OCD: Obsessions, Compulsions and Support Options
Obsessive-compulsive disorder involves recurring unwanted thoughts, urges or images and repetitive behaviours or mental acts that can cause significant distress or interfere with everyday life. It is considerably broader than the cleanliness stereotype suggests.
This page explains what obsessions and compulsions are, why compulsions are often invisible, how OCD differs from everyday habits, perfectionism and OCPD, what intrusive thoughts do and do not mean, how OCD is professionally assessed, and what established treatment involves — including an accurate account of ERP that is deliberately not a set of instructions. It is general information, not an assessment of you.
What Is Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder?
OCD is a recognised mental health condition. The National Institute of Mental Health describes it as a disorder marked by uncontrollable and recurring thoughts (obsessions), repetitive and excessive behaviours (compulsions), or both — and notes that symptoms are often time-consuming and can cause significant distress or interfere with daily life.
Both halves of that matter. A person may have obsessions, compulsions, or both, and it is the distress, the time involved and the interference with everyday life that distinguish OCD from ordinary experience — not the content of any particular thought.
NIMH notes that symptoms can begin at any time but usually start between late childhood and young adulthood, and the NHS says people can have symptoms from as early as six years old, though it often begins around puberty and early adulthood.
Obsessions
The NHS describes an obsession as an unwanted and unpleasant thought, image or urge that repeatedly enters your mind, causing feelings of anxiety, disgust or unease. Obsessions are not simply thinking about something a lot, or worrying about a real problem. What characterises them is that they are intrusive, unwanted, repetitive and distressing — they arrive rather than being chosen, and they tend to be the opposite of what the person values.
Compulsions
The NHS describes a compulsion as a repetitive behaviour or mental act that a person feels they need to do to temporarily relieve the unpleasant feelings brought on by the obsessive thought. Compulsions may be performed to reduce distress, to obtain certainty, to neutralise a feared possibility or to prevent a feared outcome.
The word doing the work in that definition is "temporarily". Compulsions are not enjoyable and they are not indulgences. Relief, when it comes, is short-lived, and the pattern tends to strengthen the sense that the compulsion was necessary — which is a large part of why OCD is so difficult to interrupt without help.
On knowing whether a fear is realistic
Older descriptions often say that people with OCD know their thoughts are irrational. That is not reliably true and it is not a requirement. How clearly someone can judge whether a feared outcome is realistic varies from person to person and can vary for the same person over time — some recognise that a fear or ritual is excessive, others hold it with considerable conviction, and many sit somewhere in between or find the uncertainty itself unbearable. Not being sure whether your fear is reasonable does not rule OCD in or out.
Compulsions Are Not Always Visible
The NHS definition of a compulsion includes a repetitive behaviour "or mental act" — and that second half is routinely lost in popular accounts of OCD, which are almost entirely about things other people can see.
A compulsion can happen entirely inside someone's head. It might be silently repeating a word or phrase, mentally reviewing an event to check what happened or what was said, running through a memory looking for certainty, mentally cancelling out or neutralising an unwanted thought, praying in a fixed way to undo something, or checking internally how one feels about something. From the outside, nothing is happening.
On the term "Pure O"
You will see "Pure O" used online for OCD that appears to involve obsessions without compulsions. It is a colloquial description rather than a separate formal diagnosis. What it usually describes is OCD where the compulsions are mental, or take the form of avoidance or reassurance-seeking, rather than being absent. That distinction matters practically: someone who concludes they cannot have OCD because they do not perform visible rituals may not raise any of it with a professional.
Mental compulsions are also part of why OCD can go unrecognised for a long time, and why people are sometimes surprised to be asked about them. If this is closer to your experience than anything in the stereotype, it is worth mentioning in an assessment rather than assumed to be irrelevant.
OCD Is Not Just About Cleanliness or Organisation
Contamination fears and washing are one possible presentation of OCD. They are the one that reaches television, and they are not the whole condition — many people with OCD have no contamination concerns at all.
Obsessional themes vary widely. Broadly, they can involve contamination; responsibility for harm coming to oneself or others; doubt, often attached to checking; a need for symmetry or for something to feel "just right"; unwanted taboo thoughts; moral or religious concerns; and doubts about relationships. This page keeps that list deliberately short and general — a longer, more specific catalogue starts to function as a menu for self-diagnosis, and detailed examples of distressing thought content help nobody.
