OCD presents in different ways to different people.  It could be you are having obsessive thoughts and unusual urges to perform certain rituals that become so consuming that they interfere with your daily life. Most common is the fear of dirt or germs which sometimes is so severe that it can consume your life, spending hours cleaning and recleaning your house, even interfering with the amount of sleep you get.  OCD also presents in many other ways.  It may be that you have uncontrollable, unwanted thoughts or ritualised, repetitive behaviours that you feel so compelled to perform due to the fear that something catastrophic will happen if you don’t perform the steps.  After performing the ritualistic steps, it may be that your anxiety doesn’t lessen, rather your mind tells you that perhaps you haven’t done it quite right and you need to do it again to ensure that something bad doesn't happen.  If you have OCD, it is likely that you recognise that your obsessive thoughts and compulsive behaviours are irrational but feel unable to resist them and behave in a manner that is “normal”. 

 

OCD causes your brain to get stuck on a thought or urge to perform a task over and over until you experience some relief from your anxious feelings that something bad will happen.  Many severe sufferers present with hands that are red raw and bleeding from continually washing and scrubbing to get rid of germs.  In these times of COVID-19 it remains important to be vigilant with cleaning but if you are excessive and presenting with the symptoms above, it may be that you are suffering with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. 

 

Although it is normal, on occasion, to go back and double-check that the doors are locked, or the iron is unplugged, if you find yourself stuck in a loop of behaviours that are both time consuming and unpleasant it may be that you are suffering with OCD.

 

As much as it can be life-consuming, OCD is a fully treatable condition with an individualised therapeutic plan. 

 

Please see your GP in the first instance for a review of your mental health and potential diagnosis to assist treatment.