Symptoms of OCD and How Christian Counseling Can Help

Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder is a mental health condition that involves repetitive, intrusive thoughts (obsessions) that are relieved by repetitive rituals (compulsions) that appease the discomfort of the behavior. As the symptoms of OCD become more pronounced, the pattern of behavior can become further engrained and feel uncontrollable, causing much distress to the individual, as well as their loved ones who witness the struggle.

At the heart of OCD lies deep-seated anxiety, which can be treated with medication and cognitive behavioral therapy. However, Christian counseling offers an additional tool. By reminding individuals that the symptoms of OCD are not beyond the sovereignty of Scripture and the power of the Holy Spirit, a person can experience the renewal of their thought patterns.

Common symptoms of OCD

OCD is sometimes a term used in jest to describe someone who is extremely neat and organized, or who maintains a high level of personal hygiene. While symptoms of OCD can certainly manifest in this way, there are other ways in which compulsions are displayed. Researchers have defined the behaviors as falling into six primary categories. These include:

A focus on cleanliness

This compulsion is rooted in a fear of contamination. It leads an individual to be intensely focused on avoiding contact with germs, dirt, viruses, or bodily fluids. They may have to wash their hands several times a day, wipe down every surface touched multiple times, and avoid social contact because of what illnesses it might lead to.

Individuals who show these symptoms of OCD are completely gripped by a debilitating fear that intrudes on their ability to function normally in society.

Order and sequencing

Some with OCD have an overwhelming urge to order objects in a certain way to bring about exactness and symmetry. If something is misplaced, it will cause anxiety, until it is brought back into control by the individual. The relief brought by the restored order is, however, temporary, until another trigger emerges that leads to further compulsions.

Part of this category of symptoms is numbering, or the value attributed to a certain number. A person might, for example, focus on the number five, and then be compelled to do tasks based on this – switching a light on and off five times, touching a door five times before entering, and so on. They might also buy items according to this fixation – five loaves of bread or five gallons of milk.

Hoarding

An accumulation of items is another category in the symptoms of OCD. Hoarding can look like an overstoring of collectibles, random items, or even things that others might consider trash – old appliances and broken dishes.

The clutter can put a further toll on not only their mental health but their physical health as well. Often times, but not regularly, insects can infest their houses, and, in the case of animal hoarders, animal waste causes a smell that leads to authorities being called in. Individuals who struggling with hoarding tend to feel embarrassed about their surroundings which can lead to social isolation.

Safety and scarcity

Symptoms of OCD can manifest in extreme anxieties related to safety and scarcity. An individual may develop a paranoia about the safety of their family members with the possibility of creating imaginary scenarios about what might have happened to them if they do not immediately respond to contact. They might fit their home with a state-of-the-art security system and do whatever they can to alleviate any cause for panic.

It is this feeling of panic that people suffering from OCD most want to avoid, and so they may create routines to bypass the feeling. Individuals with scarcity OCD symptoms are concerned with lack, and whether they will have enough money, clothing, food, and so on to get through difficult circumstances. As a result, it can easily lead to hoarding.

Regularly checking/rumination on checking

This category of symptoms of OCD is a familiar scenario for most people who have forgotten whether they turned off the stove when they left home; and feel the need to return home to check. While this happens once in a while for non-OCD sufferers, for those struggling with the condition this urgent need to check that all is as it should be happening daily, even several times a day.

This can severely impact a person’s work and personal life, as so much time is dedicated to allaying the anxiety caused by the obsession. Whether it is the hair curling iron, the locks on the house, or another appliance, the individual is unable to break the vicious cycle of temporarily experiencing relief at being able to check, double-check, and triple-check various aspects that cause anxiety.

Unwanted intrusive thoughts

One of the more challenging symptoms of OCD includes the intrusion of unwanted thoughts, related to harming someone, or something equally displeasing. In these instances, graphic images, voices, and violent flashes come into the individual’s mind.

They often become concerned with losing control by acting on these intrusions to seek temporary relief. These thoughts can occur several times a day feeling extremely uncomfortable and terrifying for the individual struggling with OCD.

How can Christian counseling help with symptoms of OCD?

Researchers have many theories as to what causes obsessive-compulsive disorder, ranging from childhood trauma and post-traumatic stress disorder to an overworked amygdala. What is more important than understanding why it exists is understanding how to help people suffering from the symptoms of OCD.

A biblically trained Christian counselor will work with an individual to help them recover from OCD that threatens to derail normal functioning. Anti-anxiety medication will certainly play a role, if needed, in helping the individual to identify where they can engage their mind in reflecting on God’s Word.

While the Bible does not address symptoms of OCD directly, it has much to say about our thoughts, and how we can change and direct them, through the power of the Holy Spirit.

The following Scripture references can help someone deal with their OCD:

Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will. – Romans 12:2, NIV

…put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness. – Ephesians 4:22-24, ESV

For God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control. – 2 Timothy 1:7, ESV

While it will be a long journey involving much prayer and intentional effort, there is hope. PET scans have proven that the Biblical counseling methodology helps OCD sufferers change the patterns in the brain. Here are the four steps it follows:

Repent

Identify and confess all obsessive thoughts, because they sinfully presume that, if followed, they will bring relief, peace, and joy.

Re-label

Instead of viewing the thoughts as something to be feared, reflect on God’s command to fear Him alone (Psalm 34:9, Proverbs 1:7, 2 Corinthians 5:9). Identify them as the source of sinful fear and choose to not submit to them.

Replace

Substitute every anxious or obsessive thought with a truth about God’s goodness and sovereignty.

Re-Focus

Work on redirecting the self-focus that symptoms of OCD bring about, to outward-focused service toward God’s people and love for God.

Getting help

If you are suffering from symptoms of OCD, take heart. He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world and there is hope indeed for experiencing victory over this debilitating disorder.