What OCD Is

Series Summary

OCD (Obsessive Compulsive Disorder) is a type of anxiety disorder. In this disorder or with this illness people get trapped in reoccurring thoughts and these thoughts are usually distressing or disturbing. They can be accompanied by images. And all these thoughts and images really stick with the person to the point that they start to provoke anxiety. The anxiety produces a sort of urgency that this person really needs to take care of whatever it is that's distressing them, which can lead to the repetitive type of behaviors and the obsessions and the compulsions.

In this free health video series, a licensed social worker will give you helpful tips and advice on living with OCD. She will tell you what OCD is and what it is not. She will give you insight into some of the complexities of the disorder. You will learn who gets OCD and when, as well as environmental and biological causes. You will find out how OCD is diagnosed and some of the treatments, as well as how to obtain additional information.

Video Transcript

"In this clip we'll talk about the definition of OCD. OCD is also known as obsessive compulsive disorder. OCD is a type of anxiety disorder. In this disorder or with this illness people get trapped in reoccurring thoughts and these thoughts are usually distressing or disturbing. They can be accompanied by images. And all these thoughts and images really stick with the person to the point that they start to provoke anxiety. The anxiety produces a sort of urgency that this person really needs to take care of whatever it is that's distressing them. Which can lead to the repetitive type of behaviors and the obsessions and the compulsions. The way that OCD differs from any other superstition or thought or belief is that a person can't just say oh well that doesn't make any sense or it's not logical. It's something beyond their control. They cannot control these thoughts, these behaviors, these images. So for example. A person with OCD who has safety concerns or is afraid for themselves, they might check their locks 20 times. Even though they know that all the doors and windows are locked, they're going to keep going through this process. It's very important to know that if you have OCD it's not going to go away by itself and you will need to seek some medical or professional attention."