What causes Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD)?

It does not matter who or what is responsible for getting you to where you are. What matters is who is going to be responsible for getting you out of there.
Share your stories: / everybodyhasabrain
For your scientific reading pleasure:
"Differential susceptibility in youth: evidence that
5-HTTLPR x positive parenting is associated
with positive affect 'for better and worse'": www.nature.com/...
On the neuroplasticity boost from SSRIs - "Psychiatric disorders: Why two is better than one": www.nature.com/...
On the persistence of the chemical imbalance myth: www.npr.org/blo...
"Gene Variants That Increase Risk of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder and Tourette Syndrome Identified": www.sciencedail...
"The Psychological Treatment of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder": www.jabramowitz...

[@everybodyhasabrain]

If you feed your OCD, it'll grow and grow. Look at that urge to walk back as something you have a choice in. If you choose to walk back, you choose to grow your OCD. If you choose to not walk back, you choose to shrink your OCD. Not going back to check at first will cause incredible amounts of anxiety, so definitely work with a professional experienced in OCD recovery. I used to have to walk back to check things, too, but not anymore. This is treatable. All the best with this!

[@unknown-ok7dx]

Well in my case ocd runs in my family my father had ocd like in his late 20s although he recovered from it in 5 years my grand father also had this condition in his late 20s or adult hood he also recovered from it I was diagnosed with ocd in my early 20s means at the age of 18 years and I am also almost recovered

[@luckybaris2546]

Mark ive been struggling a lot about this OCD for no reason my mind start generating negative thoughts. And this thought is "it is fearful to think" so thats its hard for me to be rational. Please can you help me? Thank you.

[@everybodyhasabrain]

It really helped me to approach mental health as being about wanting to have any thought or feeling. Thoughts and feelings and all of that other stuff is like weights in the gym. I want to learn how to pick them up and run with them and do difficult things with them. It's not about trying to be rational. It's about doing the actions I care about in life.

[@luckybaris2546]

@@everybodyhasabrain so it means I should think even if its fearful because of some negatives blocking I've been so afraid to death because of uncertainty I'm only 20 years old and Its hard for me to socialize because of this?

[@everybodyhasabrain]

@@luckybaris2546 I'm sorry, I don't understand the question.

[@luckybaris2546]

@@everybodyhasabrain thank you so much

[@reneeo]

The nurse i was talking to about OCD said it's a chemical imbalance ?

[@everybodyhasabrain]

That's a common myth but it's not accurate. The Director of the National Institute for Health, Thomas Insel, describes the chemical imbalance as "antiquated". Joseph Coyle, a professor of neuroscience at Harvard Medical School, describes that view of mental illness as: “sort of last-century thinking”. You can read some explanations about why they say that in an NPR article titled "When It Comes To Depression, Serotonin Isn’t The Whole Story"

[@reneeo]

***** Thank you - if it's okay ill print your answer off and put it in my OCD folder to show my up coming psychologist ?

[@everybodyhasabrain]

Well, I always encourage people not to focus so much on what caused OCD, but on what's going to cause recovery. You're welcome to share anything on my channel, but I recommend sharing tips on recovery if recovery is your goal.

[@TheHaiku2]

Mark, two and a half years ago I began struggling with OCD. It was to the point where everyday, the first thought I was having was what new terrifying obsession am I going to have today. It was a nightmare! Shortly after, I found your videos, and they really got me started in the right direction, but I was reluctant to start a real CBT/ERP treatment program, and of course I kept struggling in my usual moderate way, until I had a major anxiety attack. Well, ironically, that helped me get up the courage to seek out a program, and I'm happy to say that, two weeks in, I've had a big reduction in symptoms, and every day, I look forward to practice. So, it's important to me, that I thank you, for being an inspiration to me, and many others I'm sure. Thank you, Mark!

[@ljnv]

How are you doing now

[@everybodyhasabrain]

I struggled with addiction, too, and the process of recovery is really the same whether you're addicted to a substance to relieve anxiety or you're addicted to an action to relieve anxiety. What's happening in the brain is very similar. The brain doesn't care where it gets its dopamine. If you visit an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting, you'll probably hear way more about anxiety and uncertainty than you will about alcohol. Compulsions are compulsions regardless of the out-dated labels stuck on them.

