Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD)

Obsessive Compulsive Disorder is otherwise known as OCD. It is a debilitating mental illness that affects 1 out of 5 people. It is characterized by Intrusive thoughts and compulsive behaviors that are very hard to deal with. The intrusive thoughts are often terrifying for the suffer to experience because the intrusive thoughts cause high levels of anxiety. People with OCD have to perform rituals and compulsions to stop the anxiety temporarily. It's something terrible to experience and something that no one should ever have to go through, yet tons of people around the world experience this mental illness.

It's scary, and the sufferer knows the fears and thoughts they have are irrational and won't affect anything, but the anxiety makes them believe otherwise. OCD can be caused by lots of things like your biology, environment, stressful or traumatic life events, genetics, or even other mental illnesses. OCD is a lifelong mental illness, and there is no cure, but there are treatment options like therapy, medication, etc. People with OCD often have fears of germs, dirt, hurting themself or others, or even religion-based fears. These fears and thoughts are usually hard to control because the person with OCD may not like the thoughts they are feeling because they are afraid of actually doing a harmful action or accidentally doing something that would harm someone else.

Even though they would never actually do it. It's just a terrifying thought that won't go away. Not being able to control thoughts like these is scary because the person with OCD believes they are a terrible person because of what's going on inside their head. OCD can be hard to deal with, especially if it becomes debilitating for the person who has it. This means that the sufferer is stuck in an anxious loop every day and night and loses track of time dealing with anxiety and compulsions over and over. It's exhausting and time-consuming. OCD is scary and hard to deal with, but with the proper treatment and support from family and friends, OCD can go from debilitating to manageable. OCD is something that people need to learn more about because it's not a quirk; it's an awful mental illness that is genuinely something terrifying to have. At the same time, it's no longer classified as an anxiety disorder. It most certainly is one because of the extreme fears it causes a person to experience. To have the anxiety subside for a little bit, the person performs rituals and compulsions. Then, the fears come back stronger than before, and the cycle starts anew. It's scary to experience, and people with OCD don't always know that they have OCD until they seek out help or, in some cases, don't want help at first because they are scared of being judged for what they are going through.

They fear that if they don't make sure that a door is locked, someone could break into their home, or if the stove isn't off, the house could burn down, and their pets or family could be. Even after checking those things, even if the doors are locked, and the stove is off, the person still feels compelled to keep checking over and over. Even though nothing will happen, the person can't shake the thoughts from their severely harmed mind. OCD is way more than a funny quirk.

People who suffer from OCD don't like it being thought of as a funny quirk because it's much more than wanting things organized.

Suppose you or someone you love suffers from OCD. There are ways to get help.

To learn more, go to

https://iocdf.org/about-ocd/

https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/obsessive-compulsive-disorder/symptoms-causes/syc-20354432

https://www.nami.org/learn-more/mental-health-conditions/obsessive-compulsive-disorder

https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/obsessive-compulsive-disorder-ocd/index.shtml