What is OCD (Obsessive Compulsive Disorder)?
OCD involves unwanted, intrusive thoughts, images, urges or doubts that can create significant anxiety or discomfort. You may find yourself becoming stuck on a particular doubt or question, repeatedly trying to work something out or reach a sense of certainty. Sometimes intrusive thoughts can also feel deeply disturbing or completely at odds with who you are or what matters to you, leading you to worry about what having the thought might mean.
In response, you may feel driven to do something to reduce the distress or uncertainty. Compulsions can include checking, repeating or seeking reassurance, but they can also happen entirely in your mind – repeatedly reviewing something that happened, analysing thoughts or feelings, comparing, or mentally checking whether you can be sure.
The relief these responses provide is only temporary, and the doubt or anxiety then returns, drawing you back into the same pattern. Psychological treatment can help reduce the hold OCD has on everyday life.