What is the theory behind this Looking after your mental health worksheet? 

Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is a severe chronic illness that affects a significant portion of the world’s population. DSM-5 currently classifies a number of problems under the heading of “obsessive-compulsive and associated disorders,” with OCD serving as the primary example of this group of conditions. Cognitive behaviour therapy is used to treat obsessions and compulsions that are defining features of OCD. 

How will the worksheet help?

OCD is a mental disorder that affects clients’ social, personal, emotional and occupational life. OCD is inclusive to all. Children and adults of both sexes, of all racial and ethnic backgrounds can be affected. This worksheet will help clients to understand the OCD and give them insight about their irrational thoughts.   

How to use the worksheet?  

The therapists can use this worksheet with clients during sessions to make them aware of their unwanted, irrational thoughts and to psychoeducate them about the vicious cycle of OCD.  

OCD Monster worksheet

OCD is like a monster. It makes you feel horrible, and then it deceives you into believing that obeying its rules is the only way to feel better. For a little period of time, you do feel better when you comply with OCD’s rules. However, that negative emotion returns shortly after and the cycle continues.

Feeling bad due to irrational thoughts

Following OCD monster rules

Feeling better but for a short time

Now you know how the OCD monster traps you and makes you do what he wants. It’s time to fight with the OCD monster. Let’s first figure out how the monster traps you.  

List down the thoughts that OCD monsters generate in your mind to make you feel bad.  ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

What are the OCD monster rules that you follow to feel better? ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

References

Puliafico, A. C., & Robin, J. A. (2017). The OCD workbook for kids: Help for kids with obsessive compulsive disorder.

Psychoeducating parents to defeat their child’s OCD monster! (2012, March 1). Psychology Today. https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-ocd-monster/201203/psychoeducating-parents-defeat-their-child-s-ocd-monster

Stein, D. J., Costa, D. L. C., Lochner, C., Miguel, E. C., Reddy, Y. C. J., Shavitt, R. G., van den Heuvel, O. A., & Simpson, H. B. (2019). Obsessive-compulsive disorder. Nature reviews. Disease primers, 5(1), 52.

You can download this worksheet here.