Obsessive Compulsive Disorder

Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) involves the constant perfoming of routines or rituals (known as compulsions - eg. hand washing, wudu, ghusl, ordering, reciting) to relieve the anxiety caused by recurring thoughts (known as obsessions - eg. fear of being contaminated, contaminating or harming others) along with anxiety, panic and depression.

Obsessive compulsive disorder is categorized as an anxiety disorder. All human beings can have anxiety at some point or time in their life due to circumstances or events in their life. Anxiety is an important part of our coping mechanisms and it is our handling of anxiety which can cause problems. When the stress becomes severe and over whelming and more frequent then the anxiety can result in persistent worrying and apprehension, obsessions and compulsions, phobias, panic and depression.

There are various theories or explanations for OCD.


Psychoanalytical and psychodynamic theorists often see the obsessive thoughts and compulsions as a defense against anxiety or repressed subconscious impulses. Other theorists believe that the symptoms of OCD may be learned through various mechanisms during childhood or adulthood.

There is also strong evidence that some people have an inherited tendency to develop OCD and that OCD is linked to problems in brain chemistry, neurotransmission or receptor functioning.

Research suggests, for example, that people with OCD frequently have abnormalities or deficiencies in serotonin levels and that their symptoms improve when this serotonin imbalance is addressed with medication.

It is likely that there is no one single explanatory cause for the development of OCD and a combination of factors may often be responsible.


The manner in which we deal with this anxiety defines the disorder of OCD.Anxiety disorders and many types of depression are generally the result of life experiences that have made us feel afraid and unable to cope with life. They can develop from general life situations that invovle things like being constantly made to feel stupid, guilty, ashamed, worthless, or insignificant.

The key to overcoming these problems lies in understanding how they work. When we know how something works in life this helps us understand how we can stop it from working. When we try to overcome a problem without knowing why the problem is happening then to stop it becomes almost impossible. In all situations the problem can arise again and this can make us feel that the problem is not solved so then we try something else and the never ending search for the solution occurs.

To stop obsessive compulsive disorder we have to know why what we are doing works for it to work - otherwise the unknown will always overpower us. To overcome these problems we have to know how they work and, more importantly, how the way to stop them works - only then will we have the knowledge and power to overcome the natural setbacks that occur.

With the help of Allah you can change the way you think and act. No single person can get inside you and do it for you. Guidance and support from a good therapist or counselor can help, but we have to really work and do it ourselves.

Medication can sometimes provide relief for some of the symtoms of anxiety and OCD but medications work on a physical level and many people have deep psyhcological problems that may not go away unless the psychological aspects are addressed.

There are authentic supplications found in the sunnah for anxiety and depression that should be said when suffering from anxiety and OCD and they will work if we have yakeen (sincerity). You can click here to go the the different supplications for anxiety www.positive-action.net/al%2Dyusra/supplications.htm

Many psychiatrists recommned treatment with psychiatric drugs like Clomipramine, Prozac or other SSRI's (drugs which prevent the uptake of serotonin). There are side effects associated with these medications and they must be prescribed by a psychiatrist or physician and the patient must be monitored and seen regularly.

Counseling and psychotherapy, especially cognitive therapy, has been helpful for people with OCD and some people can show great improvement with therapy. The earlier that counseling or therapy is begun, the less chance symptoms have of becoming entrenched, although therapy can be beneficial at any stage. Therapy should be carried out by a licensed counselor or clinical psychologist who is experienced in the field of OCD.

There are also natural alternatives to the psychiatric drugs which will help to balance serotonin levels and therefore reduce or eliminate the symptoms of OCD.

With all of these solutions, people should seek the help of a doctor to help them find the solution that works for them. While doing this continue to increase in your worship of Allah, increase in your supplications and making dua to Allah, remember to make the supplications that the prophet presribed to make when you are feeling anxiety and do not despair of the mercy of Allah. There is a healing in the recitation of the Qur'an. There is a healing in Surah Baqarah so we must not leave off the healings that Allah has prescribed for us. Allah has created a cure for all diseases except death and old age. It is up to the believer to seek the help of Allah first and then to do what they can to remove the harm from themselves.

Allah Tests the Believers

"Do you think that you will enter the Paradise without such (trials) as came to those who passed away before you? They encountered suffering and adversity and were so shaken in spirit that even the Apostle and those of faith who were with him cried: 'When (will come) the help of God?' Ah! Verily the help of God is (always) near!" [2:214]

On the Edge - Anxiety Disorder

A true account of how a woman deals with 'panic attacks' and find the eventual cure in the Qu'ran.

Dina lay quietly on the bed with her eyes fixed on a shadow in the corner of the room. She was breathing deeply, trying to relax while her mind seemed to be exploding. She kept telling herself that it would pass, she only had to hold on. Hold on to her mind, hoping that she wouldn't die, not yet. She was sure that if she lost focus for just one second, she would lose control.

After the wave of anxiety passed, she tried to rest but the ever-present fear of it returning kept her on edge. She didn't want to be alone, she felt vulnerable and helpless. Her husband had taken her to the hospital because she felt sick.