The reverse claim matters just as much. Liking things tidy, being organised, or being bothered by mess is not OCD, and "I'm a bit OCD about my desk" describes a preference rather than a disorder. OCD is defined by unwanted intrusive experience, compulsion, distress, time and interference — not by neatness.
Intrusive Thoughts, and What They Do Not Mean
Unwanted intrusive thoughts are a common human experience. They occur in people with no mental health condition at all — odd, unpleasant or disturbing thoughts that arrive uninvited and are dismissed as noise. Having one does not establish OCD.
What tends to differ in OCD is not the presence of the thought but what happens next: the thought is treated as significant, it recurs, it causes considerable distress, and it pulls a response — checking, avoiding, seeking reassurance, mentally neutralising. The assessment is of that whole pattern, its persistence, the distress it causes and its effect on daily life, not of any individual thought.
Unwanted thoughts about harm
People with OCD can experience intrusive thoughts or images involving harm — to themselves, or to others, sometimes to people they love most. These are frequently the hardest to speak about, and the fear of what having them might say about a person is often worse than the thought itself.
What can be said generally is that an unwanted intrusive thought is not the same thing as a wish, an intention or a plan, and that such thoughts commonly run directly counter to what the person values — which is a large part of why they cause so much distress. What cannot be said, by this page or any page, is anything about a particular reader: nothing here can tell you what your own experience is, and that is a job for an assessment rather than a reassurance you can look up.
One distinction does need stating plainly. Unwanted intrusive thoughts are not the same as actual intent — but where there is genuine intention to harm yourself or someone else, a plan, immediate risk, or a sense of being unable to stay safe, that needs urgent professional assessment now rather than a scheduled appointment. The guidance for that is further down this page.
What OCD Is Often Confused With
Several of these overlap with OCD in one way or another, and none of them is the same thing.
Everyday habits and routines
People have routines, preferences and rituals for convenience, comfort or enjoyment. Repetition on its own is not a compulsion. What assessment considers is why a behaviour happens — whether it is driven by an obsession or a rigid internal rule, what distress it relieves, how much time it takes and what it costs.
Perfectionism
Perfectionism is not OCD, and extreme perfectionism does not "turn into" it. Perfectionistic traits can occur alongside OCD and can relate to some OCD concerns, but not all perfectionists have OCD and not all people with OCD are perfectionists. High standards, applied by choice to things a person cares about, are a different phenomenon from compulsions driven by intrusive distress.
Obsessive-compulsive personality disorder (OCPD)
Confusingly similar names, different conditions. OCD involves obsessions and compulsions as described on this page. OCPD is a personality disorder — an enduring pattern of traits around orderliness, control and perfectionism — and is classified separately. They are not interchangeable terms, they are not the same diagnosis, and distinguishing them is professional work rather than something to settle from a comparison online.
Anxiety disorders
OCD very often involves anxiety, and older material — including, until recently, some of LifeHetu's own — classifies it as an anxiety disorder. Current classification systems do not: OCD sits within obsessive-compulsive and related disorders, a grouping of its own. Anxiety being involved does not make OCD a subtype of anxiety disorder, and the distinction affects what treatment is appropriate.
Read about anxietyHoarding disorder
Difficulty discarding possessions is sometimes described as "hoarding OCD". Current classification treats hoarding disorder as a distinct diagnosis, within the same broad obsessive-compulsive and related grouping but separate from OCD. It is mentioned here only to correct the conflation.
Other conditions occurring alongside
NIMH notes it is common for people with OCD also to have a diagnosed mood or anxiety disorder. Depression in particular can occur alongside OCD and can affect both assessment and what treatment is appropriate — another reason the whole picture matters rather than any single symptom.
Read about depressionWhat May Contribute to OCD?
The honest answer is that it is not settled. The NHS states plainly that it is not clear what causes OCD, and describes a number of different factors that may play a part.
Family history
The NHS notes that OCD is more likely in someone who has a family member with it — possibly through genes, possibly through learned behaviour, and the two are difficult to separate.
Biological factors
Biology is involved, and NIMH funds research into genetics, biology and temperament to understand who is at risk. What the evidence does not support is a single tidy mechanism, which is why none is offered here.
