
What is OCD? [1]
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) is a disorder of the brain and behavior that causes severe anxiety in those affected. It involved both obsessions and compulsions that can get in the way of important activities a person values.
Obsessions are thoughts, images, or impulses that occur over and over and feel outside of a person's control. Sufferers of OCD do not want to have these thoughts and find them disturbing. Obsessions often lead to feelings of fear, disgust, doubt, or a feeling that things have to be done "just right."
Compulsions are repetitive behaviors or thoughts a person uses to neutralize, counteract, or make their obsessions go away. These are only a temporary solution, and they can also include avoiding situations that trigger obsessions. Compulsions are time-consuming and get in the way of important activities the person values.
Click here to learn more about OCD causes, treatment, and related disorders

Common Obsessions in OCD [2]
Contamination
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Body fluids (urine, feces, etc.)
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Germs/disease (herpes, HIV, etc.)
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Environmental contaminants (asbestos, radiation, etc.)
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Household chemicals (cleaners, solvents, etc.)
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Dirt
Unwanted Sexual Thoughts
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Forbidden or perverse sexual thoughts or images
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Forbidden or perverse sexual impulses about others
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Obsessions about homosexuality
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Sexual obsessions that involve children or incest
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Obsessions about aggressive sexual behavior towards others
Losing Control
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Fear of acting on an impulse to harm oneself
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Fear of acting on an impulse to harm others
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Fear of violent or horrific images in one's mind
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Fear of blurting out obscenities or insults
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Fear of stealing things
Religious Obsessions (Scrupulosity)
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Concern with offending God, or concern about blasphemy
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Excessive concern with right/wrong or morality
Harm
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Fear of being responsible for something terrible happening (examples: fire, burglary)
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Fear of harming others because of not being careful enough (example: dropping something on the ground that might cause someone to slip and hurt him/herself)
Perfectionism
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Concern about evenness or exactness
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Concern with a need to know or remember
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Fear of losing or forgetting important information when throwing something out
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Inability to decide whether to keep or discard things
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Fear of losing things
Common Compulsions in OCD [3]
Washing and Cleaning
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Washing hands excessively or in a certain way
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Excessive showering, bathing, tooth-brushing, grooming, or toilet routines
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Cleaning household items or other objects excessively
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Doing other things to prevent or remove contact with contaminants
Repeating
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Rereading or rewriting
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Repeating routine activities (examples: going in or out of doorways, getting up or down from chairs)
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Repeating body movements (example: tapping, touching, blinking)
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Repeating activities in "multiples" (examples: doing a task three times because there is a "good," "right," "safe" number)
Mental Compulsions
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Mental review of events to prevent harm/terrible consequences to oneself or others (rumination)
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Praying to prevent harm/terrible consequences to self or others
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Counting while performing a task to end on a "good," "right," or "safe" number
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"Cancelling" or "undoing" (example: replacing a "bad" word with a "good" word)
Checking
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Checking that you did not/will not harm others or yourself
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Checking that nothing terrible happened
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Checking that you did not make a mistake
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Checking some parts of your physical condition or body
Other Compulsions
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Putting things in order or arranging things until it "feels right"
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Telling, asking, or confessing to get reassurance
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Avoiding situations that might trigger your obsessions
Sources
[1] International OCD Foundation (IOCDF, 2016). Retrieved from https://iocdf.org/
[2] Clark, David A.; & Radomsky, Adam S. (2014). Introduction: A global perspective on unwanted intrusive thoughts. Journal of Obsessive-Compulsive and Related Disorders.Available online 18 February 2014. DOI: 10.1016/j.jocrd.2014.02.001
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2211364914000128
[3] Reprinted with permission by New Harbinger Publications, Inc. This is an adaptation of the OC Checklist which appears in S. Wilhelm & G. S. Steketee’s Cognitive Therapy for Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder A Guide for Professionals (2006). www.newharbinger.com