[@ash_tray_6]

“It does not matter how you got to where you are, all that matters is how you’re gonna get out of here” :)

[@everybodyhasabrain]

Yes!

[@hitalz]

​@@everybodyhasabrain My uncle has this frase that goes along the lines of "you don't have to worry, you have to take care" (it sounds better in Spanish). He told me that after I got a blood work done and got scared about the results (I got high cholesterol because I went to get the blood work 3 hours later after I ate a grilled cheese sandwich), he, being a doctor, was kind to look at my results and after noticing that I was getting anxious about that he told me that. I felt the same after you said "It does not matter how you got to where you are, all that matters is how you’re gonna get out of here”. The frase in Spanish: "No hay qué preocuparse, hay que ocuparse".

[@everybodyhasabrain]

@@hitalz That is a useful reminder!

[@everybodyhasabrain]

Thanks! :) For the sake of not giving reassurance, I can't give you certainty, of course. Recovering from OCD doesn't require any particular belief in recovery--it requires action. Accept whatever your brain wants to think about recovery, but cut out compulsions and engage in healthy activities anyway. Recovery isn't something you have to believe, it's something you have to DO.

[@MrScalibur]

Your content are the best.

[@oidodsonidosonido2754]

i love you bro no hommo lol you have become my best friend and dont even know it thanks for what you do. you are helping alot of people. your words are exactly what i have been searching for for years answers and im fanally getting them. thanks alot bro

[@everybodyhasabrain]

You're welcome. I'm glad the videos are useful.

[@ryantan2936]

My anxiety become higher when I have nothing to do, or when I have a lot of free time. My imagination will seem to go wild and I my OCD seem to become more serious. Is it a must to keep myself busy to prevent relapse?

[@everybodyhasabrain]

What's wrong with anxiety? And who let your mind run wild?

[@ryantan2936]

I guess is me who let my imagination run wild, when I am busy doing work, there wasn't so much strange and intrusive thought

[@everybodyhasabrain]

+Ryan Tan But trying to get rid of intrusive thoughts is a big part of OCD. Why not welcome them without judging them? Then there wouldn't be a problem.

[@ryantan2936]

Thank for your tips :)

[@InfiresTaekook]

Mark Freeman mine is like is this me? Intrusive thoughts. Am I real? I can't believe I exist

[@everybodyhasabrain]

Thanks! It's a tricky line to walk because, on one hand, it's helpful to see what the roots of the OCD are so you can learn to accept them, but if you're choosing to chase certainty about something in the past, then it quickly becomes just another compulsion. We can only do healthy things in the present. Our brains can only change today. So regardless of what got us to where we are, all that matters now is what's going to get us out of there.

[@berryfairy68]

Cute, smart talking Canadian....love it :)

[@everybodyhasabrain]

Yes. Both are very common symptoms. If you're compulsively trying to cope with, check on, or control an uncertainty, regardless of what that uncertainty is, you're in mentally unhealthy territory.

[@davidbros849]

Could it be a false learnt behaviour? Thinking that doing something yields a result. Even by doing something doesn't really effect events but thinking that it does. Like turning on the spot would create good luck. The only reason it seems to work is because the person believes it will give them good luck. It is all about the wrong belief that doing something in a certain way will yield the desired result.

[@everybodyhasabrain]

Do you have any research that shows B vitamins lead to recovery? Great nutrition is important to mental health in general but as long as you're eating well, you're already getting all of the B vitamins you need. Research shows that behavioral therapy is the best route to long-term recovery from OCD. It worked for me and, personally, I've never met anybody who recovered by doing anything else. Pill-based therapies, when not combined with behavioral therapies, are linked with high rates of relapse

[@FernandoVazquez-ro1nw]

For me it is important to know, not because I want to blame it on something/someone else but because I think that if I understand its roots (which you address in another video beautifully) then I can approach my recovery in a more objective way. I think that it is great advice to not obsess about he cause and focus on the solution - but educating patients and family about the possible causes might help cope with the problem, don't you think?