Learning and thinking patterns
How intrusive experiences come to be interpreted as significant, and how responses to them get reinforced, is part of the picture — and is the part that the psychological treatments below work on.
Life events and environment
The NHS notes OCD may be more common in people who have been bullied, abused or neglected, and that it sometimes begins after a significant life event such as childbirth or a bereavement. "More common after" is not the same as "caused by", and many people with OCD have no such history.
Two explanations you will meet often are not supported well enough to appear here. OCD is widely said to be "caused by a serotonin imbalance" — that shorthand oversimplifies a genuinely unresolved picture, and the fact that some medication affecting serotonin helps some people does not establish that a deficiency caused the condition. It is also often attributed to a specific overactive brain circuit, as though the mechanism were settled. Neither claim is needed to understand OCD or to get help for it, and nothing here can tell any individual what contributed to their own.
One thing can be said without qualification, and the NHS says it: having OCD is not your fault, and there is nothing to be ashamed or embarrassed about. Compulsions are genuinely difficult to resist, and OCD is not a failure of willpower or character.
When Might It Help to Speak With a Professional?
There is no threshold you have to cross first, and no amount of time you are expected to have endured. People often find it useful in situations like these.
Unwanted thoughts keep returning and are causing real distress
You find yourself checking, washing, repeating, arranging or counting more than you want to
You are repeatedly seeking reassurance — from people, or by searching
A lot of time is going into this, or into avoiding things that set it off
Work, study, relationships or daily routines are being affected
You are going over things mentally, or trying to neutralise thoughts internally
You are avoiding situations to prevent the thoughts arriving
You are not sure what you are dealing with and would like someone qualified to look at it
The NHS is direct on this point: it is unlikely OCD will get better without proper treatment and support, and people with OCD are sometimes reluctant to seek help because they feel ashamed or embarrassed. Working out what you are dealing with is part of what a professional conversation is for, not something to establish beforehand.
How Is OCD Professionally Assessed?
Assessment is a conversation with an appropriately qualified professional. The NHS describes either referring yourself to a talking therapies service or seeing a doctor who will ask about symptoms and refer on where necessary.
An assessment will usually explore the obsessions a person experiences, the compulsions they perform — including mental ones — what they avoid, whether they seek reassurance and from whom, how much distress is involved, how much time it takes, how far it affects daily functioning, when it started and how it has developed, other mental health symptoms, and any medical or substance factors that may be relevant.
Standardised questionnaires are used in some settings to support assessment and to track change over time. A questionnaire score is not a diagnosis, and no online quiz — including any that calls itself an OCD test — can produce one.
There is no scan or blood test for OCD
OCD is not diagnosed by a brain scan, a blood test or a neurotransmitter measurement. Clinical assessment is what establishes it. You will find claims to the contrary online; they are not how this works.
On thresholds
Diagnostic frameworks refer to symptoms being time-consuming, distressing or impairing, and you will sometimes see this reduced to a rule such as "more than an hour a day means OCD". That is a fragment of a professional framework rather than a test you can apply to yourself, and reading it as one produces false conclusions in both directions.
Not every practitioner assesses or diagnoses OCD, and not every counsellor works with it. OCD is an area where professional scope and specific training matter more than usual, and it is reasonable to ask a practitioner directly about their experience with OCD before booking or early in a first conversation.
What Treatment Options Are Used for OCD?
Established treatments exist. NIMH puts the position carefully and it is worth repeating exactly: although there is no cure for OCD, available treatments can help people manage their symptoms, participate in day-to-day activities and improve their quality of life. The NHS describes the main treatments as talking therapy — usually CBT — and medicine, usually an SSRI.
CBT, and Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP)
The psychological treatment most associated with OCD is a specific form of cognitive behavioural therapy known as exposure and response prevention. The NHS describes CBT for OCD as helping a person face their fears and obsessive thoughts without "putting them right" through compulsions — which is, in plain terms, what ERP does: gradually and deliberately encountering what triggers the obsession while not performing the compulsion that usually follows, so that the cycle maintaining it is interrupted.
It is worth being precise rather than saying "CBT is the gold standard". Generic talk therapy and OCD-focused CBT are not the same thing, and ERP in particular is a structured protocol with its own training behind it. A practitioner who offers counselling does not necessarily offer ERP. Other cognitive-behavioural approaches are also used, and what is appropriate depends on the person and on professional assessment.
