5 Things to Know About What It Means to Have OCD (Part 1)

Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) is hard to understand. Treating OCD and getting a break from the constant anxiety starts with understanding what it means to have OCD and busting myths. Here are 5 things you need to know about OCD.



5 key things you need to know about what it means to have OCD

If you have OCD or know someone who does, it’s important to understand a few key pieces of information. Here are 5 things you need to know:

• The meaning of OCD: A psychological disorder in which the brain gets stuck on one thought or a group of thoughts.

These thoughts cause tremendous anxiety because the brain thinks they’re real (i.e., obsessions).

There are behaviors that make the anxiety go away.

The relief you get from these behaviors is so strong that you’ll keep doing them to make the anxiety go away the next time it comes up (i.e., compulsions).

• Having OCD means your brain is wired differently.

The part of your brain in charge of keeping you safe is called the Amygdala.

This part turns on your “fight or flight” response when you’re in danger and shuts down when the danger is done. When you have OCD, your Amygdala is constantly firing.

Your brain thinks you’re in danger 24/7. As a result, things that aren’t dangerous look like a crisis to you.

• Having OCD doesn’t mean you’re crazy. However, having OCD can feel crazy-making.

The disorder was once called “a disorder of two brains.”

There’s a part of your brain that knows these thoughts aren’t true.

But the OCD is so convincing, that there’s another part of you that thinks the thoughts are real.

They feel so incredibly real. If they didn’t, you wouldn’t have OCD.

• The term OCD is misused all the time because people don’t really understand what it is.

No one has, “just a little OCD.”

You can’t “be OCD” about a topic or habit.

On the one hand, having OCD doesn’t mean someone is a complete control freak.

On the other hand, if someone is very particular about what they want or like, that doesn’t mean they’re obsessive-compulsive.

• If you have OCD, you can’t “just stop thinking about it.”

The part of the brain in charge of letting a thought roll off your back is wired differently in people with OCD.

As a result, the thought gets stuck.

Managing OCD isn’t about stopping the thoughts from happening.



It’s about learning to accept that they’re there and not do any behaviors to get relief.

Next Steps

Having OCD means that you have scary thoughts that come out of nowhere and won’t go away.

These thoughts cause constant anxiety.

Sometimes, the anxiety is so bad, you feel like you’re losing your mind. In order to get some relief, you do behaviors that make the anxiety go away.

OCD is a chronic condition. It won’t ever go away but it can be managed.

The goal is to increase the amount of time in between symptom flares and decrease how bad they are when they do happen.

Once you get treatment, you could go months or even years without a flare.

I’ve worked with doctors, lawyers, journalists, authors, artists, executives, and entrepreneurs with OCD.

I’ve worked with teens who have gone to great colleges as well as adults who are married and have kids.

It’s very possible to have a full and successful life if you have OCD. The key is to get good treatment from an expert.

To learn more about OCD, check out the other chapters in this series:

Chapter 2: Learn about 2 OCD symptoms that aren’t talked about because they cause shame.

Chapter 3: Why having someone else’s OCD wouldn’t be easier.

Contact us when you’re ready to work toward mastering your OCD. We give you the tools you need to thrive.