Articles
Articles about autism, OCD and anxiety. They explain what happens, which signs may appear and what to do or avoid.
Fear of losing control in OCD: when self-monitoring increases doubt
How an obsessive fear of losing control develops, why internal monitoring maintains it, and how it differs from genuine intent.
Read article → OCDMisaligned objects in OCD: when leaving something out of place is difficult
Why a crooked or uneven object can cause intense distress in OCD, and how this differs from a preference for tidiness or order.
Read article → OCDChecking doors and locks in OCD: why one check does not feel enough
How repeated checking of doors and locks works in OCD, and why checking again can increase doubt instead of resolving it.
Read article → OCDRepeating and counting mentally in OCD: rituals nobody can see
How repeating and counting in the mind can function as OCD compulsions, even when it appears from the outside that nothing is happening.
Read article → OCDDifficulty discarding objects in OCD: when the decision keeps being postponed
Why discarding an object may trigger doubt, guilt or fear in OCD, and how this difficulty differs from hoarding disorder.
Read article → OCDDoubting whether I really love someone: when OCD focuses on a relationship
How OCD can turn feelings towards somebody into constant checking, and how this cycle differs from an occasional relationship doubt.
Read article → OCDUnexpected violent thoughts in OCD: a thought is not an intention
Why unwanted violent thoughts can occur in OCD, which compulsions they may trigger, and when a genuine risk needs assessment.
Read article → OCDInflated responsibility in OCD: when preventing every harm feels personal
How OCD expands responsibility for preventing harm and turns checking, warning and correcting into duties that are difficult to finish.
Read article → OCDContamination in OCD: beyond dirt and germs
How contamination appears in OCD, which compulsions it may trigger, and how it differs from a proportionate hygiene measure.
Read article → OCDContamination by association in OCD: when the chain expands
What contamination by association means in OCD, how chains of contact form, and why they can spread across whole groups of objects and spaces.
Read article → OCDAvoidance in OCD: the compulsion that may go unnoticed
How avoidance works in OCD, the forms it may take, why it provides short-term relief, and how it gradually restricts everyday life.
Read article → AutismSelective attention in autism: choosing which information to attend to
What selective attention is, why some stimuli compete with the task in autism, and which adjustments can reduce distraction and effort.
Read article → AutismAttention to visual detail in autism: parts and the whole
How local and global visual processing may vary in autism, what research has found, and which adjustments make important information easier to locate.
Read article → AutismSensory reactivity in autism: intense, reduced and sensory-seeking responses
What hyperreactivity, hyporeactivity and sensory seeking mean in autism, why they may coexist, and how to identify useful support.
Read article → AutismAuditory attention in autism: following one voice amongst other sounds
Why an autistic person may hear a voice yet miss part of the message when other sounds compete, and which adjustments make conversation easier to follow.
Read article → AutismWhen the environment causes harm: adverse experiences in autistic adults and adults with ADHD
A 2026 study of 123 autistic and ADHD adults shows adversity goes beyond bullying. What forms it takes, what makes it worse and what can be changed.
Read article → AutismThe mental health of parents who provide care: what the data show
A Spanish survey covering intellectual and developmental disabilities found that 83% of family carers were women. A longitudinal study also observed elevated depressive symptoms among mothers of autistic children.
Read article → AutismSpain's Dependency Law: the process, the waiting times and what people actually receive
How long support under Spain’s Dependency Law takes, what recipients actually receive at each grade, and how the system compares with Germany. Based on official data analysed by the State Observatory on Dependency.
Read article → AutismBullying and autism: what the data show and what to do if the school does not act
Research cited by Autismo España estimates that 63% of autistic pupils experience bullying, rising to around 83% among those without an intellectual disability. What Spanish law requires and what families can do if a school fails to act.
Read article → AutismSupport for autistic pupils: what Spanish law requires and what happens in practice
What support autistic pupils are entitled to at school in Spain, what the law requires of schools and teachers, and what families can do when that support is not provided. Based on verified data.
Read article → AutismWhy do so few autistic pupils reach Bachillerato? Spain's education funnel in the data
Autistic pupils make up 1.56% of primary pupils in Spain but only 0.44% of those in Bachillerato. What the data reveal about the sharp fall in representation after compulsory education.
