Millions of people suffer from anxiety: some suffer before a job interview or an exam, but others have to deal almost constantly with paralyzing anxious thoughts.
However, experts believe that those compulsive thoughts may not be anxiety at all; In fact, they may come from obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD).
OCD is a mental health condition that causes people to experience unwanted thoughts and repetitive behaviors.
Stereotypical depictions of the disorder include excessive handwashing or repeatedly checking that you have locked the door.
But some of the roughly 3 million people who suffer from OCD in the United States say that’s far from the whole picture. While the condition leads to disruptive and often repetitive compulsive behaviors, it is the persistent, intrusive thoughts that pose the greatest challenge.
Some people may have OCD tendencies, such as wanting to have a tidy house, but have not been diagnosed with clinical OCD. The condition becomes a concern when feelings of anxiety, upset or lack of fulfillment intensify to the point that they begin to dominate and significantly disrupt a person’s ability to live their life, doctors and patients said. NPR.
There are several subtypes of OCD. They all involve obsessive and compulsive thoughts, but they can revolve around different concerns, such as relationships.
Sarah Jaley, a Washington, D.C. native, said, “I constantly thought that we have to break up because I’m not good enough, or maybe there are better matches for us somewhere else.” I thought about it every day and cried a lot about it.”
Sarah Jaley, originally from Washington, DC, shared that she often thought, “We should break up because I’m not good enough.” She immersed herself in these thoughts daily and often found herself crying over them. Photo courtesy of Facebook
Elizabeth Vossen, a 26-year-old therapist in Boston, described her Pure Obsession OCD as “normal thought patterns in overdrive.” Photo courtesy of LifeStance Health
For Michael, 27, from Greenville, South Carolina, his obsessions revolve around questions like: What if they cheat on me? What if the person I’m dating isn’t a good fit? What happens if we don’t end up together? What if I don’t really love them? Or what if they don’t love me?
They both have relationship OCD, a form of pure obsessional OCD, referred to as Pure O on online message boards.
Pure O can be difficult to detect because, unlike OCD that manifests physically, pure obsessional OCD is often invisible. About 10 percent of OCD sufferers have this Pure O subtype.
Elizabeth Vossen, 26, of Boston, describes her Pure O as “normal thought patterns in overdrive.”
At first, he believed that his obsessions would be useful for his work as a therapist. They sound like, ‘Did I say the right thing? Did I do the right thing? Was I empathetic enough? ‘Did I offer him the right amount of help?’ Vossen said.
He added, “And there’s always a part of me that says, well, isn’t that a good thing? Don’t I want to think too much about being a good therapist?”
However, these thoughts became so intense and compulsive that they went beyond “normal” reflections or concerns about past interactions or how they were perceived by others.
When she dwells on a past interaction, she feels compelled to dissect it until she feels better, even if no new ideas emerge.
Vossen no longer works with clients who have OCD because the compulsive thoughts had become too much for her. After a patient shared a particular obsession, she began experiencing it herself.
She said: ‘I asked them about the nature of their intrusive thoughts and they said, “Oh, I imagine all my teeth are breaking.” And I imagine I’d like to take a nail clipper and cut my teeth.”
“And now, every time I cut my nails or brush my teeth, I think about my teeth breaking and I even clench my jaw to feel like they’re still there.”
Meanwhile, Shaun Flores, 30, has been diagnosed with sexually oriented OCD.
People with SO-OCD may experience persistent doubts about their sexual orientation, fears of being or becoming homosexual, concerns about being perceived as having a different sexual orientation, anxiety about how their orientation might affect relationships, and fears of denying their true orientation. .
It is believed to affect about 315,000 Americans.
Mr. Flores: ‘I became obsessed with the idea that I would become gay overnight.
‘So I would avoid people, I would avoid men. “I didn’t watch some of my favorite things, like boxing or martial arts, because the men were half naked.”
Shaun Flores, 30, has been diagnosed with sexually oriented OCD. He explained that he became obsessed with the fear of suddenly becoming gay. Photo courtesy of the International OCD Foundation
Sometimes everyone rethinks or rechecks things. Not all repeated thoughts are obsessions and not all rituals or habits are compulsions.
His OCD led him to believe he was HIV positive, forcing him to be tested repeatedly because he couldn’t trust the results.
Flores grew up in a conservative Christian home in London where being gay was considered a mortal sin.
He said: ‘At one point, I was deeply homophobic. As I grew older, I realized that people can’t choose who they are. And even if they could, it’s none of my business.
‘You learn to understand that thoughts do not necessarily reflect any part of you. The brain creates random thoughts.’
OCD usually begins in childhood. Some of the behaviors associated with OCD in childhood include fixation on germs, fear of contamination from animals or people, and fear of touching surfaces.
It can also manifest as anxiety about accidentally hurting a family member or friend, superstitions that bad things are about to happen, and worries about appearance and organization.
According to mental health experts from NIHEveryone reconsiders or rechecks things sometimes.
Not all repeated thoughts are obsessions and not all rituals or habits are compulsions.
But people with OCD usually can’t control their obsessions or compulsions, even when they know they are excessive.
They usually spend more than an hour a day on their obsessions or compulsions.
They get no pleasure from their compulsions, but they may feel temporary relief from their anxiety.
They also experience major problems in daily life due to these thoughts or behaviors.
Ritualistic, compulsive behavior and obsessive thinking are physically and emotionally exhausting.
The condition can make social interactions, work, and even eating nearly impossible. People with OCD may find themselves unable to engage thoughtfully with others because they are so preoccupied with their own obsessions.
They may also feel ashamed and afraid of being judged.
People with OCD often avoid situations that will cause severe anxiety, leading to social isolation and loneliness that worsens anxiety and causes feelings of depression and hopelessness.
Treatment for OCD typically involves cognitive behavioral therapy, particularly exposure and response prevention (ERP), which gradually exposes people to situations that trigger their obsessions while helping them resist the temptation to engage in compulsive behaviors.