Switch to हिंदी

Health, Fitness, Beauty & Diet | Pregnancy & Parenting | Diseases & Home Remedies | TheHealthSite.com

Health, Fitness, Beauty & Diet | Pregnancy & Parenting | Diseases & Home Remedies | TheHealthSite.com

हिंदी
  • Health A-Z
  • Diabetes
  • Diseases
    • Type 1 Diabetes
    • Type 2 Diabetes
    • Cancer
    • Heart Attack
    • Pneumonia
    • Diseases A-Z
  • Diet & Fitness
    • Weight Management
    • Exercise & Body Building
    • Diet & Recipes
    • Yoga
  • Coronavirus
  • News
  • Pregnancy
    • Conceiving
    • Infertility
    • Labour & Delivery
    • Pregnancy week-by-week
    • Breastfeeding
    • Baby Names
  • Beauty
    • Skin
    • Hair
    • Grooming
  • Photos
  • Videos
Home / Diseases & Conditions / Know more about OCD

Know more about OCD

OCD can get really distressing for those who have it. Learn more about the condition:

By: Editorial Team   | | Updated: June 9, 2014 3:07 pm
Tags: Leonardo DiCaprio  Mental disorder  Mental health  Mental illness  Obsessive Compulsive Disorder  Steve Jobs  

Steve Jobs and Leonardo Di Caprio portraying Howard HughesHundreds of years ago, people believed that those affected by OCD (or obsessive compulsive disorder) were possessed by the devil. Now though, the condition is well known and many celebrities like Leonardo Di Caprio, Cameron Diaz have publicly admitted to be suffering from it. The Hollywood magnum opus starring Di Caprio and directed by Martin Scorsese Aviator, based on Hollywood film producer and aviator Howard Hughes’ also dealt with the subject. It’s a little known fact that even Steve Jobs was obsessive about keeping things clean, and also so obsessed with perfection that he just couldn’t buy furniture; he simply didn’t like anything! His universal demand for flawless design certainly reflected some symptoms of OCD (though he was never diagnosed) which brings us to the question: Also Read - Mental illnesses on the rise in India: Know why and what you can do to fight the problem

What exactly is OCD? Also Read - Spend time in nature to reduce work stress and improve mental health



Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is an anxiety disorder characterized by uncontrollable, unwanted thoughts and repetitive, ritualized behaviours one feels compelled to perform. The thoughts are intrusive in nature, unpleasant and distressing which causes uneasiness, apprehension, fear, or worry. The repetitive behaviours are aimed at reducing the associated anxiety. Also Read - Food insufficiency during COVID-19 pandemic increases depression and anxiety symptoms

Read more about causes, symptoms, diagnosis and treatment of OCD.

Also read: OCD: All you need to know

How do you know if you have OCD or not?

Even though, a lot of people have obsessive thoughts and perform compulsive behaviour, not all of them have OCD. With OCD, these thoughts and behaviours lead to extreme distress, take up a lot of time; interfere with daily life and affects relationships. While many people who do not suffer from OCD may perform actions often associated with OCD (such as ensuring the angles at which the curtains are drawn or ensuring correct punctuation marks all the time), the distinction with clinically significant OCD lies in the fact that the person who suffers from OCD must perform these actions; otherwise they will experience significant psychological distress.

A standard test to examine the severity of your OCD is the Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive test.

Also read: Diagnosis and treatment of OCD

What are some ways to treat or control OCD?

Psychiatrist Jeffrey Schwartz, author of Brain Lock: Free Yourself from Obsessive-Compulsive Behaviour offers the following four steps for dealing with OCD:

  • RELABEL – Recognize that the intrusive obsessive thoughts and urges are the result of OCD. For example, train yourself to say, ‘I don’t think or feel that my hands are dirty. I’m having an obsession that my hands are dirty.’ Or, ‘I don’t feel that I have the need to wash my hands. I’m having a compulsive urge to perform the compulsion of washing my hands.’
  • REATTRIBUTE – Realize that the intensity and intrusiveness of the thought or urge is caused by OCD; it is probably related to a biochemical imbalance in the brain. Tell yourself, ‘It’s not me—it’s my OCD,’ to remind you that OCD thoughts and urges are not meaningful, but are false messages from the brain.
  • REFOCUS – Work around the OCD thoughts by focusing your attention on something else, at least for a few minutes. Do behaviour. Say to yourself, ‘I’m experiencing a symptom of OCD. I need to do something else.’
  • REVALUE – Do not take the OCD thought at face value. It is not significant in itself. Tell yourself, ‘That’s just my stupid obsession. It has no meaning. That’s just my brain. There’s no need to pay attention to it.’ Remember: You can’t make the thought go away, but neither do you need to pay attention to it. You can learn to go on to the next behaviour.

Along with this, one can also try group or family therapy. Unfortunately, till now there is no permanent cure for OCD. One must continue to take medication for it or practice therapy to keep themselves in control. Otherwise, the symptoms may resurface again.