Read article → AutismHow long does it take to get an autism diagnosis in Spain? The real data
What is known about autism diagnosis times in Spain, why they vary between regions and why there is no single national figure.
Read article → AutismFour autism groups in a genetic study: what they mean
A study of 5,392 children identified four statistical groups of autistic traits. We explain the findings, their limitations and why they are not yet clinical categories.
Read article → AutismAgeing as an autistic person: what research is beginning to tell us
Research on autistic ageing is only just beginning. What is already known about health, life expectancy and daily life, and what remains uncertain.
Read article → AutismAutism, sexual orientation and gender identity: what the studies say
The largest studies find more diversity of sexual orientation and gender identity among autistic people. What the data show, their limits and what remains unknown.
Read article → AutismAutistic children on social media: when sharing becomes exposure
Publishing a child’s meltdowns, hygiene difficulties or health information can affect their privacy for years. What research and Spanish law say.
Read article → AutismSigns of autism in the early years: what to notice and when to seek advice
Differences in communication, play, movement and sensory responses that are worth discussing with a paediatrician. One sign alone does not confirm autism.
Read article → AutismFood and autism: why eating can be so difficult
Selective eating in autism may involve sensory responses, inflexibility, anxiety, oral skills or medical problems. What to observe and when to seek advice.
Read article → AutismAutism in girls: why it's diagnosed late (and what's changing)
Why autism is diagnosed late in girls: camouflaging, criteria built for boys, and what's changing.
Read article → AutismAutism and sound: sensitivity, overload and support
How responses to sound may vary in autism, how sound sensitivity, hyperacusis and misophonia differ, and what support can be agreed.
Read article → AutismWhy some autistic children struggle after school
Why an autistic child may arrive home exhausted, shut down or have a meltdown after school, and what to check before assuming one cause.
Read article → AutismA meltdown is not a tantrum
What an autistic meltdown is, why it should not be reduced to a tantrum and how to respond during and afterwards without adding to overload.
Read article → AutismChanges of plan: how to give warning
Why an unexpected change may be difficult for an autistic person, and how to explain what is changing, what is staying the same and what happens next.
Read article → AutismWhy are they alone at break time?
What research shows about autistic pupils at break time, how to distinguish chosen solitude from exclusion and what support schools can organise.
Read article → AutismA test in a noisy classroom doesn't measure what they know
How background noise may affect an autistic pupil during a test and which adjustments assess knowledge without adding a sensory barrier.
Read article → AutismDinosaurs, trains, video games: what a special interest is for
What intense or special interests are in autism, what functions they may have and when to seek balance without using them as punishment.
Read article → AutismThree versions at home and none handed in: the fear of getting it wrong
Why some autistic pupils erase, repeat or do not submit work because they fear mistakes, and how to reduce the block without removing all expectations.
Read article → OCDOCD types and subtypes: symptom themes and dimensions
So-called OCD types are symptom themes, not separate diagnoses. The dimensions studied in research and the limits of these labels.
Read article → OCDWhen OCD and depression occur together: can mindfulness improve exposure therapy?
A 2026 trial tested adding mindfulness to exposure and response prevention in adults with OCD and depression. What it found and why it is preliminary.
Read article → OCDObsessions and compulsions: how the OCD cycle works
Obsessions, compulsions, avoidance and brief relief can form a cycle. How it is maintained and where treatment acts.
Read article → OCDOCD severity levels: how severity is measured and what insight means
OCD severity and insight are two separate things. How each one is assessed, what the levels mean in daily life and what happens when insight is absent.
Read article → OCDOCD is not having quirks: how to recognise the difference
Order and routines do not define OCD. The difference lies in obsessions, compulsions, time, distress and interference.
Read article → OCDThe OCD cycle: obsession, compulsion and brief relief
How obsessions and compulsions are maintained, why relief is brief and what a person learns during ERP.
Read article → OCDShould I reassure them? Reassurance and OCD
Answering a repeated doubt may bring brief relief but can maintain OCD. How to recognise family accommodation and reduce it with a planned approach.
Read article → OCDIntrusive thoughts and OCD: what they mean and when to seek help
Intrusive thoughts are not the same as intention, but distress is not automatic proof. How they are assessed in OCD and which treatment helps.
