Navigating OCD at work presents unique challenges. Intrusive thoughts and compulsion can disrupt productivity and focus. Additionally, misconceptions about OCD can create a stigmatizing atmosphere. Identifying workplace triggers, communicating openly with supervisors, and seeking accommodations can significantly mitigate these challenges. If an OCD diagnosis is keeping someone from pursuing or advancing in a career, it can be important to seek professional help.
What is the best therapy for OCD?
Exposure And Response Prevention Therapy (ERP) – Do live video sessions with a therapist specialized in ERP, the gold standard treatment for OCD. Treatment from NOCD is covered by many insurance plans. Start With A Free 15 Minute Call
What Is OCD?
Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is characterized by intrusive thoughts, images, or urges called obsessions, which leads an individual to use behavioral or mental compulsions to limit their distress.1 Around 2.3% of US adults will experience OCD traits at some point in their lifetime.2 Symptoms tend to begin in childhood or adolescence, with the average age of onset occurring at 19.5.3
OCD was previously categorized as an anxiety disorder. The DSM-5 now acknowledges OCD in its own category of Obsessive-Compulsive and Related Disorders. Although anxiety is the most common co-occurring psychiatric disorder with OCD, 90% of people with OCD also qualify for another mental health diagnosis.3 Symptoms of OCD include recurrent obsessions and compulsions, which take up a significant portion of an individual’s time and energy.
Challenges of OCD in the Workplace
Employment has an impact on the quality of life of an individual with OCD.4 Whether that impact is positive or negative has a lot to do with the types of support and accommodation of the workplace environment. OCD at work may worsen obsessions and compulsive rituals. However, some research indicates that employment can improve an individual with OCD’s perception of their physical health.4
Here are some common challenges of OCD in the workplace:
Intrusive Thoughts & Distractions
Obsessions take up a lot of an individual’s cognitive space. Intrusive thoughts may make focusing, planning, or completing work tasks difficult. Because obsessions are recurrent and repetitive, they can produce mental fatigue, which makes it difficult to feel rested enough to perform well at work. They can also be distracting when trying to complete a task.
Sometimes, obsessions can even latch onto work-related material. Obsessions tend to form around what an individual cares the most about, meaning that if they care about job performance, OCD can attach to that. Common work-related obsessions might include OCD-induced ruminations around not performing well enough, losing your job, or feeling as if people at work don’t like you.
Time-Consuming Rituals
Individuals with OCD perform compulsive rituals to neutralize distress caused by obsessions. Compulsions can include tapping, washing, counting, checking, reorganizing, mentally reviewing, OCD-related reassurance seeking, and more. Rituals may or may not be related to the job an individual with OCD has, but if there is a work-related task that overlaps with a compulsion, this may cause distress.
For example, someone with OCD checking behaviors who works as an administrative assistant may develop a compulsion to check the calendar over and over. Or someone who works as a teacher may develop a compulsion to review a lesson plan repeatedly. These repetitive behaviors, when performed over and over, eat away at a person’s time to complete work tasks and, in the end, actually intensify long-term stress.
Anxiety & Stress
OCD at work can sometimes present with work anxiety and stress. Work anxiety happens when an individual develops anxiety symptoms specifically stemming from the workplace. Individuals with OCD at work might develop anxiety simply anticipating going to work or dealing with stressful triggers in the workplace. They may know that certain workplace triggers will intensify their obsessions and compulsions.
If work anxiety and OCD go hand in hand long enough, they can lead to work burnout. It is important when beginning to experience feelings of dread, lack of sleep, ruminations about work, or difficulty “turning off” outside of work that you seek help from a professional to determine if work anxiety is worsening your OCD symptoms.
Perfectionism & Overchecking
Perfectionism is a common symptom of OCD where individuals set unrealistic and overcompensated standards for themselves and others. When perfectionism latches onto OCD at work, it can negatively impact the timeliness and effectiveness of the person’s job performance. Common perfectionism-related compulsions in OCD at work might be checking the quality of work, mentally reviewing tasks completed, or seeking reassurance from colleagues that a project is “good enough”.
Difficulty Seeking Help
When experiencing OCD at work, individuals may feel embarrassed or fearful of asking for help. Shame is a central and intensified experience for individuals with OCD. They are often aware of the abnormality of their symptoms, and asking for help may exacerbate these feelings of shame. They might worry that asking for help will make others discriminate against them.
The truth is that OCD is a valid and distressing disorder. The World Health Organization even categorizes OCD as one of the top ten disabling disorders.1 Seeking early intervention is the best pathway to prevent the disorder from progressing and symptoms from worsening, which sometimes means seeking professional help or OCD disability accommodations.
