{"id":7234,"date":"2015-06-12T07:00:21","date_gmt":"2015-06-12T11:00:21","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/doinglifetogether\/?p=7234"},"modified":"2015-06-13T09:04:26","modified_gmt":"2015-06-13T13:04:26","slug":"more-than-worry-understanding-ocd","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/doinglifetogether\/2015\/06\/more-than-worry-understanding-ocd.html","title":{"rendered":"More Than Worry: Understanding OCD"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"ID-100234439\"<\/a>It’s a term we casually throw around, “I’m so\u00a0OCD.” But for those who suffer, it’s no causal matter.<\/p>\n

It was 9:00p.m. Eric\u00a0was rechecking every door in the house to make sure it was locked. He didn\u2019t do this once, or even twice a night. Eric\u00a0had to check the doors at least ten times before he headed to his bedroom. If he didn\u2019t, he felt highly anxious and couldn\u2019t sleep. His wife is concerned because she sees the distress this checking creates in Eric. Eric\u00a0suffers from Obsessive-Compulsive behavior, a condition that is more than just worry.<\/p>\n

Intrusive anxious thoughts called obsessions <\/strong>constantly run through her\u00a0mind. These thoughts are more than normal worries about life, and difficult to give up. Typically obsessive thoughts are about contamination, self-doubts, the need for order, aggressive or horrifying impulses, or sexual imagery. Efforts to stop the obsessions fail and repetitive behaviors follow as an attempt to reduce anxiety over the thoughts. These repetitive behaviors are known as compulsions<\/strong>. Examples of compulsive behaviors include hand washing, cleaning, counting, checking, repeating words, etc. Compulsions are excessive behaviors and not successful in stopping obsessive thoughts. They offer momentary relief from anxiety.<\/p>\n

Obsessions and compulsions interfere with living. Inordinate amounts of time and energy are spent trying to resist the obsessions and compulsive behaviors that follow. It is also possible to have obsessive thoughts, and not follow those thoughts with rituals that dispel anxiety.<\/p>\n

People with OCD are not crazy. They know their thoughts and behaviors are strange and excessive. The problem is they can\u2019t seem to stop. When they try, they often experience mounting anxiety.<\/p>\n

The cause is uncertain, but we know there there are parts of the brain involved. Treatment involves a type of therapy called Cognitive Behavior Therapy that uses something called exposure plus response prevention. The idea is to expose yourself to the obsession (the thought to recheck the locks), then prevent yourself from rechecking (the compulsion). Medication is often used to help as well.<\/p>\n

Treatment can make a difference and help in all aspects of your life. This is not something you can will away or hope you out grow. If you or a loved one, suffer from OCD, help is available.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

