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Learn more about OCD: Obsessive-compulsive disorder
Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is a mental health condition characterised by unwanted, intrusive thoughts (obsessions) and repetitive behaviours or mental acts (compulsions) carried out to reduce the distress those thoughts cause. It is recognised by the World Health Organization in the ICD-11 and by the DSM-5. Obsessions are not the same as everyday worries: they are persistent, unwanted, and often distressing, and the compulsions people use to relieve them tend to bring only brief relief before the cycle repeats. OCD can centre on many themes, including contamination, symmetry, checking, or intrusive thoughts about harm.
OCD tends to follow a recognisable pattern: an intrusive thought creates anxiety, and a compulsion is used to neutralise it. You might notice:
- Recurring intrusive thoughts, images, or urges that feel distressing and hard to dismiss
- A strong need to perform rituals such as checking, washing, counting, or repeating actions
- Seeking reassurance repeatedly, or avoiding situations that trigger obsessions
- Spending significant time each day on obsessions or compulsions
- Knowing the behaviour is excessive but feeling unable to stop
Several therapies have strong evidence for OCD, and the right fit depends on your symptoms and history.
- CBT: Cognitive Behavioural Therapy helps you identify and change the thought patterns that fuel obsessions. Its specialist form, exposure and response prevention (ERP), gradually reduces avoidance and is widely regarded as a first-line treatment for OCD.
- ACT: Acceptance and Commitment Therapy teaches you to relate differently to intrusive thoughts rather than fight them. It can suit people whose obsessions are heavily thought-based rather than behavioural.
- Schema therapy addresses the deeper patterns and beliefs that can maintain OCD over time. It is often considered where OCD sits alongside long-standing relational or self-image difficulties.
- Clinical psychology offers structured assessment and evidence-based treatment planning. A clinical psychologist can tailor CBT and ERP to your specific obsessions and compulsions.
- Psychiatry can help where medication is being considered alongside therapy, particularly for more severe or treatment-resistant OCD.
It's Complicated is a therapist-founded mental health platform connecting clients with verified practitioners across Europe and globally, in over 60 languages. We work with over 2,500 vetted therapists, with in-person availability in Berlin, Amsterdam, Barcelona, Lisbon, Vienna, and other major cities, alongside online sessions worldwide. It's Complicated is free to use, and you pay your chosen therapist directly at rates they set.
Finding an OCD therapist is harder than most, because effective treatment relies on specialist methods like ERP that not every therapist is trained to deliver. Our matching service is built to remove that friction. You complete a short survey, our psychologists combine data-driven insights with human judgement to identify the right therapists for your situation, and you choose from a shortlist of strong candidates. You can also browse our directory directly if you'd prefer to choose yourself.
Get matched with a therapist who specialises in OCD, or browse the directory to choose yourself.
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