You hear the term “OCD” often as part of general conversations or television programs. But what is this disorder and what is life like for someone with mental health drug addiction? Below, we look closely at what is OCD and what it means to deal with this condition on a daily basis, particularly when combined with addiction.
What Is OCD?
What is OCD? OCD stands for Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, and it is a mental health disorder. It affects people from all backgrounds and lifestyles when they experience obsessions and compulsions.
Obsessions are thoughts that intrude your mind on an ongoing basis. You do not want these thoughts, but experience them as images or urges to do something in particular. As the thoughts occur, they trigger intense discomfort and even distress.
Compulsions are behaviors used in an attempt to make the unwanted obsessive thoughts go away. Or the compulsions are meant to ease discomfort felt because of the thoughts.
People with OCD are not the only ones to have obsessions or compulsions. But in OCD, these thoughts and behaviors create a never-ending cycle that disrupts daily life. They consume too much of your time and take you away from things and people you enjoy.
What Are Obsessions of OCD?
So, what is OCD, in terms of the types of intrusive thoughts? Obsessions of OCD can include any unwanted areas of focus, according to the individual. But some common obsessions of OCD include fear of contamination, lost control, harm, losing things, being imperfect and sexuality. Some people with OCD fear being diagnosed with certain illnesses and others have intense superstitions as obsessions.
These obsessions are not passing fears. Instead, they ruin your daily life and limit your ability to socialize, maintain relationships, work, or perform in school. The thoughts take up a great deal of time and make you uncomfortable. But the compulsions used to quiet the obsessions take even more of your life away.
Compulsions of OCD
As with obsessions, many compulsions of OCD exist. Some common compulsions of OCD include obsessive cleaning, checking on things, repetitive behaviors, arranging things, and mental compulsions. Mental compulsions include counting things, praying, mentally reviewing things, and using certain words or actions to cancel out others. Other common signs of OCD compulsion include constantly asking for reassurance or seeking approval.
Addiction and OCD frequently occur together. This happens because you want your discomfort with OCD to end. In this way, your mental illness is the root cause of your substance abuse, and your substance abuse is your compulsion.
OCD and Addiction
Self-medicating through drugs or alcohol only works at first. You quickly realize that drinking or using drugs does not help you and in fact only makes your symptoms worse. By then, you find yourself stuck in another cycle. This is an addiction.
Getting help for your mental health problem and drug addiction means turning to a dual diagnosis treatment center. This type of mental health treatment helps you learn about and overcome your OCD mental health drug addiction, treating both of your conditions at the same time.
Only through dual diagnosis OCD mental health drug treatment addiction does your condition improve. You can achieve lasting recovery, with this specialized help. But if you only treat one of your conditions, the untreated one drives you into relapse. For the cycle to end, you need the right help.
Finding the Best Treatment for Your OCD and Addiction
To end the cycle of your mental health problem and addiction, contact a quality OCD treatment center and ask, “What is OCD?” You can overcome these problems with the right help.