Self-help for OCD

OCD (obsessive-compulsive disorder) can make you feel stuck. Unwanted thoughts bring fear or doubt, and rituals seem to be the only way out. The good news is that many of the skills used in therapy are ones you can start practicing on your own.

Self-help works best as a partner to treatment, not a stand-in for it. For mild OCD, a self-help book or online program may be a good first step. For more serious OCD, the same skills make therapy and medicine work better.^2,3 This page shows you where to begin.

Can you work on OCD by yourself?

Yes, to a point. A U.K. treatment guideline suggests brief CBT (cognitive behavioral therapy, a skills-based talk therapy) using structured self-help materials for adults whose OCD is mild. That kind of care uses no more than about 10 hours of therapist time.³ If it is not enough, the next step is more intensive therapy or a medicine called an SSRI.³

Research on self-help is still growing. Here is what it shows so far:

In short, self-help can help. Most people do better with at least some guidance from a trained person.⁸ If you start on your own, plan to check in with a professional if you are not improving.

Why rituals keep OCD going

A compulsion is anything you do, out loud or in your head, to ease the fear from an obsession. Washing, checking, praying a certain way, asking for reassurance, or going over a thought again and again in your head can all be compulsions.^7,12

Compulsions bring relief for a short time. Over time, though, they make the anxiety stronger.¹² Each ritual tells your brain, "That was a real danger, and you only escaped because you acted." The next time the thought comes, the urge feels even stronger.

So the main goal of OCD self-help is not to stop the thoughts. It is to change how you respond to them.

Resisting reassurance

Reassurance seeking is one of the most common compulsions. It can look like:

• Asking a spouse, friend or doctor, "Are you sure it's OK?"
• Searching online for an answer, again and again
• Confessing thoughts so someone else can tell you that you are not bad
• Going over events in your mind to prove nothing went wrong

A study of 153 people with OCD found they sought reassurance more intensely and more carefully than people with panic disorder or people without anxiety. They were also more likely to reassure themselves in their own heads.⁴ Self-reassurance counts as a ritual, too.

1. List your reassurance habits. For one week, write down each time you ask, search, confess or mentally check. Notice the quiet ones.
2. Explain the plan to the people close to you. Tell them why reassurance keeps OCD going. Ask for their help.⁵
3. Agree on a kind reply. Choose a short phrase together that they can say instead of answering, such as "I love you, and I know you can handle not knowing."^5,12
4. Cut back step by step. You might start by asking only once instead of three times. Then work toward not asking at all.⁷
5. Sit with the doubt. When the urge comes, tell yourself, "Maybe it's fine, maybe it isn't. I can live with not knowing." Then go back to what you were doing.

Family members often reassure out of love. A gentle plan to step back, made together, works better than a sudden "no." Treatment guidelines encourage families to reduce their part in rituals in a supportive way.³ Our page on helping a family member with OCD explains how.

Delaying and shrinking rituals

Stopping every ritual at once can feel impossible. OCD specialists use a menu of smaller steps. You can delay a ritual, reduce it, change it, or drop it.⁷

Delay is a useful start, but watch out for one trap. If you always do the full ritual later, the delay has not changed much.⁷ Shrinking or changing the ritual often teaches your brain more.⁷ The goal over time is to move down the table toward "drop."

How to respond to the thoughts

Trying to push an unwanted thought away usually makes it come back more often.⁶ Arguing with it does not work well either, because OCD always has one more "what if."

Instead, try a short, calm reply that does not try to prove anything. Some therapists suggest briefly agreeing with the doubt, such as "Maybe I did leave the door unlocked."⁶ Then let the thought stay in the background while you go on with your day. Learning to accept uncertainty is part of recovery.¹²

To learn more about the kinds of thoughts OCD brings, see Signs of OCD.

Trying self-guided ERP

Exposure and response prevention (ERP) means facing a feared situation on purpose, then not doing the ritual. It is the leading therapy for OCD.² You can practice a simple version on your own, ideally with a book or program to guide you.

