12 facts about people living with OCD

Obsessions and compulsions are the common symptoms of OCD. Obsessions include worries about germs, dirt, or illness, fears of harming yourself or someone else, fears of saying something offensive or obscene; and having violent thoughts. Examples of compulsive behaviors include: arranging items in a specific way, hiding items that could hide you or others, excessive hand washing or cleaning.

Here are some facts about people living with OCD;

1.People living with OCD may have a hard time paying attention at work or school and also completing tasks because of the obsessions or compulsions.

2.In order to control obsession-related anxiety, people living with OCD often perform certain tasks or compulsions.

3.People living with OCD may have sexual thoughts like kissing, and touching, and they may attach meaning to those thoughts.

4.People living with OCD always act like their thoughts are correct or realistic, even though they know their thoughts don't correspond with reality most of the time.

5.They often depend on compulsions to get away from their obsessive thoughts, even though it’s just a temporary relief.

6.They often don’t know what will trigger their anxiety, and sometimes stress can make the symptoms worse.

7.They can be treated with medications or psychotherapies. Examples of these medications include Prozac (fluoxetine), Zoloft (sertraline), Paxil (paroxetine), and Anafranil (clomipramine). An example of the psychotherapies includes cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT).

8.People with OCD often have distressing and repetitive fears they can’t control, and this can lead to anxiety.

9.People living with OCD often have this attitude of checking things repeatedly, e.g. door lock and performing tasks a certain number of times, e.g. washing a plate three times.

10.The symptoms of OCD are not caused by drugs or medications.

11.People with OCD often detect it at a young age. It’s often considered a lifetime disorder.

12.They may have health issues, difficulty in their relationship with people, and a poor quality of life.