OCD and its types

OCD, obsessive-compulsive disorder, is a mental condition that causes a person to have troubling and persistent obsessions and thoughts, compulsive, repetitive behaviors, or both.

Types of OCD include fears of contamination, compulsive checking for completion, fears of harming others, ordering and arranging objects in specific ways, and aggressive, violent, or sexual thoughts. There are also conditions similar to OCD, such as hoarding disorder, skin-picking disorder, and hair-pulling disorder. All can be treated successfully with dedicated therapy and supplemental care.

OCD Defined

OCD, or obsessive-compulsive disorder, is a mental health condition characterized by two types of symptoms: obsessive thoughts and compulsive behaviors. To be diagnosed with the condition, a person must have one or both of these. Furthermore, the symptoms have to cause distress, significant impairment, and take up a lot of a person’s time.

Obsessive thoughts are persistent, unwanted, and troubling. They are nearly impossible to avoid or stop, and they cause significant distress, anxiety, or fear. The content of the obsessive thoughts can be anything, from a fear of being contaminated with germs to violent images that won’t go away or a persistent doubt that a task has been completed. These thoughts, whatever the specific content, are not reasonable and yet they are nearly impossible to control.

Compulsive behaviors are actions that a person takes to try to alleviate the distress of obsessive thoughts, to stop the thoughts, or to prevent something bad from happening. There is often no logical connection between the compulsions and the thoughts, but sometimes they are related, such as when someone afraid of germs washes his or her hands compulsively. Like obsessive thoughts, a person with OCD really struggles to control these behaviors, and even when they realize they are not logical, and feels compelled to engage in them.

Types of OCDs

Harm to loved ones: For some people, the fear is not necessarily that they will harm someone but that some type of harm will come to their loved ones. For instance, someone may obsess over the thought that their child will get hurt in a car accident. Compulsive behaviors could be anything but are often used to prevent the harm from occurring.

Germs and contamination: A fear of germs and a need to wash hands compulsively is often what people associate with OCD, and it is a common feature. Many people diagnosed with OCD are afraid of germs or other types of contamination and may avoid situations and activities because of this fear. Compulsive hand-washing and cleaning are also typical.

Sin, Religion & Morality: Some people worry obsessively about being immoral or sinning. They may use prayer compulsively or ask for forgiveness over and over again.

Order and Symmetry: Having objects ordered “just so” is a fairly common type of obsession with OCD. People with these thoughts spend an inordinate amount of time arranging and ordering objects or visualizing symmetry. They may also have specific superstitions about numbers, patterns, and symmetry.

Self-control: A fear of losing control and doing something inappropriate characterizes many individual experiences with OCD. Some people may worry about shouting something in public, while others may be worried about harming someone, which ties into the aggressive or sexual type of obsessions. Any type of compulsive behavior may follow, but this kind of obsession can also lead to isolation, as a person may avoid being around others.

Aggressive or Sexual thoughts: A common type of obsession is related to a fear of causing harm to others, of lashing out violently, or having violent, aggressive images that won’t go away. These kinds of thoughts may also be sexual, such as fearing behaving in a sexually inappropriate way or experiencing recurring, troubling sexual imagery. These types of obsessions are often coupled with seeking reassurance of one’s goodness, but there may be other accompanying compulsions.

These types of OCD are really just groupings of some of the most common symptoms. Someone with OCD may have any type of obsessive thought. Some other examples include fears about specific relationships, beliefs in magic and magical thinking, or obsessions about one’s own body, such as breathing patterns or blinking.