Why this page gives no ERP instructions
ERP works through careful planning: what is approached, in what order, at what intensity, with what preparation, and what happens when distress peaks. Done without that structure it can be ineffective at best and can entrench things at worst.
So there are no instructions here, and the omissions are deliberate. This page does not tell anyone to confront their worst fear, touch something they consider contaminated, stop washing or checking abruptly, delay a ritual by any number of minutes, write out intrusive thoughts repeatedly, seek out material that triggers them, build their own exposure hierarchy, or prevent all compulsions at once. Those are components of a treatment delivered with a trained professional, not self-help steps. LifeHetu does not provide ERP and does not verify ERP training.
Medication
Medication can be part of treatment for some people following appropriate medical assessment. The NHS describes the medicines usually used as a class of antidepressant called selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, and notes it can take up to 12 weeks before their effects are noticed, with further options available where initial treatment does not help.
That is as specific as this page goes. No drug names, no doses, no regimens, no "best" medication, no duration or tapering guidance, and no instruction to start, stop or change anything — those decisions belong to an appropriately qualified prescribing professional who has assessed the individual. LifeHetu does not prescribe. It is also worth not reading medication as evidence of a simple chemical cause: that a treatment affecting serotonin helps some people does not establish that a serotonin deficiency caused the condition.
Where more specialist care may be needed
The NHS notes that where initial treatments do not help, some people may be referred to a specialist mental health service for further treatment, and NIMH describes ongoing research for people whose symptoms have not improved after multiple treatments. Not improving with a first approach is a reason to go back to a professional, not evidence that nothing works.
Outcomes and timelines vary between people, and this page promises nothing about either. There is no universal number of sessions for OCD.
How Can Family or Friends Support Someone With OCD?
People close to someone with OCD are often drawn into it without anyone intending it — answering the same question again, checking on their behalf, taking over a task to avoid a trigger, adjusting the household around what has to be avoided. This is common, it comes from care, and it is worth understanding rather than feeling guilty about.
Notice the pattern
Repeated reassurance, checking for them, joining in rituals or arranging life around avoidance can all quietly become part of how OCD sustains itself.
Do not change it abruptly
Withdrawing all reassurance overnight, refusing to help without warning, or removing support suddenly can be distressing and can backfire. Changes in how a family responds are best made gradually and, where possible, with professional guidance — often as part of the person's own treatment.
Never force exposure
Do not make someone face a trigger, physically stop a compulsion, or take away what they use to cope. That is not an informal version of ERP; it is something else entirely, and it can do real harm.
Avoid blame
Compulsions are difficult to resist. "Just stop doing it" misunderstands the condition, and the NHS is clear that having OCD is not the person's fault.
Take the shame seriously
The NHS notes people with OCD are sometimes reluctant to seek help because they feel ashamed or embarrassed. Intrusive thoughts often conflict sharply with a person's values, which makes them hard to say aloud.
Encourage professional support
Helping with the practical side of finding and getting to support is usually more useful than trying to be the therapist.
OCD in Children and Adolescents
OCD can begin in childhood — the NHS notes symptoms can start from as early as six years old, and NIMH that onset is usually between late childhood and young adulthood. How it presents and how it is assessed and treated need to be developmentally appropriate, and that is specialist work.
This page is written for adults, and the practitioners listed on it offer Adult Counselling. If you are looking for support for a child or teenager, the Child & Adolescent Counselling service is the right starting point rather than this listing.
Child & adolescent counsellingIf You Need Urgent Support
Booking a session through LifeHetu is a scheduled conversation with a practitioner at a future time. It is not an emergency service, and it is not the right route for something that needs help now.
If you are having thoughts of self-harm or suicide, or someone is in immediate danger, go to the nearest hospital or emergency room, where you can see a psychiatrist, counsellor or therapist in person. Do not wait for a scheduled session. Involving a family member or friend who can be with you helps.
OCD can involve unwanted intrusive thoughts about harm, and those are not the same as intent — but this page cannot tell you which is which in your own case, and it is not going to try. Where there is actual intention, a plan, immediate risk or a sense of being unable to stay safe, that needs urgent assessment now regardless of what anyone thinks the cause is.
For severe physical symptoms — chest pain, severe breathlessness, fainting or sudden neurological symptoms — urgent medical care is the right first step, whatever you think the cause may be.
