What do we call actions or sometimes thoughts that an individual with OCD uses to reduce anxiety?
There are many different types of obsessions and many people with OCD will have more than 1 type of obsession. Some examples of common obsessions are: Show
Fear of contaminationThis obsession involves a fear of coming into contact with germs, getting sick or making others sick from touching “dirty” or “contaminated” items, sticky substances or chemicals. For example, “I will be contaminated by germs if I pick up this pen off the floor” or “I can be poisoned by lead if I come into contact with paint.” Thoughts of doubtThis obsession involves constant doubt about whether you’ve done something wrong or made a mistake. For example, “Did I turn off the stove?”; “I think I made a spelling error on the email I just sent.”; “I think I threw away something important”; or “I might not have answered that question clearly and precisely enough.” Fear of accidentally harming self or othersAdults with these obsessions are afraid of harming themselves or others through carelessness. For example, “If I don’t make sure that the door is locked at night, the apartment might get broken into and I might be robbed and murdered”, “If I don’t immediately change out of my work clothes and wash them with bleach, I might bring outside germs home and cause my whole family to be sick.” Need for symmetry/exactnessAdults with this obsession feel a need to have objects placed in a certain order or position or tasks or events to be completed in a set way. For example, “I need to sort all my clothes by colour and have them face the same direction. Otherwise, it just does not feel right!”; “I just scratched my right arm twice and now I need to balance it out by scratching my left arm twice.” Repugnant obsessionsRepugnant means disgusting. These kinds of obsessions include unwanted thoughts, images, or impulses of doing something horrible to a loved one (e.g. throwing your baby off a balcony, kicking your elderly grandmother; jumping off a bridge); sexual obsessions (e.g. thoughts of touching someone sexually against his/her will, images of molesting one’s baby, doubts about one’s sexuality); and obsessions that violate religious beliefs (e.g. swearing in temple/church, images of having sex with a priest). Repugnant obsessions can also take the form of doubts, for example; “Did I run over someone without realizing?”; “Did I become sexually aroused while bathing my baby?”; or “Did I sin but forget to repent? These kinds of obsessions are particularly unwanted and people who experience them would never want to act on them. Having them DOES NOT mean you are crazy, dangerous or evil deep down inside. What do “Compulsions” Look Like?These behaviours are performed in an attempt to stop something bad from happening. However, repeated checking often makes people feel even less sure that they have successfully prevented the bad event from happening. Some examples include: Washing/cleaning compulsionsThis category of compulsion involves excessive washing and cleaning behavior. For example, you may wash your hands excessively, follow intricate rituals and rules for cleaning the bathroom or kitchen, or follow rituals with regards to grooming, tooth brushing, or showering. Rituals may including having a specific order you have to follow (e.g. washing a specific part of your body first or brushing your teeth in a particular order). Checking compulsionsThis category involves behaviors aimed at ensuring something is done properly, everyone is safe or mistakes have not been made. For example, you may repeatedly check to make sure doors are locked, stoves are turned off, or electrical outlets are unplugged. Other examples may also include checking to make sure everyone is okay and not harmed (e.g. calling family members repeatedly to “check” if they are safe). Checking can also include making sure that you haven’t made any mistakes (e.g. re-reading emails over and over to “check” for spelling/grammar mistakes or visually checking the environment to make sure that you have not left anything important behind). Ordering/arranging compulsionsThis category of compulsion involves arranging items in specific ways, such as clothes, books, shoes, etc. For example, you might line up all the clothes in the closet so that they are arranged according to colour, with all the hangers facing in the same direction. Adults with this compulsion will sometimes arrange things until it “feels right”. Some will do it to prevent bad things from happening; for example, “If I don’t arrange all the books and magazines in the house so that they face east, then someone in my family will die.” Mental ritualsThese are compulsions that are performed in your head. For example, you might mentally repeat a prayer whenever you have thoughts about something bad happening, or you might replace a “bad” thought (e.g. mom dying) with a “good” one (e.g. mom smiling and in good health). Need to ask or confessSome adults with OCD are afraid that they have done or thought something “bad”, and therefore feel a strong urge to confess all of their thoughts to friends or family (for example, telling a loved one that “I just had a thought about pushing someone into the street”). Most people who feel the need to confess will also seek repeated reassurance that everything is okay (for example, asking a loved one, “Do you still love me even though I had a bad thought?”). HoardingSome adults with OCD have a very hard time throwing away things that seem to others useless or of limited value. Hoarding can lead to excessive clutter in the home and interfere with daily life. For example, some people are not able to throw away any receipts, financial documents, or old newspapers. *Tip: Over time, OCD symptoms can change. For example, you might start off with washing your hands compulsively but later develop excessive checking behaviours and actually stop compulsive washing altogether. How do I Know if I Have OCD?Everyone has thoughts that are upsetting or do not make a lot of sense from time to time, this is normal. Just having an unpleasant thought does not mean you have obsessions. Similarly, it is not uncommon for people to repeat certain actions, such as double-checking whether the door is locked. However, these behaviours are not always compulsions. When is it an obsession?
When is it a compulsion?
In Summary, You Have OCD If
What Other Things do Adults with OCD do in Daily Life?
My Anxiety Plan (MAPs)MAP is designed to provide adults struggling with anxiety with practical strategies and tools to manage anxiety. To find out more, visit our My Anxiety Plan website. What are actions and thoughts OCD?Thought-action fusion is when you believe that simply thinking about an action is equivalent to actually carrying out that action. For example, if a thought randomly pops into your mind about something unacceptable—such as murdering your partner—you would believe this to just as bad as actually harming them.
What is thought suppression in OCD?Thought suppression occurs when we try to ignore or control intrusive thoughts that we find threatening or distressing. Thought suppression can be common in people with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD).
How can I reduce my anxiety and OCD?6 Best Strategies to Combat Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder. Practice mindfulness to manage stress. Two key characteristics of OCD are high anxiety and the presence of intrusive thoughts. ... . Get plenty of exercise. ... . Sleep well and enough. ... . Avoid nicotine and alcohol. ... . Reach out to family and friends. ... . Find an ERP therapist.. What are the 4 types of obsessions as related to OCD?While all types of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) include a pattern of obsessions and compulsions, the obsessions or intrusive thoughts themselves can take on different themes. OCD manifests in four main ways: contamination/washing, doubt/checking, ordering/arranging, and unacceptable/taboo thoughts.
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