[@everybodyhasabrain]

I find that it can be useful if it's focused on going someplace and making changes. If we're educating family members on why it's important not to give reassurance or not to pressure us into giving them reassurance, then it can be useful. But it's important to understand the roots of mental health and what we want to build. Knowing everything about drowning does not mean we know how to swim.

[@ivantyw600]

Can ocd be like over a relationship with someone in particular? Or sexual?

[@everybodyhasabrain]

It's rough but engaging in compulsions like "theatre", which you'll often see online or in OCD literature referred to as "testing", helps us see what you've now learned: IT ONLY MAKES YOU FEEL WORSE. It's just a compulsion you'll want to cut out. Anything you do to try to cope with, check on, or control uncertainty will only create new uncertainties and more anxiety.

[@everybodyhasabrain]

That's one of the reasons to eliminate these types of compulsions--you're just going to create situations that make you doubt yourself even more. OCD often involves us choosing to do things that create "reasons" to be even more anxious. Cutting out this testing compulsion will help to reduce the frequency of these situations.

[@SiameseCats4ever]

Now the harm one is about doing harm to my cats like twisting their necks. I reinforced unconsciously this by making a "theater" like putting my hands close to their necks and see if actually anything would happen, but of course it didn't. Instead of bringing me tranquility this brought me more anxiety! And now it has moved to self harm ocd. The other I had this thought/impulse of sticking my finger inside a fan (I didn´t) throw myself from a high floor and such ... continue..

[@agg5324]

How you doing noww

[@lipbalmaddict2600]

this was helpful mark thank you 👍👍

[@everybodyhasabrain]

You're welcome!

[@OsmanKann]

I'm reading book "Brain Lock" and the author believes we can change the structure and chemical balance in our brain through neuroplasicity and its a process we can do ourselves, im starting this to try and rewire my brain...

[@everybodyhasabrain]

Sorry to hear you haven't been able to access the help you need, Amir. There are a bunch of things you can do that don't cost as much as therapy. Finding a peer support group for people recovering from OCD is one option. Since you understand English, you can also access many self-help books by successful therapists. I'd recommend books on Acceptance & Commitment Therapy or Exposure & Response Prevention. Learning to accept the thoughts and not react to them helps tremendously.

[@lows372]

Mark Freeman do you have a couple titles of these self-help books that you would recommend? No OCD specialists in my area

[@ryantan2936]

Hi Mark, as a OCD sufferer, I am constantly troubled by "uncertainty", I would like to get to the bottom of things and understand why is it like that? how can you prove it...etc I have this unwanted thought come into mind, how can I get rid of this thought? How can I know the people I interact everyday is not pigment of my imaginations? How do I know they are real?

[@barryabrook8799]

Focusing on the passed can still be key to working on underlying assumptions fueling the anxiety resulting in OCD. Otherwise your not taking care of the root. Since the disease is nature-nuture, the passed nurture aspect which may have contributed to onset would deserve to be focused on. or not? keep up the great work!

[@jorgeandrescoppiano]

Mark, Thanks for your sharing. I just found your video. And you have a really nice explanation a go through the problem. Do you give Skype appointments? Thanks, JA.

[@everybodyhasabrain]

JorgeAndresCoppiano. Thanks. Yes. For more details, send me a message through the contact form on my website: www.markfreeman.ca

[@melaniecruz3625]

Hello Mark, Question. what are the references you used to explain the mix of genetic and environmental factors?

[@everybodyhasabrain]

There's a fairly large amount of inconclusive research for both, especially if you look beyond OCD at research into what affects the brain and mental health in general. To get started, just Google: "OCD genetic cause research" and "OCD environmental cause research" and you'll get many research studies looking at both.

[@reuvenmatsonachvili6958]

very helpfull video

[@ivantyw600]

Ocd be worrying over becoming a certain thing?

[@FRANKMANGIAPANE]

Good point!

[@justinbowman9049]

This Guy Needs To Be On TV , This Guy Deserves Millions !

