Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) is a mental health condition that can be confusing to understand. It has guidelines in two major manuals, but there are still problems when it comes to figuring out who has it.

What the DSM-5 Says:

• Obsessions: These are recurring thoughts that pop into your head and cause worry.
• Compulsions: These are actions you do over and over again to try to feel better or avoid something bad from happening.
• Distress and Impairment: The symptoms should take up a lot of time or really affect your daily life.

What the ICD-10 Says:

• Obsessive Thoughts: These thoughts often seem silly or unreasonable, but you can’t get rid of them.
• Compulsive Actions: These are actions done to help with the anxiety caused by those obsessive thoughts.

Even with these guidelines, many people do not get diagnosed correctly. This can lead to treatments that don’t work or get put off altogether.

Possible Solutions:

• Better training for doctors and mental health professionals to spot OCD.
• More awareness in the community to help reduce negative feelings about OCD.
• Ongoing research to improve ways to diagnose and treat OCD.

It’s really important to tackle these challenges so that people can get the right help for OCD when they need it.