Both obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and depression are common mental health conditions, and they often occur together. OCD symptoms can contribute to isolation, loneliness and withdrawal—leading to depression; however, both conditions can be treated by a trained mental health professional.
Dealing with depression can feel like dragging yourself through quicksand. And if you’re also navigating OCD, life can feel especially overwhelming. But, you’re not alone—and there are ways to manage these very real challenges.
Understanding how depression works, and how it interacts with OCD can be a crucial first step toward feeling better. Let’s break it down.
What are the symptoms of depression?
Depression doesn’t show up the same way for everyone. For some people, it’s persistent feelings of sadness or numbness. For others, it’s a loss of interest in the things they once loved, or a constant stream of negative thoughts that won’t let up. Low energy, trouble sleeping, changes in appetite, difficulty focusing, and withdrawing from people or responsibilities can all be signs, too.
Learning to recognize these patterns can help you get the help you deserve.
How OCD and depression interact
If you have OCD and have noticed symptoms of depression, you’re not alone. In fact, it’s the mental health condition most commonly experienced by people living with OCD.
Obsessions and compulsions can be exhausting and isolating, so it’s understandable to experience feelings of sadness and social withdrawal as a result. “If your OCD is focusing on something, you have now potentially lost interest or pleasure in that thing because of the OCD,” says Dr. Patrick McGrath, chief clinical officer at NOCD. “That will often lead you to feel down or depressed.”
This hopelessness can, in turn, make OCD symptoms worse, or prevent you from seeking treatment. “If you’re depressed, it’s easier to give in,” says Dr. McGrath. “If you think you’re not worth anything, why not just do everything that OCD says?” While it can be tempting to sink into a cycle of obsessions and compulsions—especially if you’re depressed—you don’t have to manage this alone.
A therapist can help you sort through your symptoms, so you can get the right kind of support for any and all mental health conditions you’re experiencing.
Find the right OCD therapist for you
All our therapists are licensed and trained in exposure and response prevention therapy (ERP), the gold standard treatment for OCD.
Treatment for depression and OCD
Both depression and OCD are treatable. With the right support, you can start feeling more like yourself again. Here’s what you should know about the two main therapy approaches:
Behavioral activation (BA) for depression
When you’re depressed, even the smallest tasks—getting out of bed, making breakfast, stepping outside—can feel impossible. Behavioral activation (BA) helps you re-engage with life, little by little, by encouraging you to take action even when you don’t feel like it.
“In its basic form, BA is about making a choice to act in a specific way, especially when you don’t feel like it,” says Stacy Quick, LPC.
The goal isn’t to fake happiness or pretend you’re okay—it’s to slowly rebuild motivation and momentum by reconnecting with meaningful activities. Over time, these choices can help lift your mood and make it easier to keep moving toward your values and goals.
Exposure and response prevention (ERP) for OCD
OCD is best treated through an evidence-based, specialized treatment, called exposure and response prevention (ERP). ERP helps people learn to sit with discomfort and uncertainty without turning to compulsions for short-term relief.
In ERP, your therapist will help you gradually face the thoughts, situations, or feelings that trigger your OCD—without doing the compulsive behaviors you’d normally turn to for relief. It’s challenging, but it’s done at a pace that feels safe and manageable, with your therapist guiding you every step of the way.
When you’re dealing with both depression and OCD, your therapist will create a treatment plan that supports both conditions. That might mean starting with BA if depression is making it hard to fully participate in ERP. Or it might mean beginning ERP first, if OCD is what’s most disruptive in your day-to-day life. Either way, it’s important to work with a therapist who’s trained in OCD—so you can be sure you’re getting the right care.
Lifestyle tips
Alongside therapy, there are also some support strategies that can help you manage symptoms.
1. Practice self-care and mindfulness
Self-care looks different for everyone. For some, it might mean taking a bath or journaling before bed. For others, it might mean spending time with friends or loved ones. With OCD and depression, these small acts can feel hard—but they’re meaningful ways of showing yourself compassion. Quick explains that the most helpful kind of self-care is “the practice of being kind to yourself, prioritizing your mental health-related needs, and taking good care of yourself in a way that fills your bucket.”
Sometimes, self-care also means practicing mindfulness: noticing what’s happening around you and within you, without trying to fix or avoid it. Your thoughts might pull you into the past or future, but grounding yourself in the present moment—through your senses or your surroundings—can offer some steadiness. Mindfulness isn’t about avoiding your thoughts, but learning how to be with them differently.
The heart of self-compassion is treating yourself with the same gentleness you’d offer someone you care about. Even reflecting on your values and goals—what matters to you, and what kind of life you want to build—can be a form of self-care.
2. Support your body, even in small ways
We all know that physical and mental health are connected. “What you eat, what you drink, what you put in your body, it all matters,” Quick says.
But when you’re in the thick of debilitating symptoms, maintaining even the most basic physical health routines can feel like climbing a mountain. That’s why it’s important to keep your goals small and realistic. Eating something nourishing, staying hydrated, stretching your body, or stepping outside for even a few minutes can all have a real impact on how you feel over time.
Movement in particular is proven to help lift your mood—but if you’re not ready for a full workout, try just shaking your body out a little, doing some shoulder rolls, or gently swaying to some music. Small steps are still steps.
3. Look out for your inner critic
Depression and OCD often speak in absolutes: I’m a bad person. No one cares. I’ll never feel safe. These thoughts can feel so real and the guilt can be heavy, but that doesn’t mean they’re true. Depression and OCD have a way of distorting reality—and it’s important to remember that you don’t have to believe everything your mind tells you.
One way to challenge these thoughts is to ask yourself: What would I say to a friend who was thinking this way? Often, we’re much kinder and more compassionate toward others than we are toward ourselves.
At the same time, not every thought needs to be dissected. As Quick puts it, “It can also be helpful to practice accepting your thoughts as just thoughts and not judging them, attaching meaning to them, or assuming they indicate any truth or danger.”
You don’t have to argue with every thought—but you can try to remind yourself: This is a symptom. It doesn’t define who I am.
Depression and OCD lie. And the more you learn to recognize the sound of that voice, the more you can start replacing it with one that’s softer, more grounded—and more real.
The bottom line
Managing depression and OCD isn’t easy—but reaching out to a specialist can help you start regaining a sense of control. Whether it’s caring for your body, practicing self-compassion, or noticing your inner critic, small actions can help you see progress sooner. You don’t have to go through this alone.
