By Isha M., Grade 10
Re-read the heading 3 more times otherwise you’ll get a bad grade on your next test.
Did you do it? If you did, you just complied to an intrusive thought. An intrusive thought is any unwanted thought that appears in your mind without warning. Many of us experience them without recognising that they’re unwanted however if they start to cause you distress and you experience daily compulsions then you are exhibiting OCD behaviour. Dr Peckham, a psycologist MIS refers families to, has observed many of these behaviours in her time at work.
OCD, stands for obsessive compulsive disorder and the National Institute of Mental health defines it as “a long-lasting disorder in which a person experiences uncontrollable and recurring thoughts (obsession), engages in repetitive behaviours (compulsions), or both.”
However, more specifically, why are routines so vigilant for them? To fully understand the perspective of people with OCD, Dr Peckham has answered a few questions regarding this.
“Essentially people with OCD are very anxious,” Dr. Peckham said. “OCD is a severe anxiety disorder and adhering to their routines or rituals reduces their anxiety, temporarily.”
But these routines do not appear from just anywhere, they are often connected to their intrusive thoughts.
“These repetitive behaviors or mental acts are meant to reduce anxiety related to a person’s obsessions or prevent something bad from happening, but they only provide limited relief,” Dr Peckham said.
These compulsions can be expressed in many different forms and are generally acted out daily by people who have OCD. However, they always maintain a connection to the person’s worry, underlying a more complex thought process to their decisions and actions, Peckham said.
“For example, washing their hands excessively for fear of being contaminated,” Dr. Peckham said.
The most common routines that Dr. Peckham has observed are checking doors to make sure their locked which is driven by a fear of safety or washing their hands due to fear of contamination.
The clear difference of a person with OCD and without OCD is connected to the worry or obsession. A person without can often dismiss the intrusive thought and continue with what they are doing, however people with OCD must complete the compulsion to avoid the obsession.
“Only 1% of people globally have OCD,” Dr Peckham said.
But these routines are not an effective way to avoid intrusive thoughts as the compulsions only build with time and the obsessions are encouraged.
“The evidence-based treatment for OCD is exposure and response prevention,” Dr Peckham said. “So we help people to get exposed to their obsession (worry eg germs) and then refrain from the obsession (washing their hands) to prove to themselves that they make not get sick, and to help them manage their anxiety in a more adaptive way.”
This process can be difficult but is sustainable in the long-term and helps let the intrusive thoughts become quieter, allowing people with OCD to manage their routines and severity of OCD.
“It is very effective but needs the patient to commit to many sessions and do the homework outside of therapy.” Dr Peckham said.