OCD
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) involves recurring unwanted thoughts, images, or urges that create significant anxiety or distress. In an attempt to reduce this distress or prevent something bad from happening, you may find yourself performing certain behaviours or mental rituals. While these strategies can bring temporary relief, they often strengthen the cycle of OCD over time.
OCD is not about being neat, organised, or liking things a certain way. It can affect many areas of life and often leaves people feeling trapped in a cycle they know does not make logical sense, yet feels incredibly difficult to break.
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OCD can look different for everyone. You may notice:
Experiencing intrusive thoughts, images, or urges that feel unwanted or distressing
Repeatedly checking, washing, counting, or seeking reassurance
Mentally reviewing situations or trying to gain certainty
Feeling responsible for preventing harm or mistakes
Avoiding people, places, or situations that trigger anxiety
Feeling unable to stop a ritual until it feels "just right"
Doubting your memories, decisions, or actions
Spending significant time caught in compulsions or mental rituals
Feeling ashamed, confused, or frightened by your intrusive thoughts
Recognising that your fears may be unlikely, while still feeling compelled to respond
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OCD is driven by a strong need for certainty, safety, or reassurance in response to intrusive thoughts and uncertainty.
Everyone experiences unwanted thoughts from time to time. With OCD, these thoughts often feel unusually significant or threatening, leading you to respond in ways that reduce anxiety in the short term. While checking, reassurance seeking, avoidance, or mental rituals may provide temporary relief, they also teach your brain that the intrusive thought was dangerous, keeping the cycle going.
Understanding this cycle is an important step towards breaking free from it.
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OCD is highly treatable, and psychological therapy is considered one of the most effective approaches.
Our psychologists use evidence-based treatments, including Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP), to help you gradually face uncertainty, reduce compulsions, and respond differently to intrusive thoughts. Where appropriate, therapy may also explore the beliefs, fears, or experiences that influence how OCD affects you.
The goal is not to stop intrusive thoughts from occurring, but to reduce their power and help you live your life without OCD calling the shots.
Taking the next step
Living with OCD can be exhausting, particularly when it feels like your mind is constantly demanding certainty or reassurance.
Our psychologists can help you understand the cycle of OCD and support you to regain freedom from the rituals, avoidance, and fears that may be limiting your life.