Takeaway
Clinicians can help patients with OCD understand the condition by emphasizing that intrusive thoughts are symptoms, not character flaws, and that compulsions, though temporarily relieving anxiety, ultimately perpetuate the cycle.
Lifelong Learning in Clinical Excellence | February 17, 2025 | 1 min read
By Ghida Kassir, MD, University of Toronto, Canada
The popular portrayal of OCD in the media often misrepresents its true nature. OCD is more than repetitive handwashing, or the “neat freak” character often described. It’s a serious and very distressing condition that can significantly impact every aspect of people’s lives, from their relationships and careers to their overall well-being and functioning. OCD is characterized by intrusive thoughts, or obsessions, and repetitive behaviors, or compulsions. Despite being irrational at times, individuals are driven to perform these compulsions that give temporary relief from the anxiety and distress caused by the obsessions.
Educate patients about OCD
Working with individuals suffering from OCD can be very challenging at times. When healthcare professionals encounter patients suffering from OCD, a critical first step is to extensively and repeatedly educate them about the disorder. Most of the time, people struggling with OCD don’t fully understand what’s happening to them as they experience distressing unwanted thoughts that are illogical and sometimes even morally repugnant. These experiences can lead to intense feelings of shame, guilt, and the belief that something is fundamentally wrong with them. Education helps patients understand that these thoughts are a symptom of a disorder and not a reflection of their character, morality, or values. Emphasizing that these intrusive thoughts and compulsive behaviors are not under their conscious control helps alleviate self-blame and reduces feelings of isolation that patients might experience.
In addition, emphasizing the cyclical nature of OCD is vital. Obsessions trigger severe anxiety that then drive compulsive behaviors. These compulsions provide temporary relief but ultimately reinforce the cycle. Understanding this mechanism empowers patients to identify patterns and increases their motivation to seek help.
Keep in mind that OCD is a chronic condition and might fluctuate in nature and severity and therefore repetitive education is essential. Don’t forget that psycho-educating families of patients with OCD is also necessary. It helps them understand the nature of the disorder, corrects misconceptions, and reduces frustration, and judgment.
This piece expresses the views solely of the author. It does not represent the views of any organization, including Johns Hopkins Medicine.