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The names in this story have been intentionally changed.
“I am a little OCD.” You’ve probably used this phrase. Well, here are some reasons you should stop. October is OCD Awareness Month. In this article, we cover the symptoms of OCD, available treatments, and some personal experiences with the condition.
OCD is a condition society often completely misunderstands. Very often, it’s a lonely experience. It’s deeply personal, and no two people with the diagnosis are exactly alike.
For some, it’s the constant need to check things. For others, it’s intrusive thoughts that they might harm themselves, or, more often, those around them. It could also be compulsive hoarding or the inability to get rid of unnecessary items.
It can also mean living with a constant fear that you might make everyone around you sick, as if you’re somehow to blame for causing an epidemic. Then come the rituals, like endless handwashing. “Let’s just do it one more time, just in case. What if something terrible happens. Something that could have been prevented by simply washing my hands?”
People often say, “Just stop doing it.”
If only it were that simple. Unfortunately, it’s not. It’s simply about how the brain works. You can’t just snap out of it. You’re not spoiled, you’re not crazy, and you’re not hysterical.
People living with OCD usually know their actions can’t actually control events, but their brains refuse to agree with that logic.
The Signs of OCD
To really understand Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD), it helps to know what it actually looks like in everyday life.
OCD isn’t about being neat or organized. It’s a mental health condition that involves two main parts: obsessions and compulsions.
Obsessions are unwanted, intrusive thoughts, images, or urges that cause intense anxiety or distress. These thoughts can appear suddenly and are very hard to ignore.
Compulsions are repetitive actions or mental rituals a person feels driven to perform to reduce anxiety or prevent something bad from happening. They might include things like washing hands repeatedly, checking if doors are locked, arranging objects in a specific order, or silently repeating words or prayers.
While everyone has habits or worries from time to time, for people with OCD, these behaviors can take up more than an hour a day and cause serious distress or interfere with daily life at work, school, or in relationships.
Real Stories
For Leah OCD started when she was around ten years old. The condition has affected many areas of her life over time including her social, family, and school life. Most of the time her intrusive thoughts would say things that were the opposite of how she truly felt.
When she started high school, she took a culinary arts course thinking it would be a fun, new experience. Sadly, her intrusive thoughts actually worsened. Whenever a lesson in class involved the use of kitchen knives, she was hammered with intrusive thoughts about harming herself or others. These thoughts paralyzed her. Coupled with a psychosis, they felt even more real, and the anxiety and distress she experienced were very overwhelming. She constantly sought reassurance from the people around her. She often asked her parents and peers questions like, “I won’t do this, right?” or “Please tell me I won’t do this”. This behavior was one of her compulsions but seeking reassurance that the intrusive scenarios in her mind would not happen only made things worse. Receiving that reassurance only increased the anxiety and perpetuated the obsessions that were bothering her.
Even though she could not take OCD medications due to genetics, through therapy and personal resilience, Leah now knows how to handle her intrusive thoughts and urges and can overcome her compulsions.
“I’ve been described as ‘high functioning,’ and I believe that’s because I’ve channeled my focus into education and research on the topic. I’m highly analytical, which helps me stay grounded in reality. But it often feels like I’m living two lives,” says Alex, who has experienced OCD her entire life.
Does that sound exhausting? Well, it is. Very much so.
“OCD is a monster that eats you alive. It keeps you a prisoner of your own thoughts. The worst part? You can’t escape your own mind the way you might escape an unhealthy relationship. OCD is like an evil twin. It is always there, always whispering, never letting you relax.”
Alex describes the emotions as deeply unsettling:
“I don’t know what it feels like to be at peace. I don’t know what it’s like to think about nothing and just enjoy the moment. My mind is always filled with billions of ‘what if’ scenarios. The movies in my head are always horror and never comedy. ‘What if I start feeling happy, and because of my happiness, someone else suffers? I can’t allow that.’”
OCD knows your weakest spots and strikes without warning. When a thought appears, it latches onto your brain and sticks just like a gripping story would. But OCD doesn’t let you enjoy imagination; it twists everything into a nightmare.
And once a thought is stuck, sometimes for months or even years, you can’t stop thinking about it. It follows you everywhere: during work meetings, out with friends, even in your sleep. You stop listening to the outside world and retreat into your own.
OCD Treatment
The good news is that OCD is treatable.
Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) therapy, medication, or a combination of both are considered the first-line treatments for OCD. ERP is an evidence-based form of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) that’s effective for children, teens, and adults.
In ERP, a therapist gradually exposes the person to situations that trigger their anxiety. Then, together, they work on resisting the compulsion—the urge to perform a ritual. The process starts small and progresses at a pace that feels safe for the individual.
ERP is often combined with other approaches such as Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Cognitive Therapy, Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), and Mindfulness techniques.
For severe or treatment-resistant cases, advanced options like Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS), Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS), or even surgical procedures may be considered under medical supervision. The right therapy depends on the individual and should always be guided by a qualified mental health professional.
OCD isn’t about wanting things neat and tidy. Being organized doesn’t mean you have OCD. Yes, some people with OCD may like order, but liking order does not make you “a little OCD.”
