Online therapy for OCD

Obsessive-compulsive disorder involves unwanted thoughts or images that keep intruding (obsessions), and actions or rituals you feel driven to repeat to ease the anxiety (compulsions). Obsessions can involve cleanliness, doubt, order, or religious and moral themes, and having them does not make you a bad person.

Common signs

Distressing thoughts that repeat and are hard to stop
Repeated washing, cleaning, or checking
Needing certainty or reassurance again and again
Counting, ordering, or repeating rituals
Religious or moral worries that cause great distress
Spending a long time each day on these thoughts and actions

How therapy helps

Exposure and response prevention is the most effective therapy for OCD: you gradually learn to face the anxiety without turning to rituals. A psychiatrist may also suggest medication to support therapy.

Approaches therapists use

Exposure and response prevention (ERP)
Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT)
Acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT)
Medication review with a psychiatrist when needed

When to get help

If these signs last more than two weeks, or start to affect your work, relationships or sleep, it is a good time to talk to a professional. You do not need to wait until things get worse.

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Content on this site is for general education and does not replace diagnosis or treatment by a professional.

Online therapy for OCD

Common signs

How therapy helps

Approaches therapists use

When to get help

Your first session is closer than you think