[@everybodyhasabrain]

The tools used in effective therapies like Exposure & Response Prevention or Acceptance & Commitment Therapy are useful for being proactive tackling OCD. There's lots of research behind what we can do to maintain our mental health and get done the the things in life we want to get done. So the tools are already available for experiencing long-term recovery. But I think we need to focus more on making those tools accessible and giving people the holistic supports they need to succeed with them.

[@everybodyhasabrain]

When it comes to introducing repetitive actions, I'd want to see research that shows it's not just replacing one compulsion with another. That's always something to watch out for with anxiety disorders. I'd definitely want to see research before recommending something like this. In looking at any research on this, the questions to ask would be: If the patients stop taking the vitamin, do they replace it with compulsions again? Are they still recovered several years later and compulsion free?

[@genevievedennis9256]

The SSIRs made my brain foggy.

[@arfajmind2984]

So should I actually take the SSRI prescribed to me by my doctor.. because it boosts neuroplasticity? Or is it of no use..?

[@everybodyhasabrain]

That's something for you to explore with your doctor.

[@everybodyhasabrain]

Yup, it's a very common compulsion and the more you do it, the more anxiety you will experience and the more fears you'll have and the more intense they'll get. The most effective forms of therapy focus on cutting out compulsions. Trying something like Exposure & Response Prevention (ERP) or Acceptance & Commitment Therapy (ACT) can help tremendously.

[@everybodyhasabrain]

Thanks! I hope things are on the mend with your kidneys!

[@SiameseCats4ever]

I didn't do anything of this, but I did theatrics. Is this a newly found compulsion? like putting myself in a situation to see if I would actually do it? Tonight I was watching a film when the self harm thing came again. To see if I would be able to harm myself I pinched my skin until the point I would feel a bit of pain. I wanted to see if I actually would like to feel pain. Of course I disliked it! but instead of bringing security, this made anxiety rise a lot!

[@SiameseCats4ever]

Hello, Your videos are amazing! I've been dealing with OCD since last year, it started as trauma-based (I got end stage kidney disease out of nowhere) the impact of that was too strong for the psyche. I have battled with HOCD, Harm one, whatever.. you name it.. it comes. I have surpased all the sexual ones, actually most that have come! yet harm ocd is here and it troubles me currently. Continues..

[@SiameseCats4ever]

To complete with, by accident I hit my eye with my finger, which made me think I actually fell into the horrible scenario of having fallen for the thought!

[@SiameseCats4ever]

Thank you Mark, your help has been tremendous. You're right about OCD's favorite thing to be the craving for certainty, and when there is a lack of it, the doubt appears. I have found meditation helps me too! Also looking for Cognitive theraphy but so far have been disappointed with the people performing it here, as they are psychiatrists of the "brain inbalance" theory. Kind regards!

[@litwriter100]

(Continued) For one thing, if TS and/or OCD are organic, then why would behavioral therapies have any efficacy? I would invite you or any interested to read my free access articles at my website on TS which I believe would be of interest to those afflicted with OCD as well. I would especially commend to you my third article which constitutes a metaphorical shot across the bow of the established paradigm. Thanks again. I believe your philosophy is exactly correct. Donald Schneider

[@litwriter100]

(Cont.) I write on the subject and hold that TS is nothing more than a distinct variation of OCD with tics replacing bizarre rituals as attempted compulsive defense mechanisms. I’m a bit of a pariah within the TS “community” because I take a very similar approach to the subject that you do and deny the organic paradigm that was instituted around 1968 by a single NYC psychiatrist without very convincing evidence, though, like you, I do not deny a genetic predisposition for the affliction. (Cont.)

[@litwriter100]

"I do not believe that there is a cure per se for obsessive-compulsive disorders, of which I hold TS to be simply a distinct variation, because its basis is genetic as opposed to a physical abnormality. The instinct to survive within people like us has evolved to a degree that has become counterproductive in terms of our functioning at optimal human capacity." (Continued)

[@litwriter100]

(Continued) "This causes what I term to be 'acute self-awareness,' which engenders chronic anxiety and "mind-wandering" (ADHD, often associated with TS) due to chronic self-reflection. Tics in TS sufferers and compulsions within OCD sufferers are attempted defense and concentration mechanisms in an attempt by the mind to dispel repetitive thought patterns it finds objectionable." Donald Schneider

[@amirmedical]

I am 29 and i am a general physician and i had OCD since i was 16 or so, my OCD advance since that time, i used SSRI for a long time with no response, I have these OCD thoughts of what if i destroy the things i am studying and with different kinds of methods! I am studying for being a resident and i cant work so much, I leave in Iran i cant afford therapy because its so expensive here and it need lots of sessions. I have big exams coming and i dont know what to do!?

