Suffering from OCD may feel helpless at times and like your life may be falling out of your control, but you are certainly not alone, and there are ways to regain control of your life.
Mental disorders can happen to anyone, and you deserve help. Here is a breakdown of OCD as well as OCD success stories to help get you on the path to wellness.
What Is OCD?
Before getting into some OCD success stories, it’s important to truly understand OCD in order to take control of it.
Obsessive compulsive disorder, more commonly known as OCD, is a mental health disorder that causes a person to get caught in a cycle of obsessions and compulsions. Obsessions are intrusive, distressing thoughts, while compulsions try to end or decrease these obsessions.
OCD can affect anyone from any walk of life.
Symptoms of OCD
Despite popular misconceptions, OCD isn’t just about cleanliness or being a “neat freak”. OCD is a serious mental disorder with symptoms that can disrupt everyday life.
Obsession Symptoms
Common obsession symptoms do include a fear of contamination of dirt and needing things to be orderly, but it can also include needing routine and reacting badly to uncertainty.
Further obsession symptoms can include intrusive, unwanted thoughts about losing control and harming yourself and others.
Compulsion Symptoms
As previously mentioned, compulsions come in response to obsessions, so some common compulsion symptoms may include showering or bathing until your skin is red or getting up multiple times to ensure your doors and windows are locked.
Further symptoms may include constantly repeating a word or phrase, or always having to count or perform a task in the exact same order.
What Can Go Wrong
Everyone experiences OCD differently, but OCD can certainly spiral if you don’t get help. You can end up isolating yourself, missing out on parties or events, giving up hobbies, and overall not living your life to the fullest.
This isn’t meant to scare you. If anything, let this be a wake-up call for you to get the help you deserve.
How To Treat OCD
Ideally, you should seek professional help. If you already have a diagnosis, then you’re one step ahead, but if you haven’t been professionally diagnosed, that’s an important first step.
When it comes to your treatment, go in with an open mind. It won’t be a linear journey, so it’s important to expect the unexpected and go with the flow.
There are several methods to treat OCD. Talk to your therapist to see which one is most effective for you.
OCD Success Stories
There is hope, and you are not the only person dealing with OCD. Here are some of the many OCD success stories from Dr. Ori’s clients.
Attorney, 25 Years Old
“(An attorney) obsessed over whether her behaviors were 100% ethical… She tried to magically undo her mistakes through compulsive finger counting, creating a tension in her body, spelling the word PERFECT on her fingers, and nodding until she felt just right.”
“…Through 7 weeks of ERP she was able to desensitize to the idea of being imperfect and was able to stop ritualizing.”
Nanny, 25 Years Old
“A 25-year-old nanny was battling constant intrusive thoughts about going crazy, hearing voices, having paranoia and hurting children…”
“…Through short-term ERP treatment, she learned how to stop her mental rituals, desensitize to her thoughts, and ultimately quiet her mind. She terminated treatment and graduated to become one of our OCD success stories…”
Camp Director, 23 Years Old
“A 23-year-old camp director had a history of OCD since middle school that had gotten progressively worse…He would spend at least an hour and a half in the shower and would spend 45 of those minutes washing his hands and scrubbing under his nails…”
“…Through short-term ERP therapy, he was able to reduce his obsessions and compulsions to a subclinical level.”
Software Engineer, 29 Years Old
“A 29-year-old software engineer had struggled with OCD since 15 years old. She spent hours per day ruminating on mistakes that she could have made that may bring misfortune to someone else…”
“…Through repetitive exposure to script writing, tape recording and visual imagery, she was successfully able to habituate to her fears and lead a much more productive and satisfying life.”
Coming to terms with your OCD and the fact that you need help may be a difficult process, but there is no shame in getting help, and you’ll undoubtedly thank yourself for it later.
With the right help and guidance, you can be one of these OCD success stories too.