What LifeHetu Does, and What It Does Not
LifeHetu is a technology platform. It lists independent practitioners, publishes their professional profiles, and enables online session booking and payment. The practitioners listed are not employed by LifeHetu, and the professional relationship in a session is between you and the practitioner.
LifeHetu does not assess or diagnose OCD, provide therapy, deliver CBT or ERP, prescribe medication, design treatment plans, clinically match anyone to a practitioner or monitor anyone's progress. It does not certify anyone as an OCD specialist or as trained in ERP. Where this page describes what treatment involves, it is describing what appropriately qualified professionals do — not what LifeHetu does.
This page is also not a source of reassurance about your own situation, and it is not designed to be checked repeatedly. It sets out what is generally known and points towards professional assessment, because that is what can actually answer the question.
Where to Find Professional Support
LifeHetu lists independent practitioners and lets you book an online session with one of them. It does not maintain a list of OCD specialists or ERP-trained practitioners — practitioner records carry the services someone offers, not verified clinical specialisms or therapy training — so any such list would be guesswork, and for a treatment like ERP guesswork would be worse than none.
How Online Booking Through LifeHetu Works
Explore practitioners
Browse who is listed, with search and filters. Nothing is behind a sign-up.
Read the profile
Qualifications, years in practice, languages, the services they offer and how they describe their own work are on each profile.
Choose the service
Pick the service you want from the ones that practitioner offers. The current fee is shown for it.
Pick a time
Availability comes live from the practitioner's own calendar at the moment you book, so the times shown are the ones actually open.
Confirm and pay
Complete the booking, and you receive the details for your session.
Sessions Are Booked Online
LifeHetu currently enables online session booking. If you are seeking OCD-specific treatment such as ERP, review the practitioner's professional background and listed approaches and discuss with them whether the format and the approach are appropriate for you. After connecting with a practitioner you may also discuss directly whether an in-person session could be considered in the future; any such arrangement depends on the practitioner and is not managed by LifeHetu.
Related Pages
Questions About OCD
Obsessive-compulsive disorder is a recognised mental health condition. NIMH describes it as marked by uncontrollable and recurring thoughts (obsessions), repetitive and excessive behaviours (compulsions), or both, and notes that symptoms are often time-consuming and can cause significant distress or interfere with daily life. A person may have obsessions, compulsions, or both.
The NHS describes an obsession as an unwanted and unpleasant thought, image or urge that repeatedly enters your mind, causing anxiety, disgust or unease. A compulsion is a repetitive behaviour or mental act that a person feels they need to do to temporarily relieve those feelings. Obsessions arrive; compulsions are what someone does in response. Any relief from a compulsion is temporary, which is part of why the pattern is so hard to break.
No. Contamination fears and washing are one possible presentation, and many people with OCD have no contamination concerns at all. Obsessional themes can involve responsibility for harm, doubt and checking, symmetry or a need for something to feel "just right", unwanted taboo thoughts, moral or religious concerns, and doubts about relationships, among others. Equally, liking things tidy or being organised is not OCD — being particular about your desk is a preference, not a disorder.
Yes, and this is often missed. The NHS definition of a compulsion includes a repetitive behaviour "or mental act". A compulsion can be silently repeating a phrase, mentally reviewing an event to check what happened, running through a memory for certainty, mentally neutralising an unwanted thought, or checking internally how you feel about something. From outside, nothing appears to be happening. The term "Pure O" is sometimes used for this online; it is a colloquial description rather than a separate formal diagnosis, and what it usually describes is OCD where the compulsions are mental rather than absent.
No. Unwanted intrusive thoughts are a common human experience and occur in people with no mental health condition at all. An unwanted intrusive thought is not a wish, an intention or a plan, and such thoughts commonly run directly counter to what a person values — which is often why they cause so much distress. What no web page can do is assess any individual: this page cannot tell you what your own experience means, and looking for that reassurance repeatedly tends to feed the pattern rather than settle it. Where there is genuine intention to harm yourself or someone else, a plan, immediate risk or an inability to stay safe, that needs urgent professional assessment now.
No, and extreme perfectionism does not turn into OCD. Perfectionistic traits can occur alongside OCD and can relate to some OCD concerns, but not all perfectionists have OCD and not all people with OCD are perfectionists. High standards applied by choice to things a person cares about are a different phenomenon from compulsions driven by intrusive distress.
