Written and clinically reviewed By Dr Elaine Ryan Chartered Psychologist specialising in OCD and anxiety disorders, with over 20 years’ clinical experience.
Updated on
The impact of intrusive thoughts can be both emotionally and physically draining. People may avoid seeking help due to fear of judgement or shame. I wrote this article to explain what will help should you seek professional help and highlight things you can try at home. This article shows you how to manage your intrusive … Read more
One of the hardest things about living with POCD is a deep-seated fear that the obsessions are true. This is true with all types of intrusive thoughts, but due to the particular nature of the thoughts in POCD, if they were real, it would mean you were a paedophile. Most people cannot talk openly about … Read more
Having obsessive thoughts about children is such a difficult thing, but, if you also struggle with the misconception that you might be in denial and not know it, this adds another painful layer to your suffering. Learn more about POCD I decided to write this article as I have worked extensively with the many manifestations … Read more
What is OCD? Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is a mental health condition in which an individual has frequent, unwanted thoughts (obsessions) that cause them to perform repetitive behaviours or rituals (compulsions). Studies show that OCD affects 2-3% of people in the United States. The NHS in the UK estimates that around 12 people out of every … Read more
What is an OCD backdoor spike? An OCD backdoor spike is when a person with OCD starts to feel better with less stress and anxiety and fewer intrusive thoughts and doubts, and then begins to “obsess” that they are not worried about thoughts in their head and almost fears starting to feel better. As OCDLA notes, … Read more
What is real event OCD? A person emailed me last month, asking if my courses would help them with real-event OCD. Up until that email, I had never heard of real-event OCD. I did a quick Google and quickly came across an ADAA article where the author had to do the same as me and … Read more