Are you OCD masking? Why pretending everything is fine could be making symptoms worse
Many people with OCD find themselves overcompensating to appear 'normal' - but masking symptoms can make living with the condition even harder.
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Feeling compelled to mask your symptoms is one of the most isolating aspects of living with OCD. Here’s how to spot the signs OCD masking and stop suffering in silence.
For many with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, half the battle is trying to conceal the signs from the outside world. And this desire to mask largely comes down to a fear of being misunderstood – and judged.
The term ‘OCD’ gets thrown a lot. Many casual references to the condition frame it as nothing more than a quirky personality trait – a way to describe people who enjoy colour-coding their bookshelves or keeping their desk neat.
But for those living with clinical OCD, the reality is far more complex and disruptive to everyday life, with intrusive thoughts, compulsions and rituals all being exhausting, daily occurrences.
Given the amount of stigma and misunderstanding around OCD, it’s unsurprising that so many people feel compelled to mask their symptoms. But by playing pretend and suffering in silence, it might be stopping people from seeking the support they need.
What is OCD masking?
‘OCD masking is where someone is hiding or suppressing symptoms in public,’ explains Dr Elena Touroni, a consultant psychologist and co-founder of The Chelsea Psychology Clinic. ‘Essentially, they are performing a version of themselves that looks fine, while internally managing lots of intrusive thoughts and compulsions,’
‘Someone might be working through elaborate rituals in private bathrooms, or battling contamination fears all day. It can be very exhausting,’ she continues. ‘The masking of OCD is usually driven by the fear of being misunderstood, or the stigma around OCD – they fear of judgment. I meet people who have been masking for years and have quite complex systems in place trying to manage their OCD.’
How to tell if you’re masking OCD symptoms
Even if you have not been officially diagnosed with OCD, you might still be battling – and masking – the signs without realising. ‘It can often look like perfectionism,’ Dr Elena says. ‘You might be exceptionally punctual and prepared for everything, such as leaving hours before so that you have time to repeat last minute checks on work that you have already spent time checking.’
If you regularly feel compelled to carry out certain behaviours or rituals, but don’t want to be ‘caught’, it might also be impacting your social life and relationships. ‘You may find yourself compelled to leave social situations, often abruptly, to spend time in private spaces like bathrooms, just to complete certain actions or tasks, like cleaning hands for example,’ she continues.
What’s more, the endless battle of managing and masking your OCD symptoms can leave you feeling exhausted – and this can become more noticeable when you finally take the mask off.
‘You are likely to notice emotional exhaustion, irritability, or sudden mood shifts once you’re in safe spaces, like back at home after a long day out, as the effort of managing those compulsions or intrusive thoughts can be enormous,’ Dr Elena says. ‘Many people I treat say they find themselves overcompensating to appear “normal”, or have an internal fear of being “discovered”.’
The importance of unmasking and seeking support
‘OCD masking is one of the most isolating aspects of living with this condition, precisely because no one sees the struggle,’ Dr Elena says. ‘So much of it is internal and conducted in private. There’s a particular kind of loneliness in that you’re surrounded by people who have no idea what you’re managing.’
If you feel like you might be masking OCD, you’re not alone and support is available. ‘The primary treatment is CBT (Cognitive Behavioural Therapy), with ERP (Exposure and Response Prevention) delivered by an OCD-trained therapist,’ she explains.
Alongside therapy, Dr Elena also recommends connecting with others who are going through the same thing. ‘Support groups and online communities can be transformative because they remove the feeling of isolation,’ she says. ‘Hearing others name the same intrusive thoughts and rituals often breaks shame that can build up within a person managing this.’
‘The key,’ Dr Elena concludes, ‘is finding spaces where people understand that the content of intrusive thoughts does not reflect who you are and that recovery is possible.’
