Get to know OCD

Rainn Wilson describes his intrusive thoughts as “a shoe in the dryer”—relentless, loud, and impossible to ignore. Howie Mandel can relate. Both entertainers live with OCD, and while their symptoms show up differently...

You’ve spent so long being terrified by your intrusive thoughts. Then treatment starts working, the fear fades, and OCD finds a new question to throw at you: If these thoughts don’t bother me anymore, does that mean I...

Bad OCD days are going to happen. Sometimes the thoughts feel more real, the anxiety is harder to shake, and resisting compulsions suddenly feels a lot harder than it did yesterday. The big question is how you respond...

You know the fear doesn’t make sense. You’ve gone over the facts, reassured yourself, and tried to reason your way out of it — but OCD still leaves you with the same question: “But what if?” When something feels that...

You finally start getting a handle on one OCD fear — and then suddenly it latches onto something completely different. The thoughts may change from contamination to driving, relationships, morality, or something else...

Shawn Welty had worked in mental health for nearly 20 years — in schools, community mental health, trauma care, substance abuse, and more. But when he finally received specialized training in OCD and ERP, he started...

Shannon Shy was a Marine Corps officer when OCD became so severe that nearly every waking minute was consumed by obsessions and compulsions. He hid what was happening for years, terrified that admitting he had a mental...

OCD and autism can look surprisingly similar from the outside, especially when it comes to rigid routines and repetitive behaviors. But the reason behind the behavior can be very different: someone with autism may eat...

What's the difference between hoarding and OCD? Imagine two people who both refuse to throw away the same old birthday card. One keeps it because it holds a memory they’re afraid of losing. The other keeps it because...

Dr. Patrick McGrath has been treating OCD for nearly 27 years, and there are still parts of the job that never get easier. He’s watched people suffer for years without the right diagnosis, receive treatment from...

Santina Cilento works as a school psychologist, so she knew what OCD was. What she didn’t realize was that she had been living with it herself for years. The rigid rules, the need for certain numbers, the routines she...

A memory feels a little fuzzy, and suddenly OCD wants an answer. Did that really happen? Did you miss something? Did you do something wrong without realizing it? What starts as a small doubt can turn into hours of...

OCD can take something as simple as honesty and turn it into a rule: if you don’t say every thought out loud, you’re hiding something. That pressure can make people feel like they have to confess intrusive thoughts...

"Trust your gut” or “just stop thinking about it” — these might sound like helpful things to tell someone struggling with OCD, but they can actually make things worse. OCD already thrives on doubt, reassurance, and the...

Lynette Eklund spent decades building creatures and effects for some of Hollywood’s most recognizable movies, including Beetlejuice and Jurassic Park. Behind that career, though, was something she didn’t understand...