I often hear my clients say, “I wish I knew it was OCD at the time.” For that reason, I’m going to begin posting regularly about the signs of Obsessive – Compulsive Disorder. I hope it helps you to begin the process of overcoming the OCD. To begin, let’s start with obsessions.
OCD can be loud and throw out some very scary thoughts or images, but these obsessions can be categorized into 8 different subtypes:
- Harm: Obsessions in this category include fear of harming yourself or others.
- Contamination: Examples include anything from bodily waste, to dirt and germs, to environmental contaminants. This category is broad and doesn’t end here!
- Sexual: Obsessions of a sexual nature are inconsistent with what you find pleasurable, such as forbidden or perverse sexual thoughts, images, or impulses.
- Hoarding/Saving: Do you have difficulty throwing things away?
- Religious: Also called scrupulosity, this is a concern with sacrilege or blasphemy (i.e. forgetting God), or morality. Again – not limited to these examples!
- Symmetry or Exactness: With or without magical thinking, these obsessions are usually done to feel a “just right” feeling, or to prevent something bad from happening.
- Miscellaneous: Could be anything that does not fit into the other categories, such as lucky or unlucky numbers, or a fear of saying certain words.
- Somatic: Contracting a disease, or concern with an aspect of your appearance.
Read About Our OCD Treatment Options.
Our clinicians are OCD and Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) specialists. We understand OCD as it manifests in the pediatric and adult populations, families, schools, and the workplace. We utilize ERP to break the cycle of OCD individually and systemically to help you achieve your goals. Read more about our services.
