Page 88 - SafeCert Approved First Aid for Mental Health at Work (Level 3) | Trainers Manual

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Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD)
Teaching Facts

• OCD typically begins to affect people in adolescence or in their early 20s. However at least half of
adults who get help for OCD already had it as a child.

• OCD is thought to affect around 1-2% of the population and it affects men and women equally.

What is it?

• OCD is an anxiety disorder in which people experience repetitive and upsetting thoughts and/or
behaviours, usually both. OCD has two main features - obsessions and compulsions.

Administration • or an irrational concern with order such as putting things away in a specific order.
Obsessions are involuntary thoughts, images or impulses. An example would be a fear of germs
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Compulsions are repetitive and stereotyped actions that the person feels forced to perform.

People are aware that their obsession and compulsions are irrational and excessive, but
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nonetheless still feel unable to control them.

Signs and Symptoms

• Most obsessive thoughts are about fear of contamination or harm to yourself or others and
hypochondria.

• Common compulsions include the need to wash, check and count and so on.

• Most people have ‗OC‘ behaviours when anxious e.g. students at exams lining up their pencils in
a certain way. It only becomes a disorder when it interferes with your daily life.
Lesson Plans Recovery

OCD often goes undiagnosed as people feel embarrassed to reveal their symptoms. It can also be
misdiagnosed as depression which is often an outcome of OCD. Treatment can include Cognitive
Behavioural Therapy (CBT) and antidepressants. Recovering form OCD can take a long time and be
a difficult process. However, most people do recover and many people manage their obsessions and
compulsions and are successful in personal, family and professional lives.

For more information: www.ocduk.org

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