Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) is not a quirk, a habit or a worry. It is an extremely distressing mental health problem. Sufferers can also feel deeply embarrassed and can have a tendency to suffer in silence because friends and family often don’t understand what is going on.

The greater people’s understanding of OCD; the better chance there is to help people who are experiencing OCD to seek a credible and effective treatment.

So, what is this OCD?

As the name indicates, OCD is characterised by obsessions and compulsions.

Obsessions are also know as “intrusive thoughts”. They are powerful, unwanted ideas that jump into people’s heads – agitating them, disturbing them and centred around taboo and horrendous topics. These notions can be about everything and anything unpleasant – hurting others; causing a tragedy; or unwanted, explicit sexual thoughts – triggering horrible feelings. They certainly make a person feel anxious, but they may also be indicative of deep fears, or sensations of horror or disgust, and uncomfortable feelings of doubt, guilt or responsibility.

So, obsessions occur as thoughts or an image in “your mind’s eye”.

In contrast, compulsions usually occur on the outside. You see them depicted all the time on television and in movies. Compulsions – sometimes called rituals – can include washing, checking, re-reading, counting, tapping and rubbing. Sufferers of OCD find them time consuming as they tend to become more prevalent if OCD is left untreated. However, some people have internal compulsions. This means that they need to perform a mental ritual – such as holding an image in their head or saying something silently. Such mental compulsions also become incredibly time consuming and pre-occupying.

A really important thing to know about OCD is that it is highly individual. This means that symptoms can be:

  • Very different from person to person.
  • Not the usual OCD thoughts or rituals that you might read about.

Do children and adolescents get OCD?

The answer is unfortunately yes. Most adult sufferers can recall symptoms that they had as children or teenagers. OCD can present differently in children and frequently co-occurs with other issues like ADHD and Tic Disorder. Depending on how old they are and their developmental level, children are sometimes not clear on the actual thoughts and more commonly describe an uncomfortable feeling rather than a clear obsession.

What’s also distinctive about OCD in children is that their compulsions involve someone other than themselves – like a family member – performing the ritual for them. As you can imagine, this results in all manner of distress and family arguments.

Can someone with OCD get treatment and become better?

Yes. There is an effective treatment for OCD. It is called Exposure Response Prevention and falls under the broad category of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT).

Medication (although not the complete treatment) can also help. People with OCD (or if you have children with possible OCD) can see a psychiatrist, a clinical psychologist or both and may wish to attend a support group.

Please remember it is important to check the qualifications of the person you are seeing on the AHPRA website. Also ask your mental health professional about their experience in treating OCD. You need to know that you are in good hands.

Exposure response prevention is a tough treatment. But, it is also logical, helpful and effective. Over 90% of people have intrusive thoughts/obsessions about disturbing material. People with OCD are merely more distressed by them. Treatment helps you to join the 90% of the population who have these thoughts but can handle it.

If you are seeking help for your OCD, our team of Clinical Psychologists, Registered Psychologists and Psychotherapists are well trained and up to date with latest treatment methods. To find out more, please contact us or call us on 02 9328 5899.