While OCD and addiction are separate mental health disorders, they can coincide in dangerous ways. That’s why it’s so important to know each condition’s similarities and differences so you and your doctor can approach your recovery journey properly. Treating the wrong condition or dependency struggle negates the purpose of your recovery.
The following in-depth blueprint about OCD and addiction, their relation, and how to treat it is your ultimate guide to achieving sustainable sobriety.
Are Compulsive Behaviors the Same As Addiction?
The reason OCD and addiction are often misdiagnosed is because they both have very similar characteristics. However, make no mistake, they are very different conditions that require different recovery approaches. To be specific, OCD is characterized by obsessive fears or thoughts that trigger a compulsive response. For example, people with OCD may have a fear of germs, triggering a repetitive cycle of hand washing. This cycle can last for minutes, hours, or even longer until the mental cycle is broken by an external source.
Addictions, on the other hand, are habits triggered by a chemical dependency produced by addictive substances. One condition, OCD, is caused by impulsive mental processes, and the other, SUD, is caused by external substances that affect the mental process.
How are OCD and Addiction Disorders Connected?
As alluded to earlier, obsessive-compulsive and addiction disorders, though different entities are cut from the same cloth. The only difference is it takes using substances to become dependent, while OCD is mentally acquired beyond the individual’s control. The circumstances listed below outline the specific ways substance use disorders and obsessive-compulsive disorders are connected.