[@heisafraidofspiders]

Oh I loved this video :)))) One question (for the sake of seeking certainty :D ) - So the full recovery is possible yes? :)

[@Stueyknowz]

Mark. Thank you for your post. I am an avid subscriber. What you are doing really helps. I would love to talk to you and hear more about you're experience. Also I'm trying to connect with dr Whittal. Thanks for the recommendation. -Steven in Vancouver. And oh I'd there is anything I can do to volunteer to help support and grow your network. I'd be interested. Thank you again. You always provide insight .

[@everybodyhasabrain]

Yup.

[@davem475]

FINALLY !! SOMEONE WHO LOOKS AT LIFE the CORRECT WAY !! BRAVO !! I LOVE the PRACTICAL APPROACH !! MOST "DOCTORS" can't wipe their asses correctly and MANY MANY out there start out with a good intention and THEN get CORRUPED by the "system"...in the MEAN TIME we need dudes like YOU that focus on the PRACTICAL !! THANK YOU !!

[@AdamLajoie]

Great points. Articulate, to the point. Put my faint thoughts into words. I sent you a message about OCD! Hope you can give me some advice. Thanks Mark, I'm going to check out more of your videos.

[@chriscroteau931]

"Blame it on the web, but the spider's your problem now." Modest Mouse

[@arkapratimbanerjee6323]

hello mark dis is arka from india...ok so i am currently suffering from ocd.and u are really an inspiration.well this ocd problem started when i was in class 9(age 15) .i had a friend who was like an all-rounder.he was good in studies also since he looks good(i am also :P) he was quite famous with the girls .So i thought that i will be like him and that i have no so called disease or any minus point in me.This is when i remembered of my mole in the brain.I took it to be brain tumor and constantly began to think about it though a doctor had told earlier it was only a mole.My parents and family even tried to convince me that it was just a mole.but i thought so much that their convincing did not help the thought go away.I started thinking about different things and symptoms which were baseless but i could'nt stop them .it was like i was thinking how my mole looks if was bald and looked at it from different angles and many other stupid stuffs.But den i did not know about ocd also i did not tell my parents about the thoughts and thought it would go away and i could stop it.So i controlled it to some extent.But there were new thoughts one by one .i used to control them somehow.these ocd used to get severe during the exams when there was extra stress.U knw before this happened i had a very good memory and i had (also now :P) a very good intellect.it was above average .i used to score well.if i had read a chapter in history i could tell it from beginning to end without a skipping a word but after that i could study well .it seemed the talent i had of scoring well by just studying the night before had gone overnight.i could not concentrate well and could not memorize things as i had been doing.Well but thought it was just temporary and i can get over it.i had no idea that there existed a disorder such as ocd.During the class 10 board exams it got worse.I could'nt study a single word but yet i managed to score a 89%.i felt bad that i could have scored maybe the highest all over the world if i did not have that thoughts(i did not know that time this was ocd).During board exams my parents took me to a counsellor she told that i have ocd and i should take medicine and come to her every week for counselling.My parents thought that maybe it was just his exam fear so refused to let me take any medicine.Also,i thought that it was not ocd just some repitative thoughts which would go away after exams.yes it did to some extent but still i had many thoughts. i then spend my 2 years with this thing.i had forgotten about ocd which that doctor had told me.so it was during my 12 board exams again that this had become too severe.when i was in class 11 i had seen my father suffer from mdd(major depressive disorder) .he suffered a lot and at last we got the appointment of Kolkata's(city where i live) top pschyrartist.My father then felt a lot better though its not completely cured.So during this 12 board exams i thought of visiting this doc who would give a magic medicine that i would get cure.So after taking the medicines i felt a lot better and i thought that i would never think of such stuffs ever. so within 1.5 months i was completely cured.I went to study engineering away from home in a very good college.the first year passed perfectly i had no thoughts whatsoever i was very happy and enjoying my life.Then i did probably the biggest mistake of my life.During this year's summer vacations when i came home for 2 months i stopped taking the medicines cmpletely.i thought i am completely cured so i do not need any medicine.well after the vacations got over i returned there.It was okay for the first few days.Then suddenly i felt homesickness.i missed my mother and father a lot. i missed my city my family and used to cry a lot.it hurt me to such a extent that i left college and returned home..And my ocd started all over again. This time much severe than the earlier times.This relapsed about 3 months ago and i am still living with it.I love to play cricket and i know that i could become a famous cricketer i have the talent and i can work hard.but this ocd is coming as an obstacle.I was mentally strong during my childhood and i could never had imagined that ocd would happen to me out of all.maybe i am the last person to whom this could happen.i have lots of talent i know.whenever i do something i think that yes i am the best i can do it.my confidence is high but these thoughts are not letting me do anything.i am very very depressed i am trying to get over it.i am doing cbt counselling and taking my medicines regularly.i do not know when this will end.i am so tierd.can you please help me. i have seen ur video and its really useful but i am not getting over my ocd completely.its as if i am in the verge of getting cured ,i know i have that power within me to overcome this but i dont know why i am not being able to...if u could help me out it will be helpful and i will be grateful. i know it will take a lot of time reading this.but it will be very helpful if u reply coz u r an inspiration. Please i am in deep trouble.please

