In fact, individuals with OCD have a hard time hearing this usage of “obsession” as it feels as though it diminishes their struggle with OCD symptoms.Įven if the content of the “obsession” is more serious, for example, everyone might have had a thought from time to time about getting sick, or worrying about a loved one’s safety, or wondering if a mistake they made might be catastrophic in some way, that doesn’t mean these obsessions are necessarily symptoms of OCD. You can be “obsessed” with a new song you hear on the radio, but you can still meet your friend for dinner, get ready for bed in a timely way, get to work on time in the morning, etc., despite this obsession. “Obsessed” in this everyday sense doesn’t involve problems in day-to-day living and even has a pleasurable component to it. These more casual uses of the word means that someone is preoccupied with a topic or an idea or even a person. Unfortunately, “obsessing” or “being obsessed” are commonly used terms in every day language. This last part is extremely important to keep in mind as it, in part, determines whether someone has OCD - a psychological disorder - rather than an obsessive personality trait. Obsessions are typically accompanied by intense and uncomfortable feelings such as fear, disgust, doubt, or a feeling that things have to be done in a way that is “just right.” In the context of OCD, obsessions are time consuming and get in the way of important activities the person values. In most cases, people with OCD realize that these thoughts don’t make any sense. Individuals with OCD do not want to have these thoughts and find them disturbing. Obsessions are thoughts, images or impulses that occur over and over again and feel outside of the person’s control. What exactly are obsessions and compulsions? Most people have obsessive thoughts and/or compulsive behaviors at some point in their lives, but that does not mean that we all have “some OCD.” In order for a diagnosis of obsessive compulsive disorder to be made, this cycle of obsessions and compulsions becomes so extreme that it consumes a lot of time and gets in the way of important activities that the person values. Compulsions are behaviors an individual engages in to attempt to get rid of the obsessions and/or decrease his or her distress. Obsessions are unwanted, intrusive thoughts, images, or urges that trigger intensely distressing feelings.
Obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) is a mental health disorder that affects people of all ages and walks of life, and occurs when a person gets caught in a cycle of obsessions and compulsions.