Avoidance
Obsessions may get so difficult that individuals with OCD begin to use avoidance coping regarding work. This might present as difficulty getting to work on time due to performing compulsions before leaving the house for the workday. It may also present as leaving early due to being triggered into an obsession at work.
When this persists, it could lead the individual to have frequent work absences out of fear of experiencing obsessions at work. It could also lead to an individual choosing to take a leave of absence from the workplace or being asked to take a leave of absence to deal with OCD symptoms.
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OCD Discrimination in the Workplace
Research provides some evidence that the severity of OCD symptoms is a predictor of occupational disability.5 Individuals with mild OCD may not face discrimination, but if symptoms become this severe, individuals with OCD at work may face stigmatization by colleagues. This can encourage people to feel like they have to hide or minimize their disorder, which is why promoting a stigma-free and inclusive work environment is so important.
One study looked at barriers to seeking treatment, and stigma emerged as a main theme. Individuals felt that they had to hide their OCD from friends, family, and work colleagues.6 Some felt fears that having a diagnosis on their medical record might affect their career plans or goals.6 Positive influences for seeking treatment included experiences of support from those around the individual.6
Accommodating workplace environments can be a part of the solution.
Are Some Jobs Better Than Others for People With OCD?
Certain jobs may be more conducive for individuals with OCD, considering the nature of the tasks and the work environment. The lower a person’s stress levels are, the less likely they are to experience exacerbations in obsessions and compulsions. However, every individual with OCD will have different triggers and employment strengths, so self-awareness is vital to determine what occupations are best.
For example, if an individual has contamination-based OCD, it may be helpful to choose a job indoors with a routine and controlled space. Or if they struggle with somatic symptoms, choosing a manual labor job might get their body moving and distract them from obsessions.
How to Manage OCD at Work
It’s important to figure out how to work with OCD so that it doesn’t keep you from feeling connected to others and the world around you. OCD at work can present differently for each individual, but seeking accommodations, developing good stress management, and beginning treatment can help support a positive quality of life.
Here are ten coping techniques for dealing with OCD at work:
1. Ask for Accommodations
It is your right to decide if you want to disclose your diagnosis, to what extent, and with whom. The Americans with Disabilities Act prohibits any covered employer from acts of discrimination against someone with diagnosed mental or physical impairments, including those with OCD. You can request accommodations for your OCD, which is best done through writing so that there is a trail of documentation.
There are some limits to accommodations, which is where it can get tricky. Accommodations must not provide undue hardship to your employer, meaning that the cost of the accommodation cannot surpass its benefit. This boils down to mean that accommodations can’t cause financial or excessive harm to your employer, even if they help you.
Reasonable work accommodations a person with OCD can ask for include:
- A more private or secluded workspace
- Regular or increased break times
- Some sensory accommodations (for example, asking to be moved to a location with less sound or harsh lighting)
- Flexibility in schedule to attend psychiatry or therapy appointments
- Extra time to complete trainings
- Asking for instructions for a task to be provided in writing rather than verbally
2. Begin Treatment
A large part of how to work with OCD revolves around treating OCD. A comprehensive treatment plan might involve therapy or medications for OCD, or maybe a combination of both. There are various approaches to treatment that you can choose from. Speaking with professionals and asking about your options can help you determine which approach might work best for you.
Common types of OCD therapy include:
- Exposure and response prevention therapy (ERP): Exposure and response prevention therapy is considered the gold standard of treatment for OCD. ERP focuses on slowly exposing the individual to distressing obsessions, helping them face fears without using compulsive behaviors.
- Medications: Medications for OCD work on different parts of the brain to support healthy functioning and mood regulation. There are certain medications that can be prescribed as needed to help an individual with unexpected work-related stressors.
- Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT): CBT for OCD helps by teaching the individual about the interplay between thoughts, emotions, and behaviors. More positive thinking can help the individual at work to experience regulations in mood and promote adaptive behaviors.
- Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR): EMDR for OCD may be helpful in situations where trauma has occurred. EMDR uses bilateral stimulation to help an individual re-process traumatic events.
- Mindfulness-based CBT (MCBT): MCBT helps an individual approach thoughts, sensations, and obsessions with an observational attitude. The hope is for the person to attach less meaning to distressing bodily experiences.
- Psychodynamic Therapy: Psychodynamic therapy can help the individual explore the root causes of their obsessions and compulsions. There is mixed research as to the effectiveness of this approach for OCD, but it could be helpful in instances where obsessions have a clear root cause from the past.