It’s a term we casually throw around, “I’m so\u00a0OCD.” But for those who suffer, it’s no causal matter. It was 9:00p.m. Eric\u00a0was rechecking every door in the house to make sure it was locked. He didn\u2019t do this once, or even twice a night. Eric\u00a0had to check the doors at least ten times before he…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":419,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[913,914,917],"tags":[135,3165,3164,3301,2971],"class_list":["post-7234","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-couple-relationships","category-family-relationships-2","category-friend-relationships","tag-anxiety","tag-compulsions","tag-obsessions","tag-obsessive-compulsive-disorder","tag-ocd"],"yoast_head":"\nMore Than Worry: Understanding OCD<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/doinglifetogether\/2015\/06\/more-than-worry-understanding-ocd.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"More Than Worry: Understanding OCD\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"It’s a term we casually throw around, “I’m so\u00a0OCD.” But for those who suffer, it’s no causal matter. It was 9:00p.m. Eric\u00a0was rechecking every door in the house to make sure it was locked. He didn\u2019t do this once, or even twice a night. Eric\u00a0had to check the doors at least ten times before he…\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/doinglifetogether\/2015\/06\/more-than-worry-understanding-ocd.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Doing Life Together\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:author\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/drlindamintle\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2015-06-12T11:00:21+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2015-06-13T13:04:26+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"http:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/doinglifetogether\/files\/2015\/06\/ID-100234439-300x200.jpg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Linda Mintle\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@drlindamintle\" \/>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"More Than Worry: Understanding OCD","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/doinglifetogether\/2015\/06\/more-than-worry-understanding-ocd.html","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"More Than Worry: Understanding OCD","og_description":"It’s a term we casually throw around, “I’m so\u00a0OCD.” But for those who suffer, it’s no causal matter. It was 9:00p.m. Eric\u00a0was rechecking every door in the house to make sure it was locked. He didn\u2019t do this once, or even twice a night. Eric\u00a0had to check the doors at least ten times before he…","og_url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/doinglifetogether\/2015\/06\/more-than-worry-understanding-ocd.html","og_site_name":"Doing Life Together","article_author":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/drlindamintle\/","article_published_time":"2015-06-12T11:00:21+00:00","article_modified_time":"2015-06-13T13:04:26+00:00","og_image":[{"url":"http:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/doinglifetogether\/files\/2015\/06\/ID-100234439-300x200.jpg"}],"author":"Linda Mintle","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@drlindamintle","schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/doinglifetogether\/2015\/06\/more-than-worry-understanding-ocd.html","url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/doinglifetogether\/2015\/06\/more-than-worry-understanding-ocd.html","name":"More Than Worry: Understanding OCD","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/doinglifetogether\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/doinglifetogether\/2015\/06\/more-than-worry-understanding-ocd.html#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/doinglifetogether\/2015\/06\/more-than-worry-understanding-ocd.html#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"http:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/doinglifetogether\/files\/2015\/06\/ID-100234439-300x200.jpg","datePublished":"2015-06-12T11:00:21+00:00","dateModified":"2015-06-13T13:04:26+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/doinglifetogether\/#\/schema\/person\/1e16a9c7332cfcc5b5d89e4ba3a36142"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/doinglifetogether\/2015\/06\/more-than-worry-understanding-ocd.html#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/doinglifetogether\/2015\/06\/more-than-worry-understanding-ocd.html"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/doinglifetogether\/2015\/06\/more-than-worry-understanding-ocd.html#primaryimage","url":"http:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/doinglifetogether\/files\/2015\/06\/ID-100234439-300x200.jpg","contentUrl":"http:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/doinglifetogether\/files\/2015\/06\/ID-100234439-300x200.jpg"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/doinglifetogether\/2015\/06\/more-than-worry-understanding-ocd.html#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/doinglifetogether"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"More Than Worry: Understanding OCD"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/doinglifetogether\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/doinglifetogether\/","name":"Doing Life Together","description":"Relationship Doctor, Mental Health, Emotional Wellness, Relationship Advice & Entertainment","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/doinglifetogether\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/doinglifetogether\/#\/schema\/person\/1e16a9c7332cfcc5b5d89e4ba3a36142","name":"Linda Mintle","description":"It is rare that a trained academic who speaks passionately to the heart of people providing real answers to real life problems is so relatable. Dr. Linda\u2019s fun personality and expertise comes through whether she\u2019s helping her audience stress less or make peace with their thighs! Dr. Linda has her Ph.D. in Urban Health and Clinical Psychology and is a national expert on mental health. She has specialized in the treatment of eating disorders, anxiety, depression and pain management. With 30 years of clinical experience working with couples, families and individuals, she brings her common-sense approach to people who want to live in positive mental health. Dr. Linda is also a bestselling author with 21 book titles to her credit, a radio host of the Dr. Linda Mintle show, professor, national speaker, winner of the Mom\u2019s Choice Award, a national news consultant, featured writer for Beliefnet and hosts her own website. Her academic appointments keep her abreast of current research in her areas of expertise. Her media experience includes seven years as the resident expert for ABC Family\u2019s Living the Life television show and regular appearances on network television and radio. It is often said that being with Dr. Linda is like having coffee with a friend. She makes the complicated issues of relationships and mental health easy to understand and applicable to everyday living. The ease she has with people, coupled with her clinical training and experience makes her a sought-after speaker on college campuses, conferences and special events. Whether she is doing a TV skit with Tim Conway or discussing teen violence with Queen Latifa, Dr. Linda will entertain, educate and integrate faith and mental health in everyday living. Check out her latest book Hope and Healing for Anxiety, a whole-person approach to eliminate anxiety. .","sameAs":["https:\/\/drlindamintle.com\/","https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/drlindamintle\/","https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/drlindamintle\/","https:\/\/x.com\/drlindamintle"],"url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/doinglifetogether\/author\/lmintle"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/doinglifetogether\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7234","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/doinglifetogether\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/doinglifetogether\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/doinglifetogether\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/419"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/doinglifetogether\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7234"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/doinglifetogether\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7234\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7241,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/doinglifetogether\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7234\/revisions\/7241"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/doinglifetogether\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7234"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/doinglifetogether\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7234"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/doinglifetogether\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7234"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}