[@everybodyhasabrain]

That's great you're getting therapy! What specific challenges are you encountering with cutting out compulsions and accepting the stuff in your head? When you say that you "relapsed", what does that mean to you?

[@arkapratimbanerjee6323]

actually my compulsion is less my obsession is more.its not like washing hands etc.its like in every little thing a thought pops out.for example-if i take my medicine a little bit late its like i fear it will not work well...or when i m using the laptop in my lap i fear about the harmful radiations etc.Not only these,i just gave two examples...whatever i do, a thought related to that pops up and i m thinking about it whole day long.I analyze that thoughts too much which r meaningless . By relapse i mean to say it was cured one year a go .Last year i had no ocd.Again this year i had to leave college because of this.

[@arkapratimbanerjee6323]

hello mark i just had a question...the doctors are saying that yes there is a chemical imbalance due to which ocd is caused...and is that true...or is it that it is one of the reasons combined maybe not the only one ?and i can't get over this thought..please help me clear my confusion and how to get over this thought ..

[@lipbalmaddict2600]

stay strong Hun x

[@Stueyknowz]

Spell check error. If there is anything I can do to help. Cheers ;)

[@blablablablabla5952]

Thank you for this! It was really helpful, and even thought I recoverd I realised that my brain does compulsions all the time with the need to solve something or obsess over something, it’s like small things all the time🤯

[@piphraraspangons9704]

Youre really good!!

[@alr.3137]

So annoying, now my OCD has gone down by around 80% and now I'm ruminating if my parents or I could've prevented me from developing OCD in the first place :/

[@everybodyhasabrain]

A couple of things that might be useful to consider: 1) It can be helpful not to track OCD as some thing that you can pin at 80% 30% 100%, etc. I can't imagine what purpose there would be to that other than to practice more compulsions AND teach your brain that the thing you want to control is OCD (so of course it's going to come up with more things for you to control). 2) So it really helps to set goals that have nothing to do with a problem you want to leave behind, unless you would like the brain to keep throwing up more of that problem so you can chase that certainty and control and relief around it. 3) It really helped me to approach OCD as something I do. Now you know that compulsions fuel OCD, so why continue doing them around another uncertainty? You can make a choice now, in the next moment, on what you want to spend your time and energy on. That's the only choice you ever have.

