Spotting Signs of OCD in Adults
By: Katherine Pica, LCSW
Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) is more than just being overly neat or a worrier. It’s a chronic mental health condition where unwanted thoughts (obsessions) drive you to perform repetitive actions (compulsions). These can disrupt your life, impacting daily routines and relationships. At Resience Counseling, we see that OCD can flare up due to life changes like stress, lack of sleep, or hormonal shifts. These triggers might alter your obsessions or compulsions, creating a cycle that can feel unending and exhausting. Understanding these dynamics is crucial for managing OCD effectively.
Spotting the Early Signs of OCD in Adults
Obsessions are those relentless thoughts, images, or urges that just won’t leave you alone, often bringing a wave of anxiety or distress. You might know they’re irrational, yet they grip on tight.
Common themes include:
Contamination Fears: Worries about germs or dirt can lead to endless cleaning or avoidance.
Harm Obsessions: Fear of causing harm, like accidentally starting a fire or impulsively hurting someone.
Symmetry and Order: A need for things to be perfectly aligned.
Unwanted Thoughts: Disturbing sexual or religious ideas causing guilt.
Doubting: Constantly questioning decisions or fearing mistakes.
Compulsions
Compulsions are repetitive actions or mental routines you feel compelled to perform, often to alleviate anxiety tied to an obsession. They might include excessive washing to combat contamination fears, leading to issues like chapped skin. Checking behaviors, like repeatedly verifying locks or appliances, aim to ease safety worries but offer only fleeting relief. You might also find yourself counting tasks or arranging items in a specific order. Reassurance seeking and repeating actions or phrases are also common, driven by the urge to prevent imagined disasters.
One key sign of OCD is how much time it takes from you. If you find yourself or someone you know spending over an hour each day tangled in obsessive thoughts or compulsive actions, it might be a red flag. Imagine daily routines getting hijacked by persistent rituals or relentless worries; it’s overwhelming.
Emotional Distress
The emotional toll is another significant indicator for OCD. These obsessions and compulsions often generate intense anxiety, guilt, or shame, making even simple tasks feel unmanageable. Frustration and hopelessness might become frequent emotions as you battle the relentless tide of obsessions and compulsions. It’s not just a fleeting worry; it’s a heavy, constant burden.
Impact on Daily Life
Pay attention to how these behaviors interfere with life’s rhythm. Whether it affects work productivity, strains relationships, or halts social activities, OCD can disrupt various aspects of life. If these compulsions start dictating your day-to-day interactions and decisions, it’s crucial to seek help.
Living with OCD often pushes adults into social isolation. You might find yourself hiding symptoms from friends, avoiding social gatherings, or struggling to maintain relationships due to rituals. These behaviors can create a sense of loneliness, as you grapple with the fear of judgment or misunderstanding.
Occupational or Academic Difficulties
At work or school, OCD can be a formidable obstacle. The time consumed by compulsions can lead to chronic lateness or incomplete tasks. You might experience poor performance, distracted by relentless obsessions demanding your attention.
The physical toll of OCD shouldn’t be overlooked. You could develop skin conditions from repetitive washing or experience fatigue from insomnia caused by obsessive thoughts. In some cases, compulsive behaviors might even lead to injuries.
ERP for OCD San Diego, CA
We all have those annoying, intrusive thoughts that pop up unexpectedly. It’s normal to wonder if you locked the door or turned off the stove. However, if these thoughts become so distressing that you feel compelled to perform certain actions repeatedly for temporary relief, you might be experiencing symptoms of OCD. Ignoring or hoping the situation will go away ‘on its own’ and leaving the symptoms untreated could only make things worse.
Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) is considered the gold standard treatment. ERP has decades of research and hundreds of studies supporting its effectiveness. ERP helps people gradually face their fears while learning not to engage in compulsions. ERP helps to retrain the brain that it doesn't need to do the compulsions and that it can face the fear without doing the compulsions.
On average, it can take a person about 14 years to get help with their OCD. That means there are 14 years that go on living life, struggling, feeling very distressed, and stuck in compulsions. As an OCD therapist, I have seen firsthand how ERP can help people break free from OCD. I have seen firsthand how much suffering can go on in these 14 years. My hope is that we can reduce that time and people can get help sooner. The message to you is that there is hope, the sooner you get into treatment, the sooner you can work to break free from OCD.
One of the things I love most about being an ERP Therapist is watching clients find the freedom that they get when they stop listening to their OCD! While ERP can feel challenging at first, it is incredibly rewarding to watch people reclaim areas of their lives that OCD has taken away.
Resilience Counseling OCD therapy San Diego, CA
We specialize in OCD treatment at Resilience Counseling. This practice has been founded to specialize in serving and meeting the needs of those who struggle with OCD. Too often, I have to see people who have been in therapy for years without getting the right type of evidence-based treatment. My goal at this practice is to have trained experience providers who can help provide evidence-based treatment to give people the hope to get better!
Over the years, I have worked with hundreds of children, teens, adults, and families impacted by OCD. I know how isolating and overwhelming OCD can feel. At Resilience Counseling, our team of OCD therapists is passionate about helping people get the right type of OCD help. If you recognize signs of OCD in yourself or a loved one, I encourage you to reach out. Seeking help can be the first step toward finding relief and building a life that is no longer dictated by OCD. Book a free consultation with us today.
Author Bio: Katherine Pica, OCD Therapist - San Diego, CA
Katherine Pica, LCSW, Founder and Clinical Director of Resilience Counseling, has been practicing since 2007. With more than 19 years of clinical experience, she provides supervision and training to the practice’s OCD therapists with a focus on Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) and EMDR for trauma. Katherine brings extensive experience treating OCD to both her clients and the clinicians she mentors.
Katherine is also a board member and Training Director for OCD SoCal, where she is actively involved in increasing OCD awareness, education, and community support throughout San Diego, CA, and Southern California.
OCD therapy in the
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The information shared on this website is intended for general educational purposes and does not replace professional medical or mental health advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek guidance from a qualified healthcare provider regarding any medical or mental health concerns. Do not postpone or avoid professional care based on information found here. If you believe you are experiencing a medical emergency, contact your doctor, call 911, or reach out to your local emergency number immediately.
