{"id":14931,"date":"2021-04-29T06:00:29","date_gmt":"2021-04-29T10:00:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/doinglifetogether\/?p=14931"},"modified":"2021-04-18T12:35:28","modified_gmt":"2021-04-18T16:35:28","slug":"are-your-obsessions-more-like-ocd","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/doinglifetogether\/2021\/04\/are-your-obsessions-more-like-ocd.html","title":{"rendered":"Obsessed or is it OCD?"},"content":{"rendered":"

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\u00a0“Stop being so OCD!”<\/em><\/p>\n

“You are obsessed with your phone.”<\/em><\/p>\n

“I am obsessed with him!”<\/em><\/p>\n

“I am obsessed with that line of make-up!”<\/em><\/p>\n

The term OCD is thrown around casually in our culture. It usually refers to liking something a lot or being very particular. This causal use of the term implies something fleeting that doesn’t interfere with your life. It is just an expression. But Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) is not a casual thing. It involves obsessions that can be quite debilitating.<\/p>\n

Imagine beginning your day, showering 3 times to make sure you got all the germs washed away. Then you feel compelled to cut your toast into 3 sections and butter each section 3 times. Then you have to take 3 sips of coffee. You check yourself in the mirror 3 times, and finally turn off the lights when you leave the house. But you have to go back and check 3 times to feel OK. If you don’t do all of these rituals, you feel incredibly anxious.<\/p>\n

Are you exhausted just thinking about this? Imagine living this type of life day after day! Imagine how disruptive it would be to getting things done. And how frustrating it would be in terms of relationships.<\/p>\n

Obsessive-compulsive disorder is a psychiatric condition characterized by uncontrolled obsessions and compulsions. Obsessions are intrusive, recurrent thoughts that cause a great deal of anxiety. The thoughts are hard to ignore, suppress or neutralize. They just come into your head. Telling them to go away doesn’t work.<\/p>\n

One way to deal with obsessive thoughts is to perform a compulsion. A compulsion is an act or repetitive behavior performed in order to reduce the anxiety of the obsession. For example, someone who obsesses about germs feels compelled to wash her hands. The unreasonable thought (obsessive) of germs and contamination prompts the person to perform a repetitive behavior (compulsion) to relieve their anxiety.<\/p>\n

Common symptoms<\/strong> of OCD include:<\/p>\n