Explainer | OCD: symptoms, behaviour examples, treatment – and how 1 woman has dealt with obsessive-compulsive disorder for over half her life

Hattie Rowan started obsessing about being a ‘bad person’ when she was just 10. Later she fixated on harm and catastrophe, and on germs during the pandemic

She explains how she manages the mental illness, from EMDR therapy and medication to regular exercise and talking with family and friends

Reading Time:5 minutes

Hattie Rowan has lived with OCD - obsessive-compulsive disorder - for 15 of her 26 years. She describes the symptoms and examples of her behaviour caused by the mental illness, and the treatment she has undergone to manage it. Photo: Courtesy of Hattie Rowan

Published: 4:15am, 3 Nov 2023Updated: 11:48am, 3 Nov 2023

I have suffered from OCD – obsessive-compulsive disorder – for more than 15 of my 26 years. Here’s some insight as to what it is, how I experienced it, how to treat it and what to do for a loved one who suffers from it.

Obsessions are unwanted, intrusive thoughts, images or urges that trigger intensely distressing feelings. They occur over and over again and feel outside a person’s control.

Compulsions are behaviours in which one engages in an attempt to get rid of the obsessions and/or decrease distress. They are typically accompanied by intense and uncomfortable feelings such as fear, disgust, uncertainty and doubt, or a feeling that things have to be done in a way that is “just right”.

OCD is the fourth most common mental disorder after depression, alcohol/substance misuse and social phobia. It occurs across all ages but most commonly in young people. Its severity differs markedly from one person to another.

Those with OCD may find themselves always reviewing memories, trying to change a “bad” thought into a “good” one, and trying to figure out what they need to do to avoid triggering more OCD thoughts. Photo: Instagram / @ocdexcellence

The disorder manifests in many different ways. The Instagram account of UK-based specialist therapists OCD Excellence offers insight into the grand variety pack that is OCD.

Symptoms cover a wide range and can include: avoiding a particular colour; rereading a page in a book over and over (“Am I absorbing the information?”); checking and rechecking email before sending it; fearing you may cause harm to others or to yourself; having a strong desire for perfection and a fear of making mistakes; and avoiding places, people or situations that may cause anxiety.

Explainer | OCD: symptoms, behaviour examples, treatment – and how 1 woman has dealt with obsessive-compulsive disorder for over half her life

Hattie Rowan started obsessing about being a ‘bad person’ when she was just 10. Later she fixated on harm and catastrophe, and on germs during the pandemic She explains how she manages the mental illness, from EMDR therapy and medication to regular exercise and talking with family and friends

Hattie Rowan started obsessing about being a ‘bad person’ when she was just 10. Later she fixated on harm and catastrophe, and on germs during the pandemic

She explains how she manages the mental illness, from EMDR therapy and medication to regular exercise and talking with family and friends