Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder

Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD): Understanding the Battle Between Thought and Ritual

What Is Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder?

Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) is a chronic mental health condition where a person experiences persistent, intrusive thoughts (obsessions) and feels compelled to perform specific actions or rituals (compulsions) to reduce the anxiety caused by those thoughts. These behaviors can interfere significantly with daily life and are not simply habits—people with OCD often recognize their compulsions as irrational, but they feel powerless to stop them.

According to the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH, 2022), OCD affects about 1–2% of the U.S. population. It typically begins in childhood, adolescence, or early adulthood and affects both men and women equally, though boys tend to develop it earlier than girls (American Psychiatric Association [APA], 2022).

Key Points About OCD

• Obsessions are unwanted, intrusive thoughts or images that trigger distress.
  
  

• Compulsions are behaviors performed to relieve that distress, often in repetitive rituals.
  
  

• OCD is not simply about being clean or organized—it is a disorder of anxiety and control.
  
  

• It can be connected with religious or moral scrupulosity, especially in spiritual cultures.
  
  

Symptoms of OCD

OCD symptoms fall into two major categories:

Obsessions

These are persistent thoughts, urges, or images that are unwanted and cause distress. Examples include:

• Fear of contamination by germs or dirt
  
  

• Intrusive thoughts about harm, violence, or religious sin
  
  

• Unwanted sexual or blasphemous thoughts
  
  

Compulsions

These are behaviors a person feels driven to perform in response to an obsession. Common examples include:

• Excessive handwashing or cleaning
  
  

• Repeating actions (like checking locks or appliances)
  
  

• Counting or ordering things in a specific way
  
  

• Silent mental rituals like prayers or phrases
  
  

According to Abramowitz et al. (2009), compulsions are often carried out to prevent a feared event or reduce distress—even when there's no realistic connection between the act and the outcome.

What Causes OCD?

The exact cause of OCD remains unknown, but several factors are believed to contribute:

• Biological: Abnormalities in brain circuits, especially involving serotonin transmission, have been observed (Pauls et al., 2014).
  
  

• Genetics: OCD often runs in families. First-degree relatives of people with OCD are at higher risk.
  
  

• Environment: Trauma, abuse, or significant stress can trigger or worsen OCD.
  
  

• Religious Influence: Individuals from strict religious backgrounds may develop "scrupulosity," a form of OCD focused on moral or spiritual purity (Siev & Cohen, 2007).
  
  

Societal and Cultural Influences

Cultural and religious norms deeply impact how OCD manifests. In communities where ritual cleanliness, religious obedience, or perfectionism is emphasized, OCD symptoms may express themselves through spiritual or moral obsessions. A study by Sica et al. (2002) found that people from religious societies often experience guilt-related obsessions more frequently than others.

Social stigma, lack of awareness, and limited access to culturally sensitive treatment can delay diagnosis and worsen outcomes.

HAQ's Embrace

At the Home of Abrahamic Quiver, we see beyond the compulsions and the rituals. We understand that what may look like superstition or stubbornness is often a silent scream for relief. We won’t define your suffering by textbook terms or clinical codes. Instead, we open our doors to you in full faith.

Where science ends and the mind continues to suffer, HAQ stands firm. We embrace the soul caught in endless cycles—not by labeling, but by listening. Through compassionate care grounded in faith, we help restore not only peace of mind but also a connection to the divine that does not torment but comforts.

Here, healing does not start with a diagnosis—it starts with being understood. You are not your fears. You are worthy of peace.

References:

• American Psychiatric Association. (2022). Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (5th ed., text rev.; DSM-5-TR).
  
  

• National Institute of Mental Health. (2022). Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder. https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/obsessive-compulsive-disorder-ocd
  
  

• Abramowitz, J. S., Taylor, S., & McKay, D. (2009). Obsessive-compulsive disorder. The Lancet, 374(9688), 491–499.
  
  

• Pauls, D. L., Abramovitch, A., Rauch, S. L., & Geller, D. A. (2014). Obsessive–compulsive disorder: an integrative genetic and neurobiological perspective. Nature Reviews Neuroscience, 15(6), 410–424.
  
  

• Siev, J., & Cohen, A. B. (2007). Is thought-action fusion related to religiosity? Differences between Christians and Jews. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 45(4), 829–837.
  
  

• Sica, C., Novara, C., & Sanavio, E. (2002). Religiousness and obsessive-compulsive cognitions and symptoms in an Italian population. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 40(7), 813–823.

“The Lock Clicks Seven Times”
A fictional narrative from the perspective of a 22-year-old woman living with OCD
 

The door’s already locked—I know it is.
I watched myself do it. I pulled the handle twice to check. Still, my heart won't believe it. So I reach out again. Click. Click. Click. Seven times. Always seven.

People think OCD is about liking things neat, being quirky, or wanting order. But this isn’t clean—it’s chaos. It’s waking up every day and wondering what my mind will accuse me of next.

Did I say something offensive yesterday?
What if I left the stove on?
What if God is angry at me?

The thoughts don’t feel like mine. They show up loud, violent, disgusting—and then they whisper that if I don’t do the ritual, someone I love will die. I know that’s irrational. I know it. But I still whisper the prayer, touch the doorknob three times, wash my hands until my knuckles crack.

I was twelve the first time I felt something was wrong. I confessed to my mom that I had “bad thoughts.” She told me to pray more. And I did. But it didn’t stop the storm in my head. It only made me feel more guilty—like faith was another test I was failing.

Therapists told me it was OCD. Some medication helped, for a while. But the thoughts found their way back, like smoke through closed windows.

Now, I hide it. I smile. I laugh. I keep the rituals small enough that people won’t notice. They just think I’m careful. But inside? I’m exhausted. I don’t want to be “careful.” I want to be free.

HAQ’s Embrace

At the Home of Abrahamic Quiver, we know that OCD doesn’t always look like fear of germs or a tidy desk. Sometimes, it wears the mask of piety, of moral panic, of spiritual guilt. We see through the mask.

When you come to us, we don’t ask you to prove you’re suffering. We don’t reduce your rituals to quirks or sins. We understand that some pain walks the tightrope between mind and soul—and that true healing may not lie in pills or labels, but in being truly seen.

HAQ doesn’t call this a diagnosis. We call it a crossing. And for every soul stuck between the fear of punishment and the hope for peace—we walk with you, gently, faithfully, until you reach the other side.