OBSESSIVE-COMPULSIVE DISORDER

Obsessing over the same things again and again and creating rituals to help ease them is the hallmark of obsessive-compulsive disorder.

You may be preoccupied with unwanted fears, rules or distracting and upsetting thoughts. These thoughts may be confusing or difficult to talk about and you aren’t sure what to do.

To cope, you may create different responses or rituals, called “compulsions” – excessively washing your hands for example or checking to see if you’ve locked your door before going to bed. Or maybe the compulsions are primarily internal responses without external behaviors. OCD is one of the most frequently undiagnosed and untreated mental health conditions, but with the right assessment and treatment relief is possible.