How to Help Members Through: Obsessive Compulsive Disorder

Obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) is a mental health disorder that affects people of all ages and walks of life, and occurs when a person gets caught in a cycle of obsessions and compulsions.

Obsessions are unwanted, intrusive thoughts, images, or urges that trigger intensely distressing feelings. Compulsions are behaviors an individual engages in an attempt to get rid of the obsessions and/or decrease their distress.

Most people have obsessive thoughts and/or compulsive behaviors at some point in their lives, but that does not mean that we all have “some OCD.” In order for a diagnosis of obsessive compulsive disorder to be made, this cycle of obsessions and compulsions becomes so extreme that it consumes a lot of time and gets in the way of important activities that the person values.

Compulsions verses Coping mechanisms: A key distinction between a a coping mechanism and a compulsion is that it is almost painful to not perform the compulsion when the anxiety occurs. Someone with OCD may start with checking the door three times to make sure it is locked, but that checking compulsion will evolve and can evolve into checking nine times, tapping the door while locking, etc.

OCD is not logical. When it comes to OCD, the obsessions and compulsions do not always follow reason. For example, closing the door three times before they close it for good will not help someone against death but a person with OCD can feel like they will die unless they do that. Trying to reason their way out of a compulsion can be helpful when done by professionals (Cognitive Behavioral Therapy), but detrimental when done wrong.

Tics: Tics are repetitive involuntary muscle movements (motor tics) or sounds (vocal tics). Tics are often classified not as involuntary movements but as 'unvoluntary' movements. This means that people are able to suppress the actions for a time. This suppression, though, results in discomfort that grows until it is relieved by performing the tic.

People with OCD have a greater likelihood to have tics. An example of a tic is rapid, hard to control blinking.

 

In the Chat

 

Asking about Triggers: In the chat be sure to ask for the person's triggers so the conversation can remain as little anxiety provoking as possible. When asking about triggers, listeners should remember not to bring up certain words that can set the person off. For example: if someone has an obsession over dying then try not to mention that word.

 

'I am so OCD too!' - No. Many people sit in classes organizing their pencil case claiming to be 'so OCD'. For someone who has OCD, it is hurtful to hear that because OCD affects so much of their life that hearing someone minimize it in that way makes them feel like their struggles aren't real. Please refrain from saying that you have to wash your hands a lot too or you need to check that you locked your door because OCD is so much then the act, it is a mindset. If you are a listener who has OCD, we encourage you to share that with the person in order to form that connection but if you do not please do not put your behavior on the same level as their compulsions/obsessions.

 

Helpful Questions:

How have your obsessions/compulsions affected school, family, or friends?
When did you get your diagnosis of OCD?
Are you currently in treatment for OCD?
Do you experience any tics?

 

Ending the Chat and Following Up: Some people with OCD (but not all) like routine so it might be best to schedule another time with them so they can plan to talk to you again.

 

A Helpful Quote:

Grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change,

The courage to change the things I can,

And the wisdom to know the difference.

It might be a nice way to end the chat with this quote because it reminds the person that having OCD is out of their control but they can try to change the way they handle it.

 

Another thing to remember is how important it is for someone with OCD to be listened to. Talking about their obsessions can bring a lot of relief to them, and for some their friends and family tune them out after a while of hearing the same thing over and over again. It is nice for one to feel heard again.

 

7cups OCD Self-Help Guide: https://www.7cups.com/ocd/ 

 

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