Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD)
Last reviewed Saturday, October 24, 2026Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is a mental health condition in which unwanted, distressing thoughts, images or urges (obsessions) keep returning, and a person feels driven to repeat actions or mental acts (compulsions) to ease the distress. The relief doesn’t last, so the cycle repeats and can take up hours of the day. OCD is treatable.
Also called: obsessive compulsive disorder; OCD. When the obsessions are about religion or morals, clinicians call it scrupulosity.
For a longer read, see OCD Is More Than Being Neat.
Signs and symptoms
- Common obsessions: fear of germs or dirt, fear of causing harm, a need for things to be exact or symmetrical, and unwanted violent or sexual thoughts.
- Common compulsions: washing, checking locks or switches, counting, arranging, asking for reassurance, and repeating words or prayers in your head.
Having an unwanted thought doesn’t mean you’ll act on it.
Causes
No single cause is known. OCD runs in families, and it sometimes starts after bullying, abuse or a major life event such as childbirth or bereavement. It often begins around puberty or early adulthood.
Treatment
The main talking therapy is a form of CBT called exposure and response prevention (ERP). With a therapist, you face feared thoughts and situations step by step without doing the compulsion, until the anxiety fades. Milder OCD often needs about 8 to 20 sessions. A doctor may also prescribe an antidepressant such as an SSRI, which can take up to 12 weeks to help.
In Nigeria
People often say “I’m so OCD” about a tidy desk, which makes a distressing condition sound like a quirk. Where faith matters a great deal, obsessions often take a religious form, such as fear of having sinned, with prayers or washing repeated until they feel right. There’s little evidence that religion causes OCD. Shame keeps many people quiet.
OCD vs anxiety and being tidy
OCD involves a lot of anxiety, but WHO’s ICD-11 places it in its own group, with body dysmorphic disorder, hoarding disorder and health anxiety. What sets it apart is the obsession and compulsion cycle. Liking things neat isn’t OCD unless it causes distress or eats up your time.
When to get help
Get help if obsessions or rituals take up a lot of time, cause distress or get in the way of work, study or relationships. OCD rarely gets better without treatment. Adults can book a licensed therapist on Mytherapist.ng who offers CBT and skills-based therapy; ask whether they use ERP. Medicine needs a doctor or psychiatrist. If you’re worried about a child, start with a family doctor or paediatrician.
Read next
This entry is awaiting clinical review. It’s based on published research and health guidelines, and we’ll update it once a clinician has reviewed it.
