5 Useful Tips to Manage OCD
May 16, 2022
The World Health Organization records 1in 40 adults and 1 in 100 children to be diagnosed with an obsessive-compulsive disorder or OCD.
You’ve probably seen a lot of characters with obsessive-compulsive disorder in many sitcoms. They poke fun at these characters for wanting to get things in a particular way, making sure something is stored in a specific position, those who need to wash their faces over and over again, and many more habits that show obsession. Even if we roll out of our seats because we can’t control our laughter, OCD is not something that should be laughed about.
It may seem like a joke to the general population but for those suffering from OCD, these random bursts of obsession are torturous for them. Not only does the diagnosed patient suffer, but so do the loved ones surrounding them.
There is no one face of someone with OCD. People who have this mental illness are afflicted differently, their OCD showing up in various ways with diverse compulsions and obsessions. These people are plagued by obsessive thoughts, impulses, or images that play repeatedly in their minds. They feel that they are not able to control themselves and their obsessive thoughts. Those with OCD, as a result, are always scared, feel restless, and/or experience disgust. An OCD patient can also suffer from anxiety or panic attacks caused by their intrusive thoughts.
So what are compulsions? When someone is obsessed with their thoughts and feelings, they resort to compulsions so that they could fix what is bothering their mind. For instance, there is a certain way the objects on Angel’s desk are arranged. When she goes to the office in the morning and the arrangement has been changed, Angel would quickly fix it so that it looks exactly the way she left it before going home the previous day. The bottom line is that compulsions, like obsessions, take multiple forms.
To help put a person with OCD at ease, their personal solutions and coping mechanisms must be considered for treatment. Every person is different and their OCD manifests in different ways so treatment should be tailored fit for each and every patient. But even if it should be highly customizable, there are general strategies to help people with OCD cope with the disease. We list some of these below:
It may seem like a joke to the general population but for those suffering from OCD, these random bursts of obsession are torturous for them. Not only does the diagnosed patient suffer, but so do the loved ones surrounding them.
There is no one face of someone with OCD. People who have this mental illness are afflicted differently, their OCD showing up in various ways with diverse compulsions and obsessions. These people are plagued by obsessive thoughts, impulses, or images that play repeatedly in their minds. They feel that they are not able to control themselves and their obsessive thoughts. Those with OCD, as a result, are always scared, feel restless, and/or experience disgust. An OCD patient can also suffer from anxiety or panic attacks caused by their intrusive thoughts.
So what are compulsions? When someone is obsessed with their thoughts and feelings, they resort to compulsions so that they could fix what is bothering their mind. For instance, there is a certain way the objects on Angel’s desk are arranged. When she goes to the office in the morning and the arrangement has been changed, Angel would quickly fix it so that it looks exactly the way she left it before going home the previous day. The bottom line is that compulsions, like obsessions, take multiple forms.
To help put a person with OCD at ease, their personal solutions and coping mechanisms must be considered for treatment. Every person is different and their OCD manifests in different ways so treatment should be tailored fit for each and every patient. But even if it should be highly customizable, there are general strategies to help people with OCD cope with the disease. We list some of these below: