OCD — Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder
Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) is characterized by obsessions (intrusive, repetitive, unwanted thoughts, urges, or images that cause anxiety) and/or compulsions (repetitive behaviors or mental acts performed in response to the obsessions, aimed at reducing anxiety or preventing a feared event).
OCD was classified among the anxiety disorders in the DSM-IV but has its own category in the DSM-5 (Obsessive-Compulsive and Related Disorders). The core mechanism is: an obsession generates anxiety → a compulsion temporarily relieves the anxiety → this reinforces both the obsession and the compulsion. The compulsion provides relief but sustains and intensifies the cycle.
First-line treatment is CBT with Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) — exposure to the obsession without performing the compulsion, allowing the anxiety to decrease naturally. SSRIs are frequently combined with it.
💡 Practical example
Obsession: 'What if I left the stove on and the house catches fire?' Intense anxiety. Compulsion: checking the stove 10 times before leaving. Brief relief. But the relief reinforces the checking, and next time the person needs to check even more times to get the same relief.
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