OCD (obsessive compulsive disorder) is classed as an anxiety spectrum problem and people often suffer with one or more of OCD’s friends such as generalised anxiety (GAD) or panic attacks. Everything I work with is really satisfying when you finally show it the door after years of torturing its occupant, but OCD is particularly satisfying. I think OCD is so satisfying because it’s almost tangible, people have either mental rituals or behavioural rituals (or both), often formed around numbers or ‘safe’ things. When you help people to stop these rituals it’s very obvious that the therapy has worked, although to start with you always find that people spend a bit of time looking over their shoulder for OCD to continue stalking them.
OCD is one of those problems where you have to really trust whom you work with and have a great rapport because as a psychologist you are going to ask your client to do some pretty tough things. CBT (cognitive behavioural therapy) is the only thing that will touch OCD so don’t waste your money elsewhere. People carry out all these rituals because deep down they believe that if they don’t something terrible will happen to them or others. The trust is so important because you have to convince your client to try not doing the rituals and to confirm that the terrible disaster never actually happens. This is not as difficult as it seems and there are lots of ways to get there slowly but surely. What I always love is the confidence I start to see in people when they begin to realise that they are standing toe to toe with the OCD and pushing it back.