3<\/p>\n Brendan Courtney has opened up on his OCD diagnosis 3<\/p>\n There are four patterns of behaviour that signify you have OCDCredit: Getty Images – Getty<\/p>\n It can be so debilitating that the World Health Organisation (WHO<\/a>) has ranked OCD among the top ten when it comes to the most disabling illnesses of any kind – in terms of lost earnings and lessened quality of life.<\/p>\n On RTE Radio<\/a> One last week, Brendan revealed that he also struggles<\/a> with the condition.<\/p>\n His story highlights the hidden struggles many face and the importance of greater awareness, understanding, and support for those living with OCD.<\/p>\n Here, GEORGIA WALSH looks at the main features of OCD and possible treatments.<\/strong><\/p>\n THERE is no single, proven cause of OCD.<\/p>\n Research suggests it involves problems in communication between the front part of the brain and deeper structures.<\/p>\n OCD has two main features: Obsessives and Compulsions.<\/p>\n Obsessions are thoughts, images, or impulses that occur over and over again and feel out of your control.<\/p>\n The person does not want to have these ideas, finds them disturbing and intrusive, and usually recognises they don\u2019t make sense. People with OCD may worry excessively about dirt and germs and be obsessed with the idea they are contaminated or may contaminate others.<\/p>\n They may have obsessive fears of having inadvertently harmed someone else (perhaps while pulling the car out of the driveway), even though they know this is not realistic.<\/p>\n Obsessions are accompanied by uncomfortable feelings, such as fear, disgust, doubt, or a sensation that things have to be done in a way that is \u201cjust so.\u201d<\/p>\n Compulsions are acts the person performs over and over again, often according to certain \u201crules.\u201d People with an obsession about contamination may wash constantly to the point that their hands become raw and inflamed.<\/p>\n A person may repeatedly check that she has turned off the stove or iron because of an obsessive fear of burning the house down. She may have to count certain objects over and over because of an obsession about losing them.<\/p>\n Unlike compulsive drinking or gambling, OCD compulsions do not give the person pleasure. Rather, the rituals are performed to obtain relief from the discomfort caused by the obsessions.<\/p>\n Symptoms cause distress, take up a lot of time (more than an hour a day), or interfere with the person\u2019s work<\/a>, social life, or relationships.<\/p>\n Most individuals with OCD recognise at some point that their obsessions are coming from their own minds and are not just excessive worries about real problems, and that the compulsions they perform are excessive or unreasonable.<\/p>\n When someone with OCD does not recognize that their beliefs and actions are unreasonable, this is called OCD with poor insight. <\/p>\n Symptoms tend to wax and wane over time. Some may be little more than background noise; others may produce severe distress. <\/p>\n OCD affects different people in different ways, but usually appears as a particular pattern of behaviours. <\/p>\n These include four main steps:<\/p>\n Obsession:<\/strong> Unwanted, intrusive thought or urge repeatedly enters a person\u2019s mind.<\/p>\n Anxiety:<\/strong> Unwanted obsession then provokes a feeling of intense anxiety or distress.<\/p>\n Compulsion:<\/strong> As a result of feeling anxious, a person will carry out repetitive behaviours or mental<\/a> acts that they feel driven to perform to better the situation.<\/p>\n Temporary relief:<\/strong> the compulsion will offer temporarily relief to the OCD sufferer\u2019s anxiety – but the obsession soon returns, causing the cycle to begin again.<\/p>\n While it is possible to just have obsessive thoughts or just have compulsions, most sufferers will contend with both. <\/p>\n Keys To My Life star Brendan<\/a> said: \u201cI feel very confident having this conversation because I was diagnosed with OCD when I was 25 and I started washing my hands when I was six and became obsessed.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve been through a big process. I\u2019m delighted to have this conversation with you because I\u2019ve never spoken about it really.\u201d<\/p>\n Speaking about his horrific symptoms, Brendan added: \u201cI didn\u2019t get intrusive thoughts until later in life and I could go and read about it because it\u2019s terrifying.<\/p>\n \u201cI found OCD appears after very stressful times or during very stressful times. So you\u2019re logical, but your emotional ability to just discount the thought, you can\u2019t do that because you\u2019re stressed.<\/p>\n \u201cSo you attach to this thought and then you feel really stupid. You feel really out of control.\u201d<\/p>\n The Dublin<\/a> native bravely spoke about his fear that he had as a young adult.<\/p>\n He said: \u201cIt can be quite harrowing. It\u2019s not just your hands are dirty. My fear in my 20s was sharp objects, knives. <\/p>\n “I couldn\u2019t look at knives or have knives in the house because my internal thoughts would then attach themselves to some harm. And then I\u2019m like, \u2018Why am I thinking that?\u2019, as I didn\u2019t feel like that.\u201d<\/p>\n Brendan learned how to \u201ccope\u201d with distressing thoughts through counselling<\/a>, therapy and books.<\/p>\n![\"Brendan](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/da381798-623a-42ab-bff2-90c56b104275.jpg\")
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