Common medications prescribed for OCD include:
- Fluoxetine (Prozac): Fluoxetine is an antidepressant belonging to the SSRI family, commonly prescribed for OCD.
- Sertraline (Zoloft): Zoloft is also an antidepressant belonging to the SSRI family, which is commonly prescribed for OCD.
- Clomipramine (Anafranil): Anafranil is a tricyclic antidepressant that also works to regulate serotonin levels in the brain and has been used to treat OCD since the 1980s. It does come with some undesired side effects, which is why SSRIs are usually the first line of treatment.
- Benzodiazepines: Benzodiazepines are as-needed medications that regulate the functioning of the neurotransmitter GABA. They can be addictive and are often prescribed for short-term or crisis situations.
Treatment for OCD
NOCD: Online OCD Treatment Covered by Insurance – Regain your life from OCD. Do live video sessions with a licensed therapist specialized in treating OCD. Treatment from NOCD is covered by most major insurance plans. Learn how you can use your insurance benefits. Visit NOCD
Talkiatry: Is OCD Medication Right for You? Speak with a Doctor – Talkiatry can match you with a psychiatrist who takes your insurance and is accepting new patients. They’re in-network with major insurers and offer medication management with supportive therapy. Free Assessment
3. Implement Stress-Reducing Lifestyle Changes
Lifestyle changes can help your experience of OCD at work and in your personal life. The idea is to build a life that minimizes stressors and positively impacts your quality of life. Knowing that there are breaks to your stress can help you feel more hopeful and motivated both in your personal and professional life.
Common lifestyle changes to help cope with OCD include:
- Practicing meditation: Meditation for OCD can help you practice feeling comfortable with the thoughts and sensations you experience. Practicing meditation fosters a good mind-body connection so that you can learn to trust your bodily sensations and perceptions. Obsessions sometimes produce uncomfortable bodily sensations that meditation can help calm.
- Utilizing mindfulness: Mindfulness can be a lifestyle approach to any situation, helping to draw attention to the present moment. Specific to OCD at work, mindfulness can help you focus on the work task at hand rather than engaging in obsessions and compulsions.
- Incorporating movement: Some individuals with OCD can become stuck in their uncomfortable bodily sensations and distress. Finding a form of movement you enjoy can be a way to strengthen a positive mind-body connection and regulate breathing patterns.
- Fostering spirituality: Some people see spirituality through the eyes of organized religion, and others may use any practices that encompass a sense of connection with the world around them. Whatever way you use spirituality, it can help you gain a larger sense of purpose rather than engaging with the hopeless feelings of OCD.
- Connecting with supports: Building a good support network is a lifestyle change that can mitigate the effects of OCD. One of the coping skills for OCD at work is to find colleagues and mentors you can trust at work and use them when you are in need of their support.
- Yoga: Practicing yoga for OCD can help you reduce the underlying anxiety contributing to your obsessions and compulsions. Consider adding a daily yoga practice to your lunch hour or before or after work.
4. Recite Positive Affirmations
Some individuals with OCD engage in a compulsion called reassurance-seeking, where they feel the need to over-use their supports for validation to the point of exhaustion. Instead of seeking reassurance, try reciting positive affirmations. They are a wonderful way to build back reliance on the self in times of crisis.
Here are some examples of positive affirmations to use:
- I don’t have to attach meaning to my obsessions
- Rumination does not serve me, and I have the power not to engage with it
- OCD may try to trick me, but I know not to engage with my intrusive thoughts
- I am stronger than I think and braver than how OCD makes me feel
- The pain I feel is transient, and I can learn to sit with these uncomfortable sensations
5. Practice Urge Surfing
Urge surfing is a skill you can use to “press pause” between the obsessive thought and engaging in a compulsion. You can use urge surfing to mindfully watch your impulsive urges in much the same way as an ocean wave peaks and falls. Eventually, your urge to use the compulsion will pass. Urge surfing often includes mindful breathing and noticing how thoughts and sensations change as time passes.
6. Find a Safe Space
We all need places at work where we feel safe and can take a break from stress. Because work environments vary widely, you may need to think about what factors constitute a safe space for you. Does your space include quiet? Low lighting? Fewer people? Does it need to be outside or inside?
Don’t let it be limited by your physical surroundings. Your mind is a powerful place. Once you understand what factors go into your safe space, you can use the power of visualization to bring your safe space to mind even when you are at work. Really focusing on the sensory experiences of a safe space will help you recognize how to bring it to life in your mind.
