Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) usually has two parts: unwanted, distressing thoughts, images or urges that keep coming back, and actions a person repeats to ease the anxiety they cause, such as washing, checking, counting or arranging.
Many people know these thoughts or actions do not make sense, yet letting go of them is very hard. OCD can take hours of the day, and out of shame people sometimes stay silent about it for years. OCD is not a sign of weakness or sin, and there are well-defined treatment approaches for it.
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One of the best-known approaches for OCD is exposure and response prevention (ERP), a form of cognitive behavioral therapy. With your therapist's guidance, you gradually face situations that trigger anxiety without performing the compulsion.
With repetition, mind and body learn that anxiety settles on its own. Your therapist also helps change your relationship with intrusive thoughts: having a thought does not mean wanting it or acting on it.
This happens slowly and with a plan, and you never have to start with the hardest step. In some cases a psychiatrist can assess whether medication alongside therapy may help.
Online sessions in Persian give you room to talk, without judgment, about thoughts you may never have told anyone. Early on, you and your therapist map out your OCD cycle together.
Practice between sessions is an important part of treatment. Therapy often lasts several months, and many people gradually feel that OCD has less control over their lives.
Examples are fictional and illustrative.
Parisa washed her hands dozens of times a day and her skin was cracked. With her therapist she built a list of situations from easy to hard. She learned to stay with the anxiety a little longer without washing right away. After a few months she had more time for work and family.
After moving to Sweden, Omid lived alone and checked the door lock and stove many times every night. Sometimes he turned back halfway to check again. In therapy he learned to check once and tolerate the feeling of doubt. Gradually he started arriving at work on time.
Hossein had unwanted thoughts about harming loved ones and was terrified of himself. His therapist explained that such thoughts are common in OCD and do not reflect what he wants. Through practice he learned not to fight them. His shame and fear eased.
These therapists list this on their profile. All sessions are online and in Persian.
No. OCD is not only about cleanliness and can take the form of checking, counting, intrusive religious or moral thoughts and many other patterns. The core is a cycle of distressing thoughts and repetitive actions that disrupts life.
It can feel uncomfortable at first, but the steps are arranged with you, from easy to hard. Your therapist is with you and you set the pace together.
Yes, many exposure exercises can be done online in your own environment. Sometimes this even helps, because practice happens right where the OCD shows up.
Please contact local emergency services or a crisis line in your country immediately. Urgent help comes first, and OCD treatment can continue afterwards.
This page is general information and does not replace a professional assessment. If you are in immediate danger or thinking about harming yourself, contact your local emergency services. Urgent help
