\u201cIn other words, people pretty much panic in very similar ways but people with OCD have obsessions and compulsions that are often quite unique,\u201d Boone said. And the content of their fears is limitless.<\/p>\n
\u201cOCD fears reflect the broad range of human concerns,\u201d Boone said. This might include everything from death and afterlife to morality and religious practice to disease and disarray, he said.<\/p>\n
Individuals may fear doing something wrong or embarrassing in front of others, or accidentally offending others, said Devon MacDermott<\/a>, Ph.D, a New York City psychologist specializing in OCD, trauma, and mindfulness. They may have severe discomfort about things not being organized a certain way, or about being homosexual without knowing it, she said.<\/p>\n Some people, who aren\u2019t even religious, worry \u201cAm I going to hell if I didn\u2019t say a prayer?\u201d said Hsia<\/a>, an assistant director of the Cognitive Behavior Therapy Center of Southern California.<\/p>\n Many individuals engage in compulsions, which are repetitive behaviors and rituals to reduce their extreme anxiety. This might be anything from repeating reassuring phrases to rechecking for mistakes to tapping certain objects to circling the block over and over to make sure you haven\u2019t hit anyone with your car.<\/p>\n Some individuals have obsessions but no compulsions, which is a subtype of OCD known as \u201cPure O.\u201d For instance, people might have fears about harming themselves or others; being a pedophile; not truly loving their partner; or being a bad person, said Sheva Rajaee, MFT, founder of The Center for Anxiety and OCD<\/a> in Irvine, Calif.<\/p>\n OCD is \u201cabout a heightened threat response,\u201d which \u201ccan attack anything,\u201d Rajaee said. \u201cIf the brain can think it, OCD can latch onto it and create a whirlwind of doubt.\u201d OCD, she noted, is like having an overprotective, anxious parent living inside your mind, pointing out every possible negative outcome 24\/7.<\/p>\n OCD is deeply painful and debilitating, MacDermott said. \u201cMost sufferers are haunted daily\u2014if not moment by moment\u2014by [their] frightening or upsetting thoughts.\u201d If they engage in compulsions, it often becomes a \u201cterrible internal fight,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n \u201cPeople with OCD almost always know that their thoughts are not really going to come true and that their compulsions don\u2019t make the situation better but they feel helpless to stop or ignore the thoughts.\u201d<\/p>\n These unwanted thoughts or fears tend to stem from what people value most, Hsia said. For instance, this is why new moms have fears about dropping or drowning their babies, he said.<\/p>\n For Candace Ganger<\/a>, a writer who\u2019s lived with OCD since age 7, the illness manifests in all sorts of ways, and is often a chameleon. \u201cIt can change without notice.\u201d<\/p>\n That is, if Ganger is going through a big transition or an especially stressful situation, she\u2019ll start experiencing a shift in her usual tics. \u201cWhere I might\u2019ve only eaten a baked potato every day for lunch at the exact same time before, one day my brain will pick something new and I\u2019ll have that every day instead. Or I\u2019ve been known for rubbing my knuckles together in the past, but at some point, it changed to clawing my throat.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cEven if I know I\u2019m stressed or anxious, there\u2019s no indicator as to what the new tics will be or how long they\u2019ll stay,\u201d said Ganger, author of the YA novel\u00a0The Inevitable Collison of Birdie & Bash<\/em>.<\/p>\n TV shows\u2014like Monk\u2014portray OCD as \u201ca quirky, zany character trait often played for laughs,\u201d MacDermott said. Inaccurate media depiction is one reason OCD is deeply misunderstood.<\/p>\n According to Rajaee, there are two others. The first is mental health stigma, which leads many people to suffer in silence. Silence then sparks speculation and misinformation, she said. The other reason is lack of education in graduate psychology programs and medical school. As Rajaee said, if professionals don\u2019t fully understand OCD, how can the public?<\/p>\n In fact, she regularly hears awful stories from clients about their past experiences in therapy. Some therapists have called the cops after interpreting clients\u2019 intrusive thoughts as truths. Others have encouraged clients with sexuality obsessions to come out.<\/p>\n \u201cTherapists need to know the difference between an obsession\u2014[which goes] against the client\u2019s personal values and desires, [or] \u2018ego dystonic\u2019 thoughts\u2014versus a person who is truly confused about their identity, for example,\u201d Rajaee said.