[@n323dl]

Do you have any thoughts on the idea of addiction and anxiety/OCD being related or how they feed each other? I'm overcoming a non-substance addiction and I feel like it feeds my OCD and my OCD can sometimes feed the addiction. I've also noticed several recovering addicts I know also have OCD or some form of anxiety. I'd love to hear if you know anything about this...

[@jameswilliamson4855]

Truful Time with god Time in bible. Live the bible Cure

[@jameswilliamson4855]

Whynot o.c.d With godly behavior

[@reuvenmatsonachvili6958]

Hello Mark, i have an interesting question. I see a lot of people talking about how they started having OCD at some point in their lives, and they never had it before. Maybe they had some trauma from an event I don't know. But with me for example thats not the case. I was told that when i was an infant , maybe 2 years old , i used to count my toy cars for examle and also i used to arrange then in a particular fashion in my room when i played with them. But then if someone would even slightly move move these toys and they were not "perfectly" arranged the way i liked it i would start crying and screaming and going batshit. And that was when i was a baby before i can even remember myself and before i was aware of myself. So in my case I don't thing i was thought this behavior, its as if i was born with these behavioral tendencies. Its kinda strange i mean why would a 2 year old give a crap about whether his toys are two inches here or two inches there? Its kinda weird. What do you think about my story? Can you share your thoughts on this?

[@everybodyhasabrain]

reuven mats That's totally normal. Some of my earliest memories are of compulsions that I just thought were normal. I get a lot of messages from people saying that OCD started with a specific event but if you talk to them and explore, they had many behaviors when they were younger but they just failed to recognize them as part of the problem.

[@wendywends8822]

hi Mark can u recommend an indoor activity that can help with healing ocd or providing distraction in order to keep away from compulsions. does drawing help, or following online course. What do u recommend.

[@everybodyhasabrain]

+Wendy Wends With any moment, I recommend doing things that are aligned with your values. If you were doing something as a distraction to OCD, you'd only be putting OCD in-charge of your life. Instead, I find that it helps to focus on doing what you actually value.

[@dellasim7861]

I’m confused with what I am going through I constantly feel anxious and I do get intrusive thoughts and sometimes I can identify them and not fuss about them but the things that I can’t get out of my mind is what if I create compulsions or am doing them and I am not able to identify them. Also I worry that just because I feel a calm at times it’s because of a compulsion that I did. I’m probably obsessing but I’ve just started feeling this way and I’m scared. 💚💚

[@trangminh3761]

The "what if I create compulsions without knowing" when you feel beter is just another uncertainty and it's okay. That means you don't have to check whether your calm feeling comes from your compulsion or not. You get better when you get better, doesn't matter how or why, that's it 💜 I hope you have some relief 💜 The mind is so so tricky, I hate it sometimes, however we have no choice but to make peace with them.

[@PAy597]

Hi mark im from mexico and i have toc whit hipocondria, depression etc, my therapist said, that TOC appear suddenly but i think its for a depression not treated in past

[@everybodyhasabrain]

Hi! Did you have a question about that?

[@PAy597]

@@everybodyhasabrain i read your book, "entrena tu mente" my therapist of OCD, recommended a lot and you said in the book that OCD is a commbination of factors, i admired so much and in my case i think ocd is for a post trauma stress,and im practicing mindfulness in my town.

[@nicoleshahh5624]

but doesn't too much stress cause an imbalance plus ocd causes depression so how is it not an imbalance?

[@everybodyhasabrain]

Nicole Shahh What are the imbalances?

[@crystalsnowaye2913]

PLEASE DO A VIDEO HOW TO DEAL WITH GUILT BECAUSE OF THE THOUGHTS PLEASE PLEASE

[@everybodyhasabrain]

PLEASE STOP JUDGING THE THOUGHTS

[@alr.3137]

Hey Mark, is an OCD-brain permanently broken? Because I often read that it's a neurological disorder

[@everybodyhasabrain]

Reassurance compulsions like this are what fuel it. If it's a neurological disorder, surely you can prove that, then? What's the problem with my brain?

[@shawnleong3605]

I feel it’s not.

[@coreytaylor4214]

This is one of the greatest video that i ever watched about ocd .

[@everybodyhasabrain]

Thank you!

