What is OCD trying to achieve?

Yes it does seem like a huge waste of resources - I often think of it as a survival mechanism that’s a bit broken , like an over reactive smoke alarm. Instead of our fear response reacting to real danger, we’ve become alarmed by the feeling of being alarmed, Concerned with concern, Anxious about anxiety. 🤷‍♀️

I'd love to just take a pill and that weird brain of mine gets its act together.

When OCD generates intrusive thoughts, its purpose isn't to keep you safe but rather to clear memory space for reuse. The emotions that arise in response to these thoughts are intended to protect us and our values. These emotions come from within you and represent who you are. As for the physical reactions, they may be byproducts of the intense emotions you experience.

Regrettably, the root cause of OCD remains unexplained. In the absence of definitive explanations, and through my interactions with individuals who have OCD, including my own son, I have developed a personal theory. While you may choose to disagree with it, many have found it to be quite reasonable. Below is an excerpt from a response I shared in another discussion: ------ I like to think of our brain as a house with a limited-capacity attic, which represents our memory storage. To function efficiently, our brain needs to regularly clear out old, unused memories to make room for new ones, as our brains constantly recording everything thing around us. This process is akin to having a mental "maid" whose job is to clean and organize the attic. When the attic gets full, the mental maid pulls out "dusty" memory boxes and presents them to us. We are meant to quickly decide whether to keep or discard the contents, allowing the box to be reused for new memories. For most people, this process happens seamlessly, with little emotional attachment to old memories. For individuals with OCD, this process becomes complicated. When presented with a memory box, instead of making a quick decision, they begin to ruminate on the contents. These contents often relate to deeply important themes like health, family, or faith. The hesitation to discard these memories signals the brain to keep them, even as new memories need storage. This creates a backlog of memory boxes, all demanding attention. As the backlog grows, the brain's functioning is threatened by the lack of available memory space. In response, the mental maid pushes these memory boxes to the forefront more frequently and urgently. This increased urgency can manifest as intrusive thoughts or compulsions, and the cycle of pain continues, potentially worsening over time. It's important to note that this process isn't under our conscious control. It's an inborn mechanism in our brain that's meant to keep us functioning optimally. In OCD, this helpful process becomes overactive, leading to distress and dysfunction. This theory aims to provide a different perspective on OCD, viewing it as a malfunction of a normally beneficial brain process rather than as a purely negative condition. Interestingly the same process is the one responsible for our dreams while sleeping. Basically, the "maid" presenting unrelated boxes of memory for recycling, and the result is images , sounds, situation that unrelated and bizarre we call a dream. Which also points to the common bad sleeping habits many persons with OCD have as a potential trigger for OCD.

@Zoë_84 Regarding ERP, it is not a treatment per se, but rather a technique to manage the compulsive responses triggered by negative emotions stemming from unwanted thoughts. ERP focuses on addressing the reaction to these feelings, rather than the feelings themselves. I hope this clarifies things.