The names are confusingly similar and the conditions are different. OCD involves obsessions and/or compulsions — unwanted intrusive experiences and the responses to them. OCPD, obsessive-compulsive personality disorder, is a personality disorder involving an enduring pattern of traits around orderliness, control and perfectionism, and is classified separately. They are not interchangeable, and distinguishing them is a matter for professional assessment.
Not in current classification. OCD frequently involves anxiety, and older material often groups it with anxiety disorders, but current systems place it within obsessive-compulsive and related disorders — a grouping of its own. Anxiety being involved does not make OCD a subtype of anxiety disorder, and the distinction matters to what treatment is appropriate.
Through assessment by an appropriately qualified professional. That usually explores the obsessions someone experiences, the compulsions they perform including mental ones, what they avoid, reassurance seeking, the distress involved, how much time it takes, the effect on daily functioning, when it began, other mental health symptoms and any relevant medical factors. Standardised questionnaires are sometimes used to support assessment, but a score is not a diagnosis and no online test can produce one. There is no brain scan or blood test for OCD. A rule such as "more than an hour a day means OCD" is a fragment of a professional framework, not a test you can apply to yourself.
NIMH puts it carefully: although there is no cure for OCD, available treatments can help people manage their symptoms, participate in day-to-day activities and improve their quality of life. The NHS describes the main treatments as talking therapy — usually cognitive behavioural therapy — and medicine, usually a class of antidepressant called SSRIs, noting it can take up to 12 weeks before their effects are noticed. Which is appropriate depends on the person and on professional assessment, and where initial treatment does not help, referral to a specialist mental health service may follow.
Exposure and response prevention is a specific form of cognitive behavioural therapy commonly used for OCD. At a high level it involves gradually encountering situations or thoughts that trigger obsessions while not performing the compulsion that usually follows — the NHS describes CBT for OCD as helping a person face their fears and obsessive thoughts without "putting them right" through compulsions. It is a structured treatment with its own training behind it, and generic talk therapy is not the same thing. On trying it alone: this page gives no ERP instructions, deliberately. ERP depends on careful planning — what is approached, in what order, at what intensity, with what preparation, and what happens when distress peaks — and without that structure it can be ineffective or make things worse. Confronting your worst fear, stopping washing or checking abruptly, delaying rituals by a set number of minutes, building your own exposure hierarchy or preventing all compulsions at once are not self-help steps. ERP is delivered with a trained professional, and LifeHetu neither provides it nor verifies training in it.
Read profiles and compare professional role and scope, qualifications, the services offered, any stated experience with OCD, and whether OCD-focused CBT or ERP is actually named among their approaches. Where it is not stated, ask the practitioner directly — that is a reasonable question and a good practitioner will expect it. LifeHetu does not rank practitioners, does not match you to one, and does not certify anyone as an OCD specialist or as ERP-trained. Choosing any Adult Counselling practitioner is not the right approach if OCD-specific treatment is what you need.
Yes. LifeHetu currently enables online session booking, and practitioners offering Adult Counselling are listed on this page with their current fees. If you are seeking OCD-specific treatment such as ERP, review the practitioner's professional background and listed approaches and discuss with them whether the format and the approach are appropriate for you. For a child or teenager, Child & Adolescent Counselling is the right service rather than this listing.
Sources & References
- National Institute of Mental Health — Obsessive-Compulsive DisorderThe definition of OCD as involving obsessions, compulsions or both; that symptoms are often time-consuming and can cause significant distress or interfere with daily life; typical age of onset; that it is common for people with OCD also to have a diagnosed mood or anxiety disorder; that although there is no cure, available treatments can help people manage symptoms and improve quality of life; and that research continues for people whose symptoms have not improved after multiple treatments.
- NHS — Obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD)The definitions of obsession and compulsion, including that a compulsion may be a mental act and that relief is temporary; that symptoms can start as early as six years old; that it is not clear what causes OCD and the contributing factors described; that having OCD is not your fault and there is nothing to be ashamed of; that people are sometimes reluctant to seek help because of shame; that it is unlikely to improve without proper treatment; the description of CBT as facing fears without "putting them right" through compulsions; that medicines used are usually SSRIs and can take up to 12 weeks to show effects; and that referral to a specialist service may follow where initial treatment does not help.
