internet aren't big readers, I wanted to take a different approach at explaining OCD. Thus, this website reads sort-of like a PowerPoint with more detailed descriptions beneath certain points. Take a look around and see if you learn anything new!

What is OCD anyway?

• Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, or OCD for short, is an anxiety disorder made up of at least one of two things...
• Obsessions: When people have unwanted, recurring thoughts
• Compulsions: Actions performed to calm the resulting anxiety

Examples of Obsessions

• Fear of uncleanliness/germs
• Need for order, symmetry, or perfection
• Fear of something getting lost or not done
• Intrusive sexual, religious, or violent thoughts
• Inability to let go of objects

Examples of Compulsions

• Excessive cleaning or hand washing
• Excessive organization/rearranging
• Excessive repetitive checking
• Odd mental rituals (i.e. "counting")
• Extreme hoarding

While this at first sounds like something you'd see on a good comedy movie (and likely have as OCD is a popular topic of Hollywood), it shouldn't come as a surrpise that OCD itself isn't a joke. Being an anxiety disorder, OCD sufferers tend to have massive panic attacks triggered by their obsessive thoughts -- thoughts they'd rather not be having in the first place. The amount of time consumed in completing compulsions can be extremely damaging to a person's daily tasks and responsibilities. That's part of what separates OCD and the similar-sounding and appearing disorder called "Obsessive–compulsive personality disorder (OCPD)." People with OCPD feel their behaviors are rational and desirable in contrast to those suffering from OCD.

More Quick Facts

• People with OCD are aware that their thoughts and behaviors are irrational
• They still act the way they do because they feel it'll fend off anxiety, panic, and dread
• In the end, this can actually make obsessive thoughts worse

As mentioned prior, people with this disorder aren't unaware of the irrationality of their thoughts and behavior. However, acting out with strange compulsions tends to ease the burden of their traffic jam state of mind. Though this is true in the shortterm, continuing to act on obsessions achieves just the opposite of what the sufferer wants -- their obsessions, anxiety, and so on get worse.

OCD without compulsions?

• Some sufferers of OCD are nicknamed "Pure-O"
• These people are those without observable compulsions
• Instead, they perform mental rituals and/or avoid certain situations where intrusive thoughts would manifest (i.e. Avoiding work, school, or events)

People with OCD aren't always as obvious as you may think. While around half do visible compulsions to deal with their intrusive thoughts and are therefore more noticeable, there are those who don't actually act on obsessions in obvious manners. Nicknamed "Pure-O," sufferers of this type of OCD tend to instead perform stealth rituals of a mental nature or altogether avoid situations that trigger unwanted thoughts. People that suffer from this tend to struggle in public and private roles, often confusing others who don't know its origin or intentions. These "covert" rituals can take up a ridiculous amount of the individual's time just like the more obvious compulsions.