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  • Q&A with Australian Health Practitioners

    What is Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD)?

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    Anxiety Mental Health Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD)
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    • Mental Health Association NSW
    • Penny Lewis
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  • Mental Health Association NSW

    Offers information and education advice about protecting mental health, mutual support and advocacy services. View Profile

    OCD is an anxiety disorder characterised by recurrent, intrusive thoughts (obsessions) that produce uneasiness, apprehension and fear, leading to patterns of repetitive behaviors in an effort to alleviate feelings of anxiety (compulsions).

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    Penny Lewis

    Clinical Psychologist, Counsellor, Psychologist, Psychotherapist

    I am a Clinical Psychologist with more than 25 years experience working with adults with a broad range of backgrounds dealing with a wide variety … View Profile

    OCD is an anxiety disorder with symptoms of obsessions (intrusive and persisting upsetting thoughts, ideas, images or impulses) and compulsions (behaviours and rituals designed to undo the anxiety caused by the obsession).  The obsessions can be about anything and may include themes involving health, sexual behaviour and identity, safety, aggression and religion.

    Sometimes the rituals are behaviours you can see (e.g. checking, ordering, washing, cleaning, counting, asking for reassurance) and sometimes they are mental rituals (like counting, repeating special words, numbers or phrases silently, praying). At times the person with OCD will do these rituals on their own and try to hide them from others.  At other times, they may try to involve the help of others (e.g. get them to do some checking too).

    For example, someone may have the intrusive thought that they have germs on their hands, so they will feel compelled to wash their hands repetitively (sometimes a certain number of times, sometimes in a certain ritualised way).  This may take up a considerable amount of time as they do not rely on their senses to decide when to stop or start washing. Instead, they rely on whether they “feel contaminated” or “feel better” rather than any visible signs of contamination. The washing ritual will reduce their anxiety in the short term, but keep the OCD going in the long term as it reinforces the belief that the way to undo the obsessions is to wash in this way.

    Thus, people with OCD get caught in vicious cycles of trying to reduce their anxiety by giving into obsessions with behaviours that only end up keeping their anxiety and obsessions going. Usually they are aware that the obsessions and compulsions are irrational or excessive, but they have not learned other ways of dealing with these distressing obsessions. This is why it is very important to seek some professional help with this very challenging and upsetting disorder.

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