7. Use Grounding Techniques
Grounding techniques can be especially helpful for OCD at work when you have a history of trauma or anxiety. Grounding techniques are strategies to bring attention to the here-and-now experiences of the body and mind while helping the individual recognize they are safe in the present moment. You can pick grounding techniques to use at work that are less noticeable by others, such as using a fidget toy, breathwork, or the 54321 method.
8. Practice Self-Compassion
People who struggle with OCD often experience OCD-induced guilt and shame as a result of their compulsions. We can think of work as a place for struggles with perfectionism to intensify since work is focused on performance and achievements. When experiencing OCD at work, it is important to approach situations where you make mistakes as points of learning.
This is easier done in work environments where others are supportive, so finding colleagues and mentors who are compassionate people can help. You can learn to see mistakes as opportunities for growth and practice self-compassion in the face of failure.
9. Minimize Tasks on Hard Days
Sometimes, recognizing how to work with OCD means acknowledging that there will be some hard days. OCD symptoms will wax and wane, but when they peak, you may need to re-evaluate your tasks for the day. See if there are some to-dos that can wait until tomorrow, or ask colleagues if they might be willing to help you with certain projects.
10. Find Workplace Mentors
Mentorship is the cornerstone of growing in whatever field you inhabit. When we find good mentors, we are more likely to feel inspired and motivated to perform well and work hard. When experiencing OCD at work, workplace mentors can provide a place of support and motivation to work through symptoms in a healthy way.
Finding mentors who also have mental health struggles can be an additional source of inspiration for OCD at work. Having conversations about how they deal with their mental health struggles while also being successful can help you recognize your power in the face of OCD.
What is the best therapy for OCD?
Exposure And Response Prevention Therapy (ERP) – Do live video sessions with a therapist specialized in ERP, the gold standard treatment for OCD. Treatment from NOCD is covered by many insurance plans. Start With A Free 15 Minute Call
Should I Tell My Employer About My OCD?
It is your choice to decide whether to reveal your diagnosis to your employer or how much about your diagnosis you share. Consider the culture of your workplace and how supportive they are when the topic of mental health is brought up. Does your manager tend to shy away from the topic, talk about it openly, or dismiss others when the topic is brought up?
Another factor to consider is whether or not your employer is covered by the Americans with Disabilities Act. Companies that have less than 15 employees, for example, are not required to adhere to the policy. If you are looking to receive accommodations for your diagnosis, it may benefit you to know your company’s current policies.
What Doesn’t Help Relieve OCD in the Workplace
Several factors can increase the intensity of OCD symptoms in the workplace. A lack of awareness about OCD among colleagues and supervisors can make an individual with OCD feel unsupported. Inflexible workplace policies or a dismissive attitude towards accommodation requests may exacerbate stress. Additionally, a stigmatizing work environment can make the person hesitant to disclose their condition and seek help.
Common behaviors that won’t help with OCD at work include:
- Ignoring or minimizing symptoms: Ignoring your OCD symptoms will not make them go away. Minimizing them will only let the symptoms continue to exacerbate and worsen when untreated. Seeking help, in contrast, can help you find a new path toward moving OCD into remission.
- Promoting mental health stigma: You are less likely to disclose mental health struggles in an unsupportive environment. Witnessing colleagues or leadership discuss mental health struggles in a disparaging way can deter you from speaking to employers about your condition.
- High levels of burnout: Symptoms of burnout can include lack of motivation, increased irritability, and low levels of distress tolerance. If your workplace fosters a system of burnout, you may be less likely to identify or reveal symptoms of OCD.
- Overworking to compensate: Like any other symptom of avoidance, this may work in the short term, but in the long term, this behavior is likely to exacerbate symptoms of OCD at work.
- Leadership normalizing symptoms: In toxic work environments, leadership might normalize symptoms of OCD when they are shared. This is generally done in an effort to keep the employee working, which unfortunately means that symptoms of OCD may worsen in the process.
- Fostering trauma bonding in the workplace: Similar to toxic work environments, sometimes leaders can promote trauma bonding in the workplace. They can promote a culture of oversharing mental health struggles with a lack of boundaries, which can inadvertently normalize symptoms and keep people from seeking professional help.
When to Seek Professional Support
If coping with your OCD at work is causing significant distress and interfering with your personal life, it may be time to seek some professional support. An online therapist directory or online OCD resources can help you find a therapist who best suits your individual needs. Medication management through online psychiatrist options can assist with finding relief from OCD symptoms.
In My Experience
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