What is OCD?

Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) is a mental health condition in which people experience persistent, intrusive thoughts, urges, or images (obsessions) that cause distress, along with repetitive behaviors or mental acts (compulsions) that they feel driven to perform to reduce that distress or prevent something bad from happening. These obsessions and compulsions can take up a lot of time and make daily life harder, and they’re not just typical worries. OCD isn’t only about cleanliness or germs—those are just a few examples. Common types include:

  • Contamination fears and cleaning compulsion

  • Harm obsessions and checking behaviors

  • Intrusive, taboo, or violent thoughts

  • Symmetry, ordering, and arranging urges

  • Hoarding or difficulty discarding

  • Religious, moral, or scrupulosity concerns

  • Doubt about memory or accuracy

If you’re considering treatment, know that OCD is highly treatable. Evidence-based options typically include cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) with exposure and response prevention (ERP), and/or medications like selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs). A mental health professional can tailor a plan to your needs, which may involve:

  • An in-depth assessment to understand your obsessions, compulsions, and how they affect your life

  • A structured ERP program focused on gradually facing feared situations and reducing compulsive responses

  • Medication management, if appropriate, and monitoring for side effects

  • Coping strategies for stress, sleep, and daily functioning

  • Family or caregiver involvement if you find support helpful

In addition to standard CBT/ERP, two evidence-informed approaches you may encounter are:

  • Inferential-Based CBT (I-CBT): This approach emphasizes how people form and update inferences or interpretations about danger, responsibility, and uncertainty. By identifying and challenging the underlying inferences that fuel obsessions, therapists guide you to test beliefs through deliberate exposure while examining the logic of your interpretations. I-CBT can be integrated with ERP techniques to reduce over-interpretation and improve tolerance of uncertainty.

  • Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT): ACT focuses on accepting distressing thoughts and urges without needing to control or perform rituals, while committing to actions that align with your values. For OCD, ACT can help you observe obsessions without intense reactions, reduce avoidance, and increase flexibility in behavior, all in service of meaningful life goals.