OCD can make it difficult for people to perform everyday activities like eating, drinking, shopping or reading. Some people may become housebound. OCD is often compounded by depression and other anxiety disorders, including social anxiety, panic disorder and separation anxiety.
The repetitive behaviors, such as hand washing/cleaning, checking on things, and mental acts like (counting) or other activities, can significantly interfere with a person's daily activities and social interactions. Many people without OCD have distressing thoughts or repetitive behaviors.
There is a reason why people suffering from obsessive compulsive disorder strictly adhere to their daily routines, and it's that doing so directly combats anxiety.
People with OCD often have very specific routines and rituals that they adhere to rigidly. This can make social situations and everyday activities more challenging at times. It can also contribute to feeling of shame and guilt. It's important to remember that every person with OCD is unique.
Because close relationships are so highly emotional, they often become the primary focus of a person's OCD. In other words, their thoughts and anxieties will center around their loved one.
OCD can involve obsessions or compulsions of many kinds. But what if your obsessions are towards another person? Limerence is a term that describes an infatuation or obsession with another person. It stems from romantic attraction that involuntarily develops into obsessive thoughts.
OCD symptoms can worsen if left untreated. Likewise, stress and other mental health symptoms like trauma, anxiety, and themes of perfectionism, can aggravate OCD. Sometimes, symptoms may worsen dramatically and suddenly, but it's more likely for them to escalate gradually.
For a student who has OCD, symptoms can present barriers to social development. A student who demonstrates compulsive behavior may be perceived as different or may be ridiculed as crazy, causing embarrassment or increased stress.
Repeating compulsions can take up a lot of time, and you might avoid certain situations that trigger your OCD. This can mean that you're not able to go to work, see family and friends, eat out or even go outside. Obsessive thoughts can make it hard to concentrate and leave you feeling exhausted.
Many clients will say that it feels like being trapped inside a cage that you can't escape from, playing a record on a loop that you cannot stop. Those with OCD get caught up in the need for certainty. They want to be 100% sure that nothing bad will happen if they don't respond to their thoughts.
Offer a hug or other emotional support instead of helping with a compulsion. Seek advice. If they are getting treatment you could both talk to their doctor or therapist about the best way to manage compulsions. Accept that sometimes it will be impossible not to offer reassurance or to help with a compulsion.
At its most severe, OCD can lead to suicidal ideation or action. This can happen when the symptoms of OCD have fully taken a hold on a person and their entire life revolves around responding to OCD obsessions and compulsions.
OCD can also worsen from traumatic events, such as death, severe injury, or sexual violence. Most people are not at their best when they don't feel well. Whether it is from a serious illness or a common cold, OCD symptoms can worsen when someone is sick.
These obsessions and compulsions can range in severity, but what causes OCD to get worse over time is not properly managing the condition earlier on. Stress, trauma, avoidance, or even something as seemingly innocuous as a change in routine can all contribute to the worsening of OCD.
Jealousy: Of course!
This is the most prominent emotion in retroactive jealousy OCD, and it can be triggered by thoughts or reminders of a partner's past experiences. The jealousy may be intense, irrational, and persistent, even when there is no evidence of current infidelity or betrayal.
Retroactive jealousy can be a sign of OCD, but it certainly isn't always the case. While retroactive jealousy focuses specifically on a partner's past romantic or sexual experiences, ROCD can manifest in many different ways.