Mental health · England
Understanding OCD
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OCD can cause distressing thoughts and repeated actions.
You can ask for help.
Unwanted thoughts
An upsetting thought may keep coming back.
Having an unwanted thought does not mean you want to act on it.
Repeated actions
You may feel you must check, wash or repeat things.
You may also repeat words or count in your mind.
Brief relief
Doing a ritual may make you feel better for a short time.
Then the worry may return.
Ask for assessment
Tell a professional what happens and how it affects you.
They should listen and explain their assessment.
Understand different needs
Repeating something does not always mean OCD.
Autistic routines can help someone feel comfortable.
Therapy can help
A trained therapist can help you work on fears and rituals.
Agree the steps together.
Supporters should not force you into feared situations.
Medicines
Medicine may help some people.
Ask about side effects and reviews.
Do not change medicines yourself.
Make support work for you
Ask for pictures, breaks or more time if these help.
You can choose someone to support you.
Urgent help
For urgent mental health help, call 111 and select the mental health option.
If you cannot keep yourself or someone else safe, call 999 or go to A&E.
What you can do next
Ask for assessment and treatment that fit your needs.
Read NHS information about OCD Web pageThis link opens another website.
It may use harder words.
More useful links
- NHS: OCD Web page
Understanding OCD and finding help, including links to specialist charities.
- NHS: OCD treatment Web page
CBT with ERP, medicines and specialist treatment.
- National Autistic Society: OCD Web page
Differences between OCD and autistic repetitive behaviour, and adapting support.
- NHS: urgent mental health help Web page
Where to seek urgent or emergency help.
These links open other websites.
They may use harder words.
Obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD)
Understand unwanted thoughts, compulsions, assessment, accessible treatment and support.
Children and adults · England · Treatment should fit individual needs
What OCD means
OCD is a mental health condition involving obsessions and compulsions. Obsessions are repeated, unwanted thoughts, images or urges that cause distress. They can involve many subjects, including contamination or fear of causing harm. Having a frightening intrusive thought does not mean you want to act on it. OCD can interfere with daily life; it is more than a preference for being tidy.
Understanding compulsions
Compulsions are actions or mental rituals someone feels driven to do to reduce distress. Examples include repeated checking, washing, counting in the mind or asking for reassurance. They may bring brief relief before the worry returns. Some rituals are hidden, so others may not notice them. Explain how much time they take and what they stop you doing.
Ask for careful assessment
A professional should ask about the thoughts, what you do in response, distress and the effect on everyday life. Repetitive behaviour alone does not establish OCD. Autistic routines and stimming can be comforting or useful; OCD may also occur alongside them. Ask for an assessor who considers the purpose of the behaviour, communication needs and the person’s own account.
Getting help
Speak to a GP if these difficulties affect your life. Adults in England can also contact NHS Talking Therapies directly, where appropriate. Children and young people need the relevant children’s mental health pathway. Ask who will assess you, how long you may wait and whom to contact meanwhile. OCD Action and OCD-UK provide information and peer-support options. Treatment can improve daily life even when symptoms have been present for a long time.
Therapy for OCD
Cognitive behavioural therapy, or CBT, usually includes exposure and response prevention, called ERP. With a trained therapist, the person gradually practises facing feared thoughts or situations while reducing compulsions. The plan should be agreed and start with manageable steps. Supporters should not invent exposure exercises, spring feared situations on the person or force them to stop rituals. Ask how progress and difficulties will be reviewed.
Discuss medicines and monitoring
An antidepressant called an SSRI may be offered, depending on needs and preferences, sometimes alongside therapy. Ask the prescriber about possible benefits, side effects and reviews. Improvement can take time. Do not stop or change a prescribed medicine without medical advice. Tell the prescriber about worsening symptoms or troubling side effects, and ask what to do between appointments.
Make support accessible
Ask for shorter explanations, pictures, breaks or more time if these help. Therapy should take account of learning, communication and sensory needs. Involve a chosen supporter if wanted. Agree with the therapist how supporters respond to reassurance requests or rituals; this needs sensitivity and a shared plan. Continue ordinary kindness, activities and practical help. Goals should reflect what the person wants to do in daily life.
When help is urgent
For urgent help, use NHS 111’s mental health option or an urgent GP appointment. Call 999 or go to A&E if life is at risk or someone cannot be kept safe.
Words you could use
“Please listen to the thoughts and rituals that trouble me, assess my needs and explain OCD treatment in a way I understand.”
More useful links
- NHS: OCD Web page
Understanding OCD and finding help, including links to specialist charities.
- NHS: OCD treatment Web page
CBT with ERP, medicines and specialist treatment.
- National Autistic Society: OCD Web page
Differences between OCD and autistic repetitive behaviour, and adapting support.
- NHS: urgent mental health help Web page
Where to seek urgent or emergency help.
These links open other websites.
They may use harder words.
Where the information comes from
Links checked 9 November 2026.
These links open other websites.
They may use harder words.
- NHS: OCD symptoms Web page
Unwanted thoughts, compulsions, mental rituals and the anxiety cycle.
- NHS: OCD overview Web page
Getting help, children’s pathways, treatment and support organisations.
- NHS: OCD treatment Web page
Therapist-led CBT with ERP, medicine monitoring and gradual discontinuation with advice.
- NICE CG31: OCD treatment Web page
Individual treatment choices, trained therapists and agreed involvement of supporters.
- National Autistic Society: OCD Web page
Reassurance and mental rituals, differences from stimming, and autism-informed adjustments.
- NICE NG54: mental health and learning disabilities Web page
Adapted psychological support, preferences and communication needs.
- NHS: urgent mental health help Web page
Urgent GP or NHS 111 mental health advice and emergency thresholds.