How obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) can impact your life.

What is obsessive-compulsive disorder?

OCD is a mental issue that repeatedly causes unwanted thoughts and sensations, or the urge to do something over and over again. A compulsive habit might be washing your hands several times after touching something which may be dirty. Or you might be inclined to keeping checking that the doors are locked, and that the stove is off before you go to bed.

Even though you know that everything is locked and switched off, you feel powerless to stop the intrusive urges. Many people who have OCD are fully aware that their thoughts and habits don’t make any sense, but when the thoughts pop up, it results in irrational responses that seem to take over your mind.

Every person at one time or another has thoughts or actions that are repeated. However, studies have shown that people with OCD experience actions or thoughts which:

·      Take up at least one hour per day.

·      Seem to be out of your control.

·      Sometimes interfere with your work, family, and social life.

In spite of extensive research, mental health experts are still unsure what actually causes OCD. But all agree that stress and anxiety can make the symptoms worse.

 

Some symptoms of compulsive thoughts and habits:

·      Always worried about or someone else close to you getting hurt.

·      Constant awareness of your heartbeat or breathing, and sometimes other normal body sensations, which may seem abnormal to you - so you keep on checking that you are okay.

·      Suspicion that your partner may be unfaithful when there is absolutely no evidence.

·      Needing to count things in the home or at work to make sure nothing is missing, or out of place.

·      A fear of touching things when out and about, as well as a fear of using public restrooms.

·      Forever tidying up, washing dishes, cleaning the car, or raking the garden.

These are just some of the urges that you are unable to control and which lead to irrational behaviours of doing things which are not always necessary.

 

How OCD can affect your life.

The World Health Organisation at one time rated OCD among the top 10 most debilitating illnesses both mental and physical. Your life can become a hellish cycle of checking, rechecking, doing and undoing, and giving vent to reckless thoughts and habits.

Recent research has also shown that OCD can negatively impact on your sex life in the following ways:

·      Some medications can have side effects which may lower libido and make it difficult for men to achieve and maintain an erection.

·      Intrusive thoughts may pop into your mind during a sexual encounter, and affect your performance, as you cannot control what may come into your mind.

·      These thoughts may occur just before climax, or all the way through the sexual encounter.

·      Studies have shown that anxiety and stress are part and parcel of OCD, and anxiety is known to affect the sexual arousal of both men and women.

 

While OCD might make sex difficult, it does not mean impossible. The key to success is to accept the thoughts which pop up during sex without compulsively responding to them, by focussing instead on the sexual encounter. The end goal is to have sex without giving way to any intrusive thoughts.

 

Treatment for OCD.

There is no medical cure for OCD. Some medications are able to help you manage symptoms which impact negatively on your life. However, many of these meds are likely to be anti-anxiety or antidepressants, many of which have a range of side effects that may leave you feeling worse.

Experts agree that hypnotherapy combined with cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) is an excellent way to gain control and manage your OCD. This is a type of psycho-therapeutic treatment which helps people to learn how to identify and change destructive thought patterns and responses that have a harmful influence on behaviour and emotions.

You will also be taught the mindfulness skills of living in the moment which will greatly help you to manage and cope with OCD issues.