OCD involves unwanted, intrusive thoughts and compulsive behaviours or mental acts performed to relieve anxiety caused by those thoughts. If OCD is consuming time and affecting your daily life, specialist therapy can help you break the cycle and reduce its impact.
What is OCD?
Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder has two main components: obsessions and compulsions. Obsessions are unwanted, intrusive thoughts, images, or urges that cause significant anxiety or distress. They often involve concerns about contamination, harm, morality, symmetry, or unwanted thoughts that feel completely at odds with your values. Compulsions are behaviours or mental acts you perform to reduce the anxiety caused by obsessions. These might include cleaning, checking, arranging things in specific ways, counting, reassurance-seeking, or mental rituals like praying or reviewing. The temporary relief compulsions provide keeps the OCD cycle going – the more you do compulsions, the stronger the obsessions become.
How It Might Affect You
OCD can be incredibly time-consuming and distressing. Obsessions might occupy hours of your day. Compulsions can become elaborate and time-consuming, interfering with work, relationships, and daily functioning. You might feel shame or embarrassment about your obsessions – especially if they involve unwanted violent, sexual, or immoral thoughts that feel completely contrary to who you are. OCD can become isolating. Relationships might be affected if you’re asking partners for reassurance or accommodation related to compulsions. Work performance can suffer if OCD is consuming your mental energy. The distress caused by unwanted thoughts and the time spent in compulsions can significantly limit your quality of life. Many people feel tremendous relief and find OCD’s grip weakens substantially with evidence-based therapy.
Our Approach to OCD
Working with a psychologist at Growth Psychology, you’ll receive specialist, evidence-based support for OCD. We understand that intrusive thoughts don’t reflect who you are, and that OCD is a condition that responds well to treatment. Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), specifically Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP), is the gold standard treatment for OCD. ERP involves gradually facing situations that trigger obsessions while resisting the urge to perform compulsions – creating new learning that anxiety naturally decreases without compulsions. We also address the thoughts and beliefs that fuel OCD, using cognitive techniques to change how you relate to unwanted thoughts. Your psychologist will work collaboratively with you, understanding your specific obsessions and compulsions, and developing a tailored treatment plan. We move at your pace while gently encouraging you to face what you’ve been avoiding. Many people find that with ERP, OCD’s impact decreases significantly. Learn more about our
therapeutic approaches.
When to Seek Help
If OCD is consuming time, causing distress, or affecting your functioning – seeking specialist support is important. OCD doesn’t improve on its own; evidence-based therapy is the most effective treatment. The earlier you seek support, the sooner OCD’s grip can begin to loosen.
