OCD Awareness Week: Breaking Stereotypes and How to Support

OCD Awareness Week takes place from October 11-17, and it’s recognized as a time to educate people on OCD and offer support to those who have the condition.

OCD stands for obsessive-compulsive disorder. In 2025, the International OCD Foundation (IOCDF) reported that up to 240 million people worldwide suffer with OCD at some point in their lives. However, the IOCDF also found that OCD is severely undiagnosed and misunderstood.

What OCD Is and Isn’t

It’s not uncommon to hear the phrase “I’m so OCD!” in day-to-day conversation, whether referring to cleanliness, preferring things a certain way, or being organized. OCD is more, however, than just being tidy or neat.

“One of the biggest stereotypes is ‘everybody has a little OCD,’ but OCD is a very serious mental illness,” said Addie Blankenship, LCSW and Clinical Provider Supervisor. “It’s minimizing the impact, because if someone truly has OCD, it causes a lot of distress.”

How does OCD show up?

“Usually, you’ll have intrusive thoughts and obsessions,” said Blankenship. “Then the compulsions are trying to make the anxiety go away.”

Obsessions, or intrusive thoughts, can be a variety of things, such as:

• Constant, irrational worry of contamination
• Fear of injuring oneself or another person
• Distasteful religious or sexual thoughts or images
• Excessive, irrational doubt

Compulsions are ritualistic behaviors that can be attempts to try and ease the anxiety caused by obsessions. Compulsions can also take many forms, and not all of them are visible, such as:

• Repeating phrases or activities
• Repeatedly checking things, like whether one locked the door or turned the stove off
• Cleaning or arranging items over and over

“I have worked with folks who are losing hours and hours of their day trying to do rituals to appease their anxiety,” said Blankenship. “I’ve seen it debilitate people, just make it to where they can’t live life at all.”

Treatment and Self-Care for OCD

The gold-standard treatment for OCD is ERP, or exposure and response prevention. It’s a cognitive behavioral therapy model where a trained clinician exposes patients to their obsession, then teaches them to become less sensitive to reduce anxiety. Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EDMR) and Assertive Community Treatment (ACT) can also help with improvement, as well as medication.

“There is a chemical component as well in the brain with OCD,” said Blankenship. “I always encourage people to talk to their primary or psychiatrist about medication, because it can be really helpful with the brain chemistry going on.”

As for self-care, there are several things people with OCD can do to help support their recovery. Getting good sleep, doing things that make one happy, like art or exercise, and having a good community of peers around you can really benefit those who deal with OCD.

How to Support

For those with loved ones who have OCD, there are many ways to provide support. Validating them or providing understanding is a great first step when it comes to caring for those you know with OCD.

It also can be beneficial to attend a therapy session with someone who is being treated for OCD. People with OCD may ask loved ones for reassurance, but providing that can continue the cycle of obsessions and compulsions. Joining a therapy session allows a therapist to educate both the patient and the family member.

“I would really talk to their loved one and the therapist about how they can support,” said Blankenship. “Working with the treatment team when you are trying to say, ‘I don’t want to reinforce this, how do I handle this?’ is really important.”

If you or someone you know is suffering with OCD, the first step is finding a good treatment program. Centerstone’s counseling services can help connect you with a clinician who is experienced in treating OCD and managing symptoms. For immediate support in a mental health crisis, call or text the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline to connect with trained counselors 24/7.