Obsessive compulsive disorder - OCD treatment and therapy from NOCD

Living with OCD

We're creating resources to help people learn about OCD in the many ways it impacts their own lives—not just what it looks like on paper. You can search our resources to determine when your intrusive thoughts may be related to OCD.

10 min read
6 Common Fears That Keep People With OCD From Seeking Help

Getting the right treatment for OCD can be transformative for many, but deciding to start on your recovery journey is often filled with many individual

By Stacy Quick, LPC

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8 min read
5 Ways LGBTQIA+ Folks Can Face Harm in the OCD Community (and what we can do about it)

This is a guest post by Alegra Kastens, a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist who founded the Center for OCD, Anxiety, and Eating Disorders. We live in

By Alegra Kastens, M.A., LMFT

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5 min read
5 Everyday Tasks That Can Be Difficult with OCD

This is a guest post by Alegra Kastens, a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist who founded the Center for OCD, Anxiety, and Eating Disorders. Obsessive

By Alegra Kastens, M.A., LMFT

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5 min read
Dealing with Confusing Emotions During OCD Spikes

OCD is primarily associated with anxiety and high levels of distress, but it can also lead to confusion about one’s emotions. A large part of OCD is

By Stacy Quick, LPC

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4 min read
How Rumination Reinforces OCD Symptoms—And Makes Them Worse

Rumination is a word that’s used somewhat often, and most of the time it has nothing to do with a mental health condition. It’s the act of repeatedly

By Stacy Quick, LPC

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6 min read
Why managing OCD means managing your emotions

It is not uncommon during my first encounter with a member to have them state that if they could just get rid of their distressing thoughts they would be

By Stacy Quick, LPC

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7 min read
How I learned to cope with missed experiences from OCD

Experiencing any type of mental health condition can have devastating impacts on you and those around you. It can change your worldview, how you function,

By Stacy Quick, LPC

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6 min read
Debunking 5 Common Myths About OCD 

We all know by now that not everything we read on the internet is correct. Misinformation surrounding mental health conditions is rampant and can have

By Stacy Quick, LPC

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4 min read
The Connection Between Impulsive Behaviors and Compulsions in OCD

Impulse control refers to resisting or inhibiting an impulsive urge or behavior. It is the ability to regulate your emotions and desires so that you can

By Stacy Quick, LPC

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5 min read
How to Cope with Feelings of Isolation Caused by OCD

People who have OCD will often tell you that they feel all alone in a silent battle. They describe a feeling of intense isolation. The very nature of this

By Stacy Quick, LPC

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7 min read
How to Deal with Anger and Rage Associated with OCD

Anger and rage are often overlooked emotions in OCD. It’s been said that anger is the flip side of the emotional “coin” of fear—and since so much of OCD

By Stacy Quick, LPC

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6 min read
OCD in Teens: Signs, Symptoms, and Treatment

OCD symptoms are hard enough on fully developed adults—but what about teens who begin to exhibit signs and symptoms of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD)

By Dr. Keara Valentine

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6 min read
Living with OCD: Practical Tips for Everyday Life

Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is considered a chronic condition, which means that its symptoms can come and go throughout a person’s life. When

By Stacy Quick, LPC

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5 min read
5 Strategies for Accepting Uncertainty

Uncertainty and doubt seem to lay at the bedrock of OCD. OCD demands 100% certainty, no matter the cost—a feat that is, of course, impossible to achieve.

By Stacy Quick, LPC

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6 min read
5 Strategies for Breaking the Cycle of Rumination

Some aspects of OCD might be obvious, even to others. Certain physical compulsions are simply impossible to hide in all situations. But one of the more

By Stacy Quick, LPC

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5 min read
Can OCD make you feel physically sick?

We all know that OCD can be very sneaky. It can latch onto any thought, feeling, or urge that pops into your brain unwanted. But did you also know that it

By Stacy Quick, LPC

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6 min read
Overcoming “realistic” fears in OCD

“But this is different! This could actually happen!” I can’t even attempt to tell you how many times people have told me this in therapy. OCD is always

By Stacy Quick, LPC

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9 min read
What Is ERP Therapy for OCD? This Is How Exposure and Response Prevention Works

Exposure and response prevention, or ERP, is the most commonly recommended, evidence-based form of therapy for obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). The

By Patrick McGrath, PhD

Reviewed by April Kilduff, MA, LCPC

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7 min read
Can OCD change how you see yourself?

Living with OCD can, sadly, change the way you see the world. OCD forces its own perspective on nearly everything—seeing danger where there is none,

By Stacy Quick, LPC

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5 min read
How to deal with shame and self-criticism from OCD

I think everyone has an “inner critic.” But at a certain point, problems with self-esteem and questions of self-worth can be indicative of mental health

By Stacy Quick, LPC

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