OCD and Anxiety

Anxiety is generally defined as worry, nervousness, or fear, sometimes experienced as a result of uncertainty about a situation or the future. Sometimes, we can experience anxiety over seemingly no cause at all, and while most people experience anxiousness at some point in their lives, it starts to become a problem when it affects your relationships, job, self-esteem, thought life, and general quality of life.

Sometimes, anxiety can be experienced as a result of a disorder known as Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD). Broadly defined, OCD is characterized by obsessive, repetitive thoughts usually followed by a specific behavior performed in an attempt to decrease anxiety resulting from the thoughts. OCD can become debilitating, as it usually starts with the introduction of doubt. For instance, I may be driving to my job, and because I have taken the route so many times before, I “zone out,” and a few minutes later, I realize I’m almost at work. Next, the thought pops into my head, “There are 3 red lights on my way to work. I don’t remember if they were green or not. What if they weren’t? Did I run through 3 red lights? What if I hit someone along the way? I might have.” OCD then turns that fear of “what if” into “I probably did,” and then into, “I need to check.” When the individual goes back to check if he or she hit someone, the anxiety is typically relived for the moment, that is, until the next time he or she “zones out.”

This cycle, or cycles like this, can be unending and exhausting. However, research points to the first-line treatment for anxiety disorders and OCD being “Exposure and Response Prevention” (ERP). In my practice of ERP, we attempt to make a list of all of the things anxiety and OCD tell us we need to fear, and we systematically create scenarios where we face the small things first, working up the big things, and in the end, attempt to help the person take back what he or she feels anxiety/OCD has robbed them of. I also incorporate various coping skills throughout the work in order to manage one’s current experience of anxiety and fear.

While it is hard work, research indicates that this is one of the best ways we can fight anxiety and OCD, and if you’re willing, I’d love to help you in your fight against it.

For additional resources, please check out the following:

American Psychiatric Association’s section on OCD

What to Do When Your Brain Gets Stuck by Dawn Huebner.