Symptoms of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD)

Symptoms of OCD are:

• Obsessions—unwanted ideas, impulses, or images that repeat often.
• Compulsions—repeated behaviors or mental acts. They are often done to lower anxiety or distress caused by obsessions.

People with OCD know their thoughts and behaviors do not make sense. Most would like to avoid or stop them but OCD makes this very hard.

Common obsessions include:

• Regular and intense fears that harm may come to them or a loved one
• Intense and unfounded concern about becoming contaminated
• Extreme concern about safety
• Improper religious, violent, or sexual thoughts
• Very intense need to do things perfectly

Common compulsions include:

• Checking door locks, stoves, water faucets, light switches, over and over and over
• Repeated list making, counting, arranging, or aligning things
• Collecting and hoarding useless objects
• Repeating habits a specific number of times until it feels just right
• Re-reading and re-writing more often than needed
• Repeating phrases in their head
• Hand washing repeatedly