Life with OCD
Life with obsessive-compulsive disorder is like living in a house with a broken alarm system that goes off anytime minor movement is detected. OCD is like living in a haunted house, knowing that a monster is about to pop up, but not knowing when. It is like living with a toxic lawyer who is constantly seeking evidence to convict you of the most heinous crimes that terrify you. I cannot think of many people who can comfortably live in a house full of blaring alarms, life with OCD is cripling! So how does this affect the body, the brain, and relationships?
How does living with OCD affect the brain and body?
If we see the empirical research on what OCD does to your body, it sets your nervous system on fire. In a longitudinal study where participants were followed for 10 years, researchers Puialto, M., et al., effectively demonstrated how those with diagnosed OCD presented with deficits in executive processing, meaning the ability to plan, change plans, or adapt, as well as struggles with non-verbal memory. These parts of the brain are the Caudate Nucleus (affected when given into compulsions), Orbitofrontal Cortex (lower synaptic excitation- essential for decision making), Anterior Cingulate Cortex (in patients with OCD, there is an over-reliance on fear stimulation), and increased activity in the Striatum (increasing obsessive thought) and Thalamus (increasing obsessive behavior).
So why does the brain change when someone struggles with OCD? It's every obsession of fear that activates the smoke detector, setting off a domino effect of compulsions (behaviors, thoughts, avoidance, rituals, seeking reassurance, words, and actions used to neutralize or ease the threat) that changes the brain. But at the end of every compulsion, there is another monster hiding, and your nervous system knows it's going to pop up; it looks like the "what ifs" and "if I do or do not” that haunt the brain with OCD. Then there is the lawyer; we cannot forget about the lawyer who accuses you every single second.
How does it affect the body and relationships?
The evidence of the mind-body connection is fascinating. Though stress is a great motivator to get things done, prolonged stress becomes detrimental to our immune system, sleep quality, hormones, gut, and eating habits. When struggling with specific obsessions, doing basic things like going to the gym can turn into a panic attack, or going to a place where the "obsession" festers in your mind.
Bottom line, OCD interferes with the lifestyle and activities that keep us sane. Struggling with OCD is crippling internally, and when expected to communicate or explain to others what is happening in your mind the biggest fear can often be, "What if they think I am crazy, what if they confirm that I am ___, what if they turn me into the authorities, what if."
OCD is not having all your "ducks in a row"; it's a cascade of fearful speculations, and every attempt to stop the fear only makes it bigger. So how do you stop? Well, you have to understand how avoiding proper treatment has only fed the monster, and with strategic care, you learn to stop the loop. How? Well, there are different types of OCD, and each type requires a strategic approach, which is why working with someone who understands and is knowledgeable about the treatment of OCD can help you understand your brain so that you can learn to nurture it appropriately.
Just for further education, let's learn about some of the different types of OCD:
Harm OCD
Contamination OCD
Moral OCD
Relational OCD
Religious OCD
Perineal OCD
Postpardum OCD
Sexual orientation OCD
So what now? Seek help; the earlier you intervene, the better, as it supports your brain to break the negative loops.
For more reading on the research mentioned in this article, check out:
Cocchi L, Harrison BJ, Pujol J, Harding IH, Fornito A, Pantelis C, Yücel M. Functional alterations of large-scale brain networks related to cognitive control in obsessive-compulsive disorder. Hum Brain Mapp. 2012 May;33(5):1089-106. doi: 10.1002/hbm.21270. Epub 2011 May 24. PMID: 21612005; PMCID: PMC6870338.
Puialto, M., Mar, J., Alonso, P., Real, E., Mar-Barrutia, L., Menchón, J. M., . . . Segalàs, C. (2026). Neuropsychological functions as trait markers in OCD: A 10-year follow-up study. Comprehensive Psychiatry, 148, 9. doi:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.comppsych.2026.152724