Read article → OCDConcentrated therapy for childhood OCD: what the Clínic study found
A trial of 30 young people compared 20 hours of therapy over four weeks with a waiting list. Its findings, limitations and unanswered questions.
Read article → AnxietySeeking quick answers: when relief does not last
Asking, searching online or checking can resolve a genuine question. When it is repeated to remove all uncertainty, relief is usually brief.
Read article → AnxietyA thought that keeps returning: worry, rumination or an intrusive thought
A repeated idea may concern a future worry, a review of the past or an intrusive thought. Its content alone cannot distinguish them.
Read article → AnxietyA knot in the stomach: why anxiety affects digestion
Anxiety may occur with nausea, pain, diarrhoea, constipation or loss of appetite. Symptoms are real, but should not always be attributed to anxiety.
Read article → AnxietyPhysical restlessness: when the body cannot settle
Moving the legs, getting up, clenching the jaw or being unable to relax can occur with anxiety. A sudden onset also requires consideration of other causes.
Read article → AnxietyEverything feels bigger: how anxiety increases perceived threat
Anxiety may increase attention to threat and the estimated cost of an outcome. The intensity of the response does not measure objective risk.
Read article → AnxietyLosing perspective: when anxiety narrows attention
During high activation, holding several possibilities in mind becomes harder. Attention narrows and information that does not seem urgent recedes.
Read article → AnxietyGoing round in circles over a decision: uncertainty, review and delay
Comparing options helps up to a point. When reviewing is intended to guarantee that there will be no regret, every fact opens another doubt.
Read article → AnxietyTolerating uncertainty: acting without knowing the full outcome
Tolerating uncertainty does not require the outcome to stop mattering. It means acting on enough information while some questions remain.
Read article → AnxietyFear of speaking: when anxiety blocks the voice
Speaking may bring trembling, a blank mind, a quiet voice or avoidance. Fear is assessed by its intensity and consequences, not by being shy.
Read article → AnxietyThinking through every option: when preparation becomes worry
Imagining several options helps planning. Trying to predict every possibility creates new branches and cannot provide a complete guarantee.
Read article → AnxietyFeeling watched: self-focused attention and social anxiety
Social anxiety may lead somebody to monitor every gesture and assume that other people notice it too. The sensation cannot show where they are actually looking.
Read article → AnxietyWaiting shows in the body: anxiety before an answer
Waiting for an uncertain answer may maintain tension, digestive discomfort, restlessness and light sleep. The body does not know the result, but responds to possibility.
Read article → AnxietyNobody understands what is happening: explaining anxiety that is not visible
Somebody may talk, work or smile while devoting great effort to controlling symptoms. Describing behaviours and consequences clarifies what is not visible.
Read article → AnxietyAnxiety and alcohol: a relationship that may run both ways
A 2026 genetic study found overlap between anxiety and problematic alcohol use. What its percentages mean and what they cannot predict.
Read article → AnxietyPhysical symptoms of anxiety: why they happen and when to seek help
Palpitations, dizziness, breathlessness and tension may occur with anxiety. How physical responses and interpretation interact, and which signs need attention.
Read article → AnxietyExercise and anxiety: what the review of 79,551 participants found
A review of 81 meta-analyses associated exercise with fewer anxiety symptoms. Its findings, limitations and why it does not show that exercise replaces therapy.
Read article → AnxietyWhy does anxiety cause physical symptoms when there is no immediate danger?
Palpitations, chest tightness, dizziness or breathlessness may occur with anxiety. The mechanisms involved, when to seek advice and which signs need urgent attention.
Read article → AnxietyStress and anxiety: differences, overlap and when to seek help
Stress and anxiety share symptoms and may occur together. What usually distinguishes them and why a visible cause is not enough to classify them.
Read article → AnxietyAnxiety at night: why it appears when you try to sleep
Why worry and arousal may increase at bedtime, how they relate to insomnia and when to seek help.
Read article → AnxietyAnticipatory anxiety: when worry starts before the event
What happens when a future situation leads to worry, physical symptoms and avoidance, and how to address it without promising that anxiety will fall within a set time.
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