OCD Theory
10 theories available
In-Depth Explanation
OCD Theory
Explore theories explaining obsessive-compulsive disorder—from the OCD cycle to cognitive appraisal models. Understand why compulsions feel necessary and how different approaches work to break the pattern.
Cognitive Model of OCD (Salkovskis)
How misinterpreting intrusive thoughts as dangerous or meaningful creates the OCD cycle—and why your thoughts don't define you.
Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP)
The gold-standard treatment for OCD: face your fears while resisting compulsions to break the cycle and reclaim your life.
Metacognitive Theory of OCD (Wells)
How beliefs ABOUT your thoughts—not the thoughts themselves—maintain OCD, and how detached mindfulness can help.
Inflated Responsibility Theory
Why OCD makes you feel personally responsible for preventing harm—and how to develop a healthier relationship with responsibility.
Inference-Based CBT (I-CBT)
Targeting the faulty reasoning process that generates obsessional doubt—learning to trust reality over imagination.
Thought-Action Fusion
The belief that thinking something makes it more likely or is morally equivalent to doing it—and why thoughts are just thoughts.
Intolerance of Uncertainty Model
How the inability to tolerate "not knowing" drives OCD compulsions—and how to build uncertainty tolerance.
ACT for OCD
Learning to accept intrusive thoughts while committing to a values-driven life—living fully despite OCD.
Inhibitory Learning Model
The cutting-edge science of how ERP works—building safety memories that outcompete fear for lasting change.
"Not Just Right" Experiences / Incompleteness
Understanding the sense of wrongness that drives symmetry, ordering, and "just right" rituals—and how to break free.