- World Health Organization — ICD-11 classificationThat OCD is classified within obsessive-compulsive or related disorders rather than among anxiety or fear-related disorders, and that hoarding disorder is a distinct diagnosis within that grouping.
- World Health Organization — Anxiety disordersThe description of anxiety disorders used in the classification comparison.
- NIMHANS — National Institute of Mental Health and NeurosciencesIndian context for mental health services and where in-person clinical care is accessed.
Explore Practitioners Offering Adult Counselling
OCD can require specific professional knowledge and treatment approaches such as OCD-focused CBT or ERP. The practitioners below currently offer Adult Counselling through LifeHetu; this listing does not mean that every practitioner specialises in OCD or provides ERP. Review each practitioner's professional background, qualifications, listed services and therapeutic approaches before deciding who you would like to speak with.
LifeHetu does not certify anyone as an OCD specialist or as trained in ERP, does not rank practitioners and does not match you to one. If you are specifically seeking OCD-focused treatment such as ERP and a practitioner's profile does not make their relevant experience or approach clear, consider asking them about their experience with OCD before booking or during an initial conversation.
9 practitioners offering Adult Counselling
Mr Abhishek Faria
6 years in practice
Doctoral Candidate at California Southern University
Online session: Video · Phone Call · Chat
Languages: English, Hindi, Marathi, Gujarati
Fee: ₹1800 per session
Ms Priya Parwani
6 years in practice
Bachelor's in Psychology Master's in Psychology PG Diploma in Counselling Psychology
Online session: Video
Languages: English, Hindi
Fee: ₹1000 per session
Mrs Mahalakshmi Rajagopal
28 years in practice
MSW, MSc
Online session: Video
Languages: English, Hindi, Tamil, Kannada, Telugu, Malayalam
Fee: ₹1800 per session
Ms Sonali Sikdar
16 years in practice
Online session: Video
Languages: English, Hindi, Marathi
Fee: ₹1500 per session
Dr. S.S. Saini
10 years in practice
M.Phil (Clinical Psychology), Ph.D (Clinical Psychology),PGDCBM with 10 years experience
Online session: Video · Phone Call
Languages: English, Hindi, Punjabi
Fee: ₹1500 per session
Dr Jignesh Ahir
11 years in practice
Masters in Applied Psychology, M.Phil. Ph.D in Psychology Research Gold Medalist
Online session: Video · Call · Chat
Languages: English, Hindi, Gujrati
Fee: ₹2000 per session
Ms Parinaaz Irani
8 years in practice
Online session: Video
Languages: English, Hindi, Marathi, Gujarati
Fee: ₹1500 per session
Irshad Md
5 years in practice
Online session: Video
Languages: English, Hindi, Telugu, Urdu
Fee: ₹2000 per session
Dr Rainy Bhuyan
12 years in practice
MPT Neurosciences and Psychosomatic Disorders, Internationally Certified Aura Reader
Online session: Video
Languages: English, Hindi, Gujarati
Fee: ₹1000 per session
Fees and availability shown come from each practitioner’s own current settings. Read more about Adult Counselling.
What to Consider When Choosing a Practitioner
Professional role and scope
What a practitioner is qualified to do differs. If assessment, diagnosis or medication may be relevant to your situation, that shapes who is appropriate.
Stated OCD experience
Where a profile states experience with OCD, that is worth weighing. Where it does not, ask rather than assume — LifeHetu has not verified it either way.
Whether ERP or OCD-focused CBT is actually listed
General counselling and ERP are different things with different training behind them. If ERP is what you are looking for, look for it named explicitly, and ask if it is not.
Qualifications and services
The degree or training they hold, the institution that issued it, and what you can actually book with them.
Years in practice
Calculated from the year they started. Longer is not the same as better suited to you.
Languages, fee and availability
The languages they offer sessions in, the current fee, and when they have time open.
Choosing any Adult Counselling practitioner is not the right approach for OCD-specific treatment. Asking a practitioner about their experience with OCD and the approaches they use is a reasonable question and a good practitioner will expect it. This listing is not ranked or scored, and no one on it has been assessed by LifeHetu for OCD in particular.
Explore Professional Support Options
Review practitioners offering Adult Counselling through LifeHetu, their professional backgrounds and current online booking options.