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What is OCD? Signs and treatment

Obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) is a condition with unwanted, distressing thoughts (obsessions) and repetitive behaviours or mental acts (compulsions) done to relieve the distress. It is more than liking things tidy. It is treatable with cognitive behavioural therapy, medicine, or both.

Last updated 2 November 2026

Obsessions and compulsions

  • Obsessions are unwanted thoughts, images or urges that keep coming back and cause anxiety, disgust or unease.
  • Compulsions are repeated behaviours or mental acts that you do to relieve that distress for a short time.

An example

A fear of a burglary can lead to checking again and again that the doors and windows are locked before leaving home. After childbirth, a worry about harming the baby can lead to repeatedly checking that the baby is breathing.

Who gets OCD

OCD can affect men, women and children. It can start as early as age 6, but often begins around puberty or in early adulthood.

Treatment

  • Talking therapy, usually cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), helps you face obsessive thoughts without putting them right through compulsions. It often works fairly quickly.
  • Medicine, usually an SSRI, which can take up to 12 weeks to show its full effect.
  • If these do not help, a psychiatrist may suggest a different SSRI, an SSRI together with CBT, or another antidepressant such as clomipramine.

When to get help

See a doctor if unwanted thoughts keep coming back and affect your daily life. OCD is unlikely to improve without proper treatment and support.

How to start

  1. Call or message us. Reach us on +91 90352 54779 or WhatsApp. Tell us your language and a convenient time.
  2. Free pre-consultation call. Our team takes your history and prepares a report for your clinician, so you do not repeat yourself.
  3. Video session. You meet your allotted clinician online, from home or wherever you feel comfortable.
  4. Your plan. The clinician explains what they find and the next steps. You decide together.

Book your free pre-consultation call

Your privacy and confidentiality. What you share with Mindly Health stays between you and your care team. Your conversations, reports and messages are treated as confidential and shared only with the team members involved in your care, apart from the limited cases where the law requires it or someone's safety is at serious risk. Read our Privacy Policy and your rights under the Mental Healthcare Act.

Common questions

Is OCD just about being neat?

No. OCD involves unwanted, distressing thoughts and repetitive behaviours or mental acts that take time and cause distress. Liking things tidy is not OCD.

Can OCD be cured?

OCD is treatable. CBT and medicine help many people, though how much they help differs from person to person.

How long does OCD medicine take to work?

An SSRI can take up to 12 weeks to show its effect.

Related

Sources

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