What Causes OCD To Get Worse?

An OCD diagnosis can be life-changing – finally, you know what you’re dealing with. That doesn’t make managing it any easier, and it doesn’t prepare you for circumstances that can make your OCD worse.

Knowing what causes OCD to get worse means you can seek the help you need to develop coping strategies ahead of time. Here are some significant factors that exacerbate the condition.

Stress

Prolonged stressful periods can have a detrimental effect on someone with OCD. This could include instances like:

• A stressful or hostile work/school environment
• The illness or bereavement of a loved one
• Relationship issues
• Disagreements between parents (this causes significant stress in children)

Whatever the trigger, stress causes individuals to retreat into themselves and seek false comfort in familiar habits. For people with OCD, this can mean an increase in compulsive behaviours such as repeating actions, struggling to do daily tasks if certain conditions aren’t met, and intrusive thoughts.

Stress is almost unavoidable at various points in life, so it’s essential to have a coping strategy in place and to recognise when you’re in a stressful situation. Learning to identify when obsessive-compulsive behaviours are getting worse can also alert you to the fact that something’s wrong and help you get out of a stressful environment.

Trauma

Traumatic events are always devastating. For people with OCD, the trauma can cause a significant increase in compulsive behaviours. Compulsion is often used to help process upsetting events or things that can’t easily be understood, and trauma gives the brain too much to process.

Traumatic events can’t be predicted; by their nature, they’re impossible to prepare for. If you’ve experienced a traumatic event, or you’re experiencing flashbacks from past trauma, seeking help allows you to process the situation in a way that doesn’t significantly increase obsessive-compulsive behaviours.

Loneliness & Isolation

Feeling isolated or lonely is deeply unpleasant. While many people with OCD avoid social situations because they can be stressful, feeling that you lack a support system makes it easy to revert to obsessive coping mechanisms that don’t address the issue.

If you’re feeling isolated, seeking professional help doesn’t just help provide you with a framework to manage compulsive behaviours – it gives you a caring person to talk to. This can make a huge difference.

Co-morbidities

OCD is frequently co-morbid with other disorders. Mood and anxiety disorders are especially common, and when you’re struggling with co-morbid conditions, it can make your OCD worse as you struggle to process a flood of negative feedback in your brain.

Coming to understand your OCD is a huge step forward, but if you feel that there’s more, seek specialist help and find out if you may have a co-morbid disorder. Without this knowledge, it’s hard to devise an effective coping strategy.

Finding Help

Understanding what causes OCD to get worse is the first step. The next step is to find a specialist who can help you prepare and develop techniques for dealing with overwhelming situations. Being ready makes such a difference.

OCD & CBT

Cognitive behavioural therapy is an effective treatment for OCD disorders. This type of therapy teaches you how to modify the negative thoughts and beliefs that contribute to your condition. It also helps you develop healthy coping mechanisms.

Access CBT offer CBT treatment for all types of depressive and anxiety disorder issues with in-person depression CBT Counselling in Liverpool or Online Support

The NHS UK also offers a number of support groups and advice for those suffering from OCD disorders