OCD is a common mental health condition in which a person can have obsessive thoughts and compulsive behaviours. What is an obsessive thought? Obsessive thoughts are unwanted (intrusive), frequent and cause distress or anxiety. The obsessions can be thoughts, images, impulses or urges and often contradict their values as a person.

This workbook will help you explore and assess the role OCD plays in your world so that you can take back your thoughts and live the life you desire. You will gather your personal strengths,

This booklet provides details of breaking the OCD cycle using ‘exposure and response prevention’ (ERP). ERP is recommended by the National Institute of Health and Care Excellence (NICE) as the most efective treatment for all forms of OCD due to the focus on obsessions and compulsions.

Breaking this vicious cycle involves: (1) Learning to gradually eliminate your unhelpful coping strategies (such as compulsions); and (2) Learning to think about your obsessions in a more balanced and helpful way. Here are some effective tools to help you break the cycle of OCD: © Anxiety Canada

Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) often follows a repetitive cycle called the "cycle of OCD." This cycle begins with a trigger, which can be either internal (like emotions, memories, or sensory experiences) or external (such as social situations, specific places, or disruptions in routine).

OCD is a self-maintaining disorder and people become trapped in a cycle of unwanted thoughts and compulsive behaviours. This booklet is split into two parts: “Understanding OCD” and “Supporting someone living with OCD”. For more about breaking the OCD cycle, see our second booklet “ Breaking the OCD cycle using exposure and response prevention”.

Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is an anxiety disorder that, until quite recently, was regarded as a rare condition. Recent studies have shown that OCD is considerably more common than previously thought and as many as two in every hundred people may …

Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) often follows a repetitive cycle called the "cycle of OCD." This cycle begins with a trigger, which can be either internal (like emotions, memories, or sensory experiences) or external (such as social situations, specific places, or disruptions in routine).

Example of a vicious cycle of OCD Cognitive Behaviour Therapy for OCD focuses on challenging the unhelpful thoughts and beliefs, and learning to resist the urge to act: Exposure & Response Prevention (ERP).

cycle of OCD. Most people with obsessive-compulsive disorder fall into one of the following categories: • Washers. are afraid of contamination. They usually have cleaning or hand-washing compulsions. • Checkers. repeatedly check things (oven turned off, door locked, etc.) that they associate with harm or danger. • Doubters and sinners