- Hey everybody. Today we're going to clear up
some misconceptions about
obsessive compulsive disorder or OCD.
And a quick shout out to this video's sponsor, NOCD.
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First, let's talk about what the symptoms of OCD are
just to make sure that we're all on the same page.
Now OCD according to the DSM which I know,
is not the end all be all but it is a great place to start,
is characterized by someone who suffers
with obsessions, compulsions, or both.
Obsessions are defined as,
recurrent and persistent thoughts, urges or images
that are experienced at sometime during the disturbance
as intrusive, unwanted, and in most individuals,
causes marked anxiety or distress.
And the individual attempts to ignore or suppress
such thoughts, urges, or images,
or to neutralize them with some thought or action
like performing a compulsion.
And compulsions are defined as,
repetitive behaviors like hand-washing, checking, et cetera,
or mental acts, like praying, counting,
repeating words silently.
That the person feels driven to perform in response
to an obsession,
or according to the rules that must be applied rigidly.
The behaviors or mental acts are aimed at preventing
or reducing distress, or preventing some dreaded event
or situation from happening.
However these behaviors or mental acts,
either are not connected in a realistic way
to what they were designed to neutralize or prevent,
or are clearly excessive.
Now these obsessions or compulsions are time consuming.
For example, they usually take up
more than an hour of our time each day.
Or they cause clinically significant distress or impairment
in social occupational or other areas of functioning.
And these issues can not be better explained by the symptoms
of another mental disorder.
Like excessive worry,
which is considered generalized anxiety disorder,
or preoccupation with appearance,
as in body dysmorphic disorder,
hair pulling, as in trichotillomania,
skin picking as in excoriation,
and you get the idea.
Now that we know what OCD is,
let's debunk some of those most common misconceptions.
First up, is that those with OCD are just neat freaks.
They feel the need to wash their hands a lot
and just like things to be neat and tidy and organized
at all times.
Okay. It may surprise you,
but a lot of people with OCD are not tidy or clean at all.
In fact, some of my patients who struggle
with what is called pure O OCD,
meaning that much of their OCD symptomology
happens in their mind,
with their obsessions and compulsions
being things they think, or mentally do,
this can be so debilitating,
that they aren't able to clean their home,
be organized, or even keep up with their own hygiene.
There are many types of OCD.
With some people feeling the urge to constantly check things
like, did I turn the stove off, is it off,
I have to check it a certain number of times.
Others struggling with urges
to collect or keep possessions,
as well as those who need order and symmetry.
And, those that have obsessions and compulsions
related to things being contaminated.
So thinking that everyone with OCD is a neat freak,
is way off.
Just like all mental illnesses
everyone will experience it differently.
The next misconception, is that those with OCD
are just uptight, and if they could learn to relax,
their OCD would just go away.
Now, sure. OCD does come along with worry thoughts,
distress, and anxiety that if we don't do the thing
we feel compelled to do, that compulsion,
something bad is going to happen.
However, just relaxing isn't the answer.
In order for us to overcome our OCD,
we actually have to find ways to calm our system down
while, slowly exposing ourselves
to the anxiety producing thing.
Meaning, that if we feel the urge
to check the stove seven times to make sure that it's off,
we don't do it.
We don't check it at all,
while we work to manage the anxiety
that comes up as a result.
Yes doing this work is hard,
and yes, we will at times give in,
but the more we push back and don't do the compulsions,
the more quickly our brain will realize,
that the scary or dangerous thing
really isn't a threat after all.
In a way we're rewiring our brain
so that it doesn't sound the alarm
unless there really is a credible threat.
In short, relaxing is only a small portion of the work
that we will do in therapy to overcome our symptoms of OCD.
The next misconception,
is that OCD is caused by childhood trauma.
Sure. Many of us can develop different mental illnesses
as a result of the trauma we endured in childhood.
But many of those with OCD,
don't have any history of trauma.
Most commonly in my experience,
is actually a history of parents
that are too involved or meshed with us.
Meaning that we didn't have healthy boundaries,
or feel free to be independent
and make decisions on our own.
And that lack of trust in our own abilities
can lead to intense anxiety and worry,
and in many cases, OCD.
Also it's more common that we have OCD
because someone else in our family does
since genetics do play a role,
as well as what we learn through growing up
around someone who has it.
So in other words it can be nature and nurture
that cause it.
The fourth misconception,
is that all people with OCD are germaphobes.
As we talked about earlier,
OCD can take on many forms
depending on the person who has it.
And some of the most common fears or obsessions
that I've heard from you over the years,
are the fear of becoming a predator
since many of our intrusive thoughts
can be harming someone else physically or sexually.
Another common one is the fear that someone we love will die
or something bad will happen to them,
which is why we can want to check certain things
over and over again,
to make sure that they or the area that we're in is safe.
And another fear I've dealt with in my office
with a few of my patients,
is the fear of certain numbers or days.
We can think something terrible is going to happen
if we do that thing a number of times,
or we can refuse to book any event
on a specific date or time.
As you can see,
OCD can cause us to have a lot of different fears.
And a lot of those, have nothing to do with germs.
Only some of us will have germaphobia.
Therefore, that dispels the myth
that all people with OCD are germaphobes.
And the final misconception that I'm gonna address today,
is that OCD isn't treatable.
And those who are diagnosed with it,
just have to learn how to live with it.
It is very much treatable,
and something we can overcome with the right help.
Like we talked about briefly before,
our OCD symptoms happen
because the alarm system in our brain goes off,
when it thinks we might be in danger
i.e our obsessions.
And then we do what we need to do
in order to feel safe, calm, or okay again. Our compulsions.
The problem with this is that our alarm system
is going off all the time,
even when we logically know
that there isn't really a threat.
And all of those alarms get in the way
of us living our life.
But we can retrain our brain to not sound the alarm
when there is an incredible threat
through exposure response prevention therapy, or ERP.
And this is a style of therapy that's offered
through the NOCD app.
ERP works by first exposing ourselves to the images,
situations, people or things that trigger our compulsion,
and the next step,
is us making the choice, to not do the compulsion.
It is difficult,
and should be done with the support of a licensed therapist.
But the more times we decide to not do the compulsion,
the lower and lower our anxiety or upset will get.
And we will slowly prove to ourselves,
that the thing we worried about so intensely,
isn't really a threat, and nothing bad happened.
And the alarm that used to go off all the time, will stop.
In short we are building up a new habit
or retraining our brain to not be as reactive.
And talk therapy, actually isn't recommended
for the treatment of OCD because it tends to focus
on helping us gain insight into our issues.
And while it can help to know where our OCD comes from,
or have a greater understanding of our triggers,
that doesn't help us overcome the urges,
and get our life back.
And that's why exposure treatments like ERP
are considered the best route for those of us
struggling with symptoms of OCD.
I hope this was helpful,
and possibly helped you better understand what OCD is,
versus what it isn't.
And there are so many more myths
and misconceptions out there.
So feel free to leave those in the comments down below
so that we can keep learning together.
Thank you so much for watching and have a great week. Bye.
(soft upbeat music)