<\/p>\n Practitioners and the public hold other kinds of myths about OCD. Another persistent myth is that people with OCD can stop their thoughts\u2014if they really try. All the experts mentioned that thought-stopping not only doesn\u2019t work, but it also backfires. \u201cFundamentally, the more we try not<\/em> to have an experience, the more we have it,\u201d Rajaee said. \u201cWe are sending our brain a message that the thoughts and feelings in OCD are dangerous when we try to stop having them.\u201d<\/p>\n MacDermott suggested thinking of it this way: Imagine something you fear most is right in front of you. Someone asks you to simply let it be there\u2014without reacting or running out of the room\u2014until it goes away on its own.<\/p>\n People also assume that OCD is permanent. However, it\u2019s actually \u201cone of the diagnosable disorders that responds best to therapy,\u201d MacDermott said. The most effective treatment for OCD is a type of cognitive-behavioral therapy called exposure and response prevention. In a systematic, step-by-step manner, individuals with OCD face their fears and refrain from engaging in their compulsive rituals.<\/p>\n The best teacher is experiencing something different, Hsia said. This is in stark contrast to trying to reassure yourself or convince yourself that your fears are false\u2014which is actually what feeds and perpetuates OCD, he said.<\/p>\n After completing treatment, some people find that their symptoms are virtually non-existent, and a huge majority experience significant relief, MacDermott said. Hsia emphasized that he sees people make progress in just several therapy sessions.<\/p>\n Rajaee also stressed that the prognosis for living a full life with OCD is considerably positive. Moms who couldn\u2019t hold their babies for fear of harming them now have healthy relationships with their kids, she said. Students who had to re-write their homework over and over until it felt \u201cjust right\u201d have graduated school, she said.<\/p>\n The key is to see a clinician who specializes in treating OCD. Because \u201cWorking with someone who does not know how to treat OCD can aggravate the symptoms and cause more depression and hopelessness,\u201d Rajaee said.<\/p>\n MacDermott noted that OCD affects about 2 percent of the population. \u201cThat\u2019s one in 50 people.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThink about the last large room you were in or the people around you in traffic, or, for that matter, your group of friends or coworkers.\u201d People tend to hide their symptoms well, she said, so be conscious of what you say. The next time you say something like \u201cI\u2019m really OCD about my desk,\u201d \u201cyou might be saying it around someone who actually suffers with OCD.\u201d\u00a0And statements like that belittle and minimize a person\u2019s painful struggles.<\/p>\n OCD is complex, and living with it can feel really isolating, Hsia said. \u201cBy educating yourself, you are being a force for good,\u201d MacDermott said.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s frightening enough to live the experience so be kind to those around you,\u201d Ganger said. \u201cTry to be understanding even if you don\u2019t understand the disorder itself. Empathy matters and may even keep those tics at bay.\u201d<\/p>\n MacDermott noted that the YA novel Turtles All the Way Down<\/em><\/a> is a realistic portrayal of daily life with OCD. Its author, John Green, has OCD. She also noted The Man Who Couldn\u2019t Stop <\/a><\/em>is an excellent book.<\/p>\n Hsia suggested reading Freedom from OCD<\/a><\/em>, The Imp of the Mind<\/a><\/em> (not as comprehensive but a simpler resource), and Loving Someone with OCD<\/a><\/em>; and checking out the International OCD Foundation<\/a>.<\/p>\n The OCD Stories<\/a> is a podcast that features individuals who have the illness along with OCD therapists and researchers.<\/p>\n Visit Original Source<\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" This is what most people think obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) looks like: washing your hands excessively because you\u2019re a germaphobe. Sometimes, people think it\u2019s also needing to have a neat, orderly home, and checking to see if you locked the door way too many times. And while some of this is <\/p>\n Read More<\/a>OCD: A Chameleon<\/h3>\n
Why Myths Persist<\/h3>\n
More OCD Myths<\/h3>\n
Further Reading<\/h3>\n
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Shared by Margarita Tartakovsky, M.S., Contributing Blogger<\/a> November 2, 2018<\/p>\n