1. Make a ladder. List situations that trigger your OCD. Rate each from 0 (no fear) to 10 (worst fear). Our ERP page shows a sample ladder.
2. Start low. Begin with a step that feels hard but doable.⁵
3. Face it and skip the ritual. Stay with the trigger. Do not wash, check, ask, or neutralize in your head. Try not to distract yourself or avoid the feeling.⁵
4. Practice every day. Regular daily practice, weekends included, builds progress. Pick a time of day when you will not be interrupted.⁵
5. Move up slowly. When a step feels easier, go to the next one. If a step is too much, choose an easier one. Doing it is what counts, not doing it perfectly.

Self-help books and online programs

The Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies (ABCT) keeps a list of self-help books reviewed by its self-help book committee.¹⁰ Books on its OCD list include:¹⁰

• Getting Over OCD: A 10-Step Workbook for Taking Back Your Life by Jonathan Abramowitz
• Stop Obsessing! How to Overcome Your Obsessions and Compulsions by Edna Foa and Reid Wilson
• The OCD Workbook by Bruce Hyman and Cherlene Pedrick
• Freedom from Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder by Jonathan Grayson
• Overcoming Unwanted Intrusive Thoughts by Sally Winston and Martin Seif
• Overcoming Compulsive Checking by Paul Munford
• The ACT Workbook for OCD by Marisa Mazza

Many public libraries carry these books, often in large print, e-book or audio. When you pick a book or online program, look for one built around ERP. Those tended to work better in research.⁸ Be careful with apps or websites that mainly offer comfort or answers to your doubts. That can turn into one more form of reassurance.

Support groups

Support groups let you meet others who understand OCD. They can ease the shame and loneliness that often come with it. The International OCD Foundation (IOCDF) lists support groups as a helpful addition to treatment.²

The IOCDF's free online directory lets you search by location for support groups, therapists and clinics. You can filter by things like age, language and payment type. Some groups meet in person and some meet online.¹¹ Some free online groups are open to both people with OCD and the people who love them.¹³

A support group is not the same as therapy. A good group encourages members to face fears, not to trade reassurance.

When you slip

Everyone gives in to a ritual sometimes. One slip does not erase your progress. A lapse is not a relapse, and the skills you have learned stay with you.⁶ Simply start again with your next practice.

Later life and OCD

Self-help skills work at any age. If reading is hard, try audiobooks or ask a family member to go through a workbook with you. Phone or video visits can make an ERP therapist easier to reach.

If obsessions or rituals start for the first time later in life, see a doctor. New symptoms should be checked, especially if they come with memory changes or a sudden change in behavior. If saving and collecting is the main problem, see Hoarding disorder. For memory concerns, see our dementia guide.

Common questions

Do breathing or relaxation exercises help OCD?

They can help with everyday stress. Try cyclic sighing or grounding. But do not use them to make the fear go away during an exposure. That can become another way to escape, like a ritual.⁵

Is it OK to ask my doctor a health question?

Yes. Asking once about a real health concern is normal. It becomes a compulsion when you ask the same thing over and over, or seek many opinions to feel certain. If you have health anxiety too, ask your doctor to help you set limits.

What if my family keeps reassuring me even after I ask them not to?

That is common, and it comes from love. Share this page or our family page with them. Agree on a kind phrase they can use instead.^5,12

Will self-help make my OCD go away completely?

For some people with mild OCD, self-help may be enough. Many others need therapy, medicine, or both.³ Even then, self-help skills keep working long after treatment ends.

When to get more help

Self-help is a great start, but reach out to a doctor or therapist if:

• OCD takes up a lot of your day, or keeps you from work, family or sleep
• You have tried self-help for several weeks and are not improving
• Your rituals are hurting your skin or health, or your home is becoming unsafe
• You feel very down or hopeless

ERP with a therapist and medicines such as SSRIs are the main treatments, and they work for many people.² See ERP therapy and Medicines for OCD. Talk with your doctor or pharmacist before starting, stopping or changing any medicine.

Education only. This page is general information written from the sources listed. It is not medical, legal or financial advice and does not replace a doctor, therapist or lawyer who knows your situation. How we write and check pages.