Obsessive compulsive behaviour/disorder

Obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) is a mental health condition where a person has obsessive thoughts and compulsive activity. Behaviours such as repetitive washing, cleaning, checking or mental rituals to deal with having the same uncontrollable recurring thought, can take up a lot of time and seriously affect work and quality of life.

It’s estimated around 12 in every 1,000 people in the UK are affected by the condition. This equates to almost 750,000 people (NHS UK). Within our survey, 1040 respondents had experienced obsessive or compulsive thoughts or behaviours and of these, 158 had been diagnosed with OCD.

It is important to get help because it is unlikely your symptoms will improve if left untreated, and they may get worse.  According to NHS UK, the outlook for OCD sufferers is good if they have treatment. “Many people will eventually be cured of their OCD, or their symptoms will at least be reduced enough that they can enjoy a good quality of life”.