Read in more detail: Four steps to deal with OCD and prognosis

For more articles on diseases & conditions , visit our diseases & conditions section. Follow us on Facebook and Twitter for all the latest updates! For daily free health tips, sign up for our newsletter. And to join discussions on health topics of your choice, visit our forum.

Published : August 20, 2013 8:52 am | Updated:June 9, 2014 3:07 pm
Read Disclaimer

Will the Mental Healthcare Bill 2013 address the woes of the mentally ill?

Will the Mental Healthcare Bill 2013 address the woes of the mentally ill?

What's not letting you sleep?

What's not letting you sleep?

Please Wait. Article Loading ....

Coronavirus Updates

Coronavirus Updates

Stay Informed, Be Safe

  • Obesity, alcohol consumption can lower effectiveness of Covid-19 vaccines
  • ‘Don’t take Covid-19 vaccine shot if...': Covaxin company warns people amid concerns
  • Covid-19 vaccine alert: Covishield not advised to those allergic to any of its ingredients
  • Almost 30% of recovered COVID-19 patients develop complications within 5 months, over 12% die
  • COVID-19 vaccine side effects: Loss of sensation in arms and more reported by Pune health workers

Health Calculators

BMI Calculator
bmi Calculator
Ideal Body Weight
ideal body weight
Daily Calorie Intake
Daily calorie intake
Calories Burned
calories burned

Related Stories

Mental illnesses on the rise in India: Know why and what you can do to fight the problem

Mental illnesses on the rise in India: Know why and what you can do to fight the problem

Spend time in nature to reduce work stress and improve mental health

Spend time in nature to reduce work stress and improve mental health

Food insufficiency during COVID-19 pandemic increases depression and anxiety symptoms

Food insufficiency during COVID-19 pandemic increases depression and anxiety symptoms

Prevent cognitive decline: Go for routine eye scans if you have type 1 diabetes

Prevent cognitive decline: Go for routine eye scans if you have type 1 diabetes

Wearing face masks consistently may actually boost your mental health and well-being

Wearing face masks consistently may actually boost your mental health and well-being

Health News in Hindi

Karishma Kapoor Beauty Secrets: करिश्मा कपूर की ग्लोइंग स्किन का सीक्रेट है माचा टी पाउडर, इस खास हर्बल चाय से बना फेस पैक लगाती हैं करिश्मा

Unhealthy Ways of Weight Loss: ये हैं वेट लॉस के ग़लत तरीके, जो सेहत पर पड़ सकते हैं भारी, कहीं आप तो नहीं आज़माते इन्हें ?

Coronavirus Vaccine Effectiveness: मोटापा कर सकता है कोविड-19 वैक्सीन को बेअसर, एक्सपर्ट्स ने किया दावा

कोरोना वायरस ने आपके दिल को कर दिया है कमजोर बताते हैं ये 4 संकेत, जानें कहीं आपका दिल तो नहीं हुआ कमजोर

ऐसे लोग बिल्‍कुल न लगवाएं Covishield का टीका, सीरम इंस्‍टीट्यूट ने खुद किया अलर्ट

Read All

Recent Posts

  • Obesity, alcohol consumption can lower effectiveness of Covid-19 vaccines
  • Green Mediterranean diet could benefit people with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease
  • Eluru-like mysterious illness emerges in Andhra Pradesh’s Pulla village
  • ‘Don’t take Covid-19 vaccine shot if…’: Covaxin company warns people amid concerns
  • Androgen therapy proposed as alternative treatment for breast cancer: How it is different from endocrine therapy?

About The health Site

TheHealthSite.com is India's largest health site with more than 40 lakh unique visitors per month. We focus on fitness, beauty, health, pregnancy and more.

Most popular health and wellness website in India in 2012 at the Website of the year awards.

health@corp.india.com
+91 – 22 – 6697 1234
Landline Phone number 91 – 22 – 2490 0302.

ZEE ENTERTAINMENT ENTERPRISES LTD, 18th floor, A-Wing, Marathon Futurex, N. M. Joshi Marg, Lower Parel, Mumbai, Maharashtra 400013.

Useful Links

  • Weight Loss
  • Keto Diet Tips
  • Skin Care Tips
  • Intermittent Fasting
  • Apple Cider Vinegar
  • Ashwagandha
  • Cancer
  • Pneumonia
  • Diarrhoea
  • Dengue
  • Typhoid
  • Tuberculosis
  • Chickenpox
  • Chikungunya
  • Depression
  • Hepatitis
  • Diabetes
  • Type 2 diabetes
  • Arthritis
  • Swine Flu
  • Baby Names
  • Cough and cold
  • Heart Attack
  • Breast Cancer
  • Ebola Virus
  • Dengue
  • Malaria
  • International Yoga Day
  • Hypotension
  • Heart Failure
  • Asthma
  • Brain Tumour
  • Celebrity Fitness
  • Goitre
  • HIV/AIDS

We respect your privacy

  • Disclaimer
  • Privacy Policy
  • Contact Us
  • Author Profiles

Copyright © 2021 Zee Entertainment Enterprises Limited. All rights reserved.