[@medgirly]

hey so i have to do a research paper and it is really an interesting topic bbut are you also saying that this explanation : What Causes OCD? ~ Dr AJ Allen MD Ph.D ~ AFOCD.org is wrong? i have to say a little bit about the causes and can't really get the most important facts. thanks for your help :)

[@everybodyhasabrain]

A "leaky filter" could be a useful metaphor. But I've never heard a description like that: blaming a leaky filter in the basal ganglia for OCD. What he's presenting there is a theory, not a set of facts. There are many different theories for OCD causes that hone in on a particular area of the brain, or blame infections, or look for trauma, etc. But finding a "cause" for any mental illness is very complex and there just isn't a simple answer.

[@medgirly]

***** ok thank you very much for your help and fast response :) i will just focus more on the treatment and therapy in my paper.

[@fibee8324]

I just watched your video on the OCD weed. I guess identifying your fears (for me it's responsibility/ resources and other stuff related to my eating disorder) is different from knowing WHY you have OCD in terms of nature/ nurture/ chemical imbalance etc. So it's important to identify your fears but it doesn't matter why you developed OCD?

[@everybodyhasabrain]

OCD is just you reacting to those fears. Cut out those reactions and how would you still have OCD?

[@fibee8324]

@@everybodyhasabrain But we still need to deal with the root of the fear which would be by accepting it as an uncertainty and trusting in ourselves to cope with anything that happens (or maybe that's reassurance??)

[@everybodyhasabrain]

I wouldn't see that as a "but..." Accepting any random uncertainty and trusting ourselves to handle whatever happens while we do the things we care about in life IS how we cut out those unhelpful reactions and build better mental health.

[@Atteflomid]

I feel like it does matter where it comes from. It's important so you or someone you know can prevent it. Obviously something is wrong. Someone or something is responsible. And the recovery crap with "you" being the one responsible for getting rid of OCD is much easier said than done. I don't think you realize the difficulty and suffering some people have to go through with this. Me included. School's hard as hell because of my OCD, and last year I was much happier. The truth here is to find out what's responsible and get rid of it.

[@everybodyhasabrain]

I'm sorry to hear you're struggling right now. It's totally normal to feel like the cause does matter. I actually started Everybody has a Brain because I didn't want people to have to suffer through OCD and all of the related issues and diagnoses like I did. I struggled with OCD for more than 10 years and now I spend a big chunk of each day reading through emails from people explaining their stories with OCD. I made this video because so many people get caught up chasing a cause, instead of putting that time and energy to the things they can do in the present to get over OCD and move beyond it.

[@duak7290]

But if we don't know the cause , than how can we cure it?

[@everybodyhasabrain]

What is it that needs curing?

[@duak7290]

@@everybodyhasabrain sir, i mean to say that people confuse us that it might be Genetic or due to influence of environment or may be a chemical imbalance, now let's say that it is genetic, than how can you prevent it's symptoms? How can you than overcome ocd??? Have been searching for it's answer but didn't find any though Edit: genetic *

[@everybodyhasabrain]

@@duak7290 But physical fitness is genetic and we change that all the time. There are numerous studies showing that people with similar genetic markers can have great mental health or poor mental health. Just like with physical fitness, what you do matters. So it can really help to recognize that searching online and checking for reassurance about this stuff is the type of compulsion that fuels more anxiety and more worries and mental health issues

[@litwriter100]

Mark, Bravo! You obviously are conformation of my belief that those who suffer from obsessive conditions tend to well above average in intelligence (and also tend to be right!). I suffer from a mild case of Toruette’s Syndrome, which then combined with what is now referred to as ADHD casued me much grief as a child in school. (Continued)

[@SiameseCats4ever]

Mark, a point that I believe could help many of us to have some idea of: I have felt in some way that there's some kind of loop concerning anger and neurosis. OCD drives people towards being very mental. So if there's some kind of situation which causes anger (any kind of person would feel it) instead of reacting emotionally the person reacts internally because of a fear of being violent. By fearing anger, the person thinks more, gets more neurotic, causing him to easily get angry. Right?

[@thanern6237]

You are cool