OCD Symptoms and Treatment

For treatment of OCD to be effective, it is necessary to fully understand the nature of its symptoms. OCD can most easily be understood as a condition in which an individual experiences recurrent obsessions and/or compulsions. Obsessions in OCD are defined as repetitive thoughts, ideas, mental images, or impulses that an individual experiences as intrusive, unwanted, and/or inappropriate. Compulsions in OCD are defined as repetitive behaviors that an individual feels compelled to perform in an effort to avoid or decrease the anxiety created by obsessions.

In OCD, obsessional symptoms are not just exaggerated fears about real-life situations, and usually are not directly connected to commonplace problems such as normal relationship, academic, or financial concerns. In fact, individuals with OCD are quite often very distressed precisely because they recognize that their unwanted thoughts are excessive, irrational and/or inappropriate. OCD compulsions may appear in various forms, including recurrent observable behaviors such as hand washing, repetitive “mental compulsions” such as praying or counting rituals, repeated reassurance seeking, and/or avoidant behaviors that have an almost phobic quality.

For individuals suffering with OCD, their obsessions and compulsions are often a source of considerable shame and embarrassment, leading them to go to great lengths to hide their symptoms. OCD obsessions and compulsions can be extremely time-consuming, often taking up many hours of a person’s day. As a result, OCD frequently causes significant emotional distress, and may greatly interfere with academic and professional functioning, as well as interpersonal relationships.

Traditionally, OCD was thought to be quite rare, and was frequently misdiagnosed by psychotherapists who didn’t understand the disorder. However, research has resulted in an improved understanding of OCD, along with a much better idea of just how prevalent this disorder actually is. It is now estimated that OCD affects roughly 2-3% of the population. This finding suggests that over six million Americans will experience OCD in their lifetimes.

Symptoms of OCD

Obsessions seen in OCD vary widely from person to person. Some examples of common OCD obsessions are:

• exaggerated fears of contamination from contact with people or everyday items
• nagging doubts about having locked the windows or the doors to the home, car, or garage
• excessive concerns about having turned off the stove, hair dryer, coffee pot, or other household appliances
• overwhelming urges to arrange items in a particular order so that they are “just right”
• fears of accidentally or purposefully committing an act which one considers to be violent of harmful (sometimes called “Harm OCD“)
• repeated thoughts of acting in a manner that one considers sexually inappropriate
• repeated thoughts of acting in a manner that one considers incongruent with their true sexual orientation (sometimes called “Gay OCD”, or “HOCD“, or “Sexual Orientation OCD”)
• excessive fears of acting or thinking in a manner that one believe to be sinful, immoral, or sacrilegious (sometimes called “Scrupulosity“)

As with obsessions, the compulsions seen in OCD vary from person to person. Some examples of common OCD compulsions are:

• repeatedly washing hands or showering, or excessively using anti-bacterial cleaning products in an effort to eradicate potential contaminants
• avoiding contact with everyday objects such as sinks, toilets, doorknobs, money, or virtually anything that an individual could construe as being contaminated
• frequently checking door locks, windows, stove knobs, light switches, electrical outlets, etc.
• unnecessarily arranging the contents of one’s desk, closets, cabinets, bookshelves, etc., or straightening household objects such as window blinds or rugs
• avoiding exposure to situations in which one fears the onset of unwanted thoughts, feelings, sensations or urges
• repeatedly saying prayers to ensure that one has not or will not commit an unacceptable, inappropriate, or immoral action
• continually seeking assurance from others that one has not or will not commit an act they consider to be unacceptable, inappropriate, sinful, or immoral