"But what do you feel exactly?" he had asked. "I have to know which kind of doctor to take you to."

"Really it's hard to explain," she'd said. "I feel a surge of weariness come over me, then I feel like I'm not getting enough air, my heart palpitates and I start to sweat. I feel like I'll pass out. Sometimes my hands and feet become numb and I have this real fear that I'm going to die." She looked at him, not knowing what he would think.

"Well let's start with a cardiologist and check your heart." She agreed.

Her heart was strong and everything was normal, no blood sugar, no high blood pressure and the blood picture was fine. She was in a good state of health physically. On the way home from the hospital, she started to cry.

"But I'm sick, there's something wrong with me!"

"I think you're really tired Dina, you've been working a lot lately. Just try to rest. Your body is letting you know it's had enough."

She thought that might be right. Also she hadn't been eating properly and she'd been drinking a lot more coffee than usual just to keep going.

Sometimes she didn't feel an attack coming, but she constantly tried to keep herself in a state of relaxation hoping it would just go away. But then from nowhere it would appear again and she would have to ride it out. Often it lasted as long as four to five hours and there could be as many as five or six attacks a day, each of different duration.

Her friend gave her a book on nutritional healing and she started taking vitamins and foods to enhance the function of the nervous system. She stopped all caffeine, sugar and chemical additives. 75% of her diet was uncooked food. Lots of fruit, raw vegetables, beans and lentils that had been soaked in water. Her face had red circles on her cheeks for about two years. She thought it was an allergy to something and had just ignored it. Then one day she was looking through the book and saw that these circles were a symptom of an adrenaline gland disorder.

"Yes that's right," she thought. "My body seems to be reacting to a state of panic, but there's nothing wrong." She was sure her body was spurting out hormones randomly for some reason.

She tried to rest but it didn't help. She was getting worse and one night she phoned her husband at work and told him she could no longer take care of the children.

Then he panicked! This time they went to see a psychiatrist because she knew that it certainly had something to do with her mind and body failing to coordinate.

The Professor was kind and listened to her story. In the end she told Dina she was suffering from Anxiety disorder which is often a lobe dysfunction. She called it a chemical imbalance which she hoped could be treated with drugs. Dina felt relieved.

"But," said the Professor, "the cure will not occur overnight. You will continue to feel the same for at least 5 days and you'll be on medication for a long time. You mustn't stop the medicine and you must follow what I say exactly." Dina listened carefully. She felt that she was falling in a hole from which she could not come out. And now help was at hand. Those five days seemed so long. She took Lustral in the mornings and Xanax in the evening.

"But those drugs are addictive," some people commented.

"I don't care right now," she'd said, "I have to pass this time and then later the Doctor said I'll come off them slowly." Dina decided not to listen to what everyone thought. It's easy to have an opinion when you have no idea how people feel.

She continued to rest at home and eat healthy food and try to keep relaxed. Her children helped and kept the house quiet. She had a lot of time to read and think. Often she closed her eyes and just listened to the birds or she sat and watched the clouds drift across the sky. She'd missed so much of life while being busy chasing after it. She knew she wouldn't be better until one month passed without an attack or fear of an attack. She decided to ignore them and keep herself busy doing things that she liked. Dina learned that women get these attacks more than men and that about 5% of the population suffer from them. She also found that they are linked with maladaptive behavior that has been learned. She remembered the stress she went through during her childhood and the consequent nervousness she had undergone ever since. Being nervous had become so much a normal part of her life that she thought everyone was like that. It wasn't until the medicine made her feel really relaxed that she was able to understand the difference. The medicine gave her a chance to control her nervous habits and watch how her body reacted. When she got tired or there was a problem at home, she discovered that the attacks wouldn't come back if she stopped herself from those habits but if she succumbed to them, then the attacks would reoccur. She learnt to control them and found herself able to do many things that had been difficult before. She managed to unscramble her thoughts and she started to write.

The medicine kept her stable and the attacks become less frequent and less intense. After one year of being on the medicine, she found that the attacks would still come. Would she ever be free of them? Deep down she was afraid of becoming addicted to the medicine. There had to be a point when she would trust in Allah and control herself. She had discovered something very valuable from the beginning of her illness, when the attacks were most intense. When she read the Qu'ran she experienced a sense of calmness and peace that contrasted so drastically with the inner turmoil she was experiencing. So when she felt an attack coming, she would reach for the Qu'ran and get lost in its simple yet profound truths. By the time she finished reading a story like that of Luqman and his son, she would notice that the attack had disappeared. At other times she would lie down and make thikr, and du'a while contemplating on the wonders of life. She would let her mind coast back through time, reminding herself of the mistakes she's made and confronting her weakness. She'd remember people she'd known and loved, who had long since gone and slowly but surely she discovered the sourced of her anxiety and confronted each one. It took about one year and a half. The Qu'ran and her book of du'a and hadith, were always handy. They became her medicine; her permanent cure.

This article was posted with permission from Velma Cook.

Other articles by Velma Cook can be found on her website. Please visit: www.islamicgarden.com