Top 10 Symptoms of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD)

Obsessive Compulsive Disorder(OCD) is a chronic subtype of anxiety disorder in which the sufferer is constantly tormented with uncontrollable obsessions to perform certain tasks which may seem irrational. The main symptoms of OCD(Obsessive Compulsive Disorder) are the 'influx of unwanted intrusive thoughts and images that seem to be persistent and range over a variety of themes.

Some of the themes regarding the symptoms of OCD are briefly listed below :

Contamination OCD: 

This is a symptom of OCD wherein the sufferer is constantly haunted by the fear of contracting terrible illness if he doesn't engage in certain ritualistic practices like constantly washing his hands, preventing himself from touching the doorknobs or car handles with bare hands, etc.

Doubt / Harm OCD: 

In this sub-type of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, the sufferer gets preoccupied with distressing intrusive thoughts that completely defy his character which steers him into a loop of constant anxiety. Some of the HarmOCD thoughts could include;

Fear that you would become a psychopath and harm your loved ones.

Fear that you will or have already committed a violent act but you don't remember.

Fear that you will act on your distressing thoughts unconsciously.

Fear that you will commit suicide before you harm someone to protect them.

Blasphemy OCD: 

Another sub-type and also one of many distinguishable symptoms of OCD in which the person's OCD theme is targeted toward religion or spirituality.

For eg, There is a case study where a 28-year-old woman, Mrs. M is agonized by the obsession of visiting the church 16 times a day, accompanied by the superstitious belief that if she doesn't visit the church 16 times a day, her son will die a gruesome death by the wrath of God.

Although the people suffering also understand that these thoughts are just unreasonable and irrational as they seem, they are also invaded with a surge of fear that they wouldn't want to risk the lives of their loved ones trying to unmask the doubt to find out if their belief was a hoax.

Top 10 Symptoms of OCD(Obsessive Compulsive Disorder)

1. Spending an unhealthy amount of time on daily routine tasks:

Since this symptom of OCD(Obsessive Compulsive Disorder) is a key feature to distinguish itself from other anxiety disorders, it would only be justified for it to be on the top of our list

OCD also known as 'The Doubting Disease' deceives the sufferer into a constant cycle of doubt which makes him perform certain ritualistic practices repeatedly for the person to feel satisfied. These include constant washing of hands to be free from germs, repeatedly checking if all the doors are locked, frequently checking if you've turned off the stove due to the fear that you might burn your house, etc.

2. Abstinence from knives or other sharp objects: 

Typically, the people who suffer from HarmOCD tend to exhibit this through their demeanor. Although statistically, almost 85% of the population battle these violent intrusive thoughts from time to time, sufferers with these symptoms of OCD(Obsessive Compulsive Disorder) are constantly battling these intrusive thoughts of causing harm to their loved ones or anyone, throughout the day.

It is due to these intrusive thoughts, the sufferers of this symptom of OCD(Obsessive Compulsive Disorder) tend to avoid going near knives or other sharp objects.

3. Constantly checking on their loved ones: 

Numerous cases of this symptom of OCD(Obsessive Compulsive Disorder) were wrongly categorized into GAD (Generalized Anxiety Disorder) in the early days. These sufferers are continually worried about the safety of their loved ones. This anxiety causes them to call or check on their loved ones frequently to see if they are alright.

These symptoms of OCD(Obsessive Compulsive Disorder) can be treated by ERP (Exposure and Response Prevention) wherein the patient is exposed to his fears by not checking on his loved ones for the whole day and showing him that everything is going well at the end of the day

4. Seeking reassurance from family, friends, and the internet: 

Seeking reassurance, I would say, can be regarded as one of the most definite symptoms of OCD(Obsessive Compulsive Disorder).

It is a fact that most people suffering from OCD thoughts are the sweetest people in real life, and due to this, the sufferers tend to evaluate their intrusive thoughts by thinking, "Did I just have this horrible thought? Am I a horrible person for having such thoughts? Am I a sociopath? " while a normal person just pushes away these thoughts nonchalantly.

This causes the sufferer to seek constant reassurance from their kith and kin that they are not the horrible person they think are, which can turn into a vicious cycle of reassurance seeking.

5. Fearing your intrusive thoughts even though you understand that they are illogical: 

Of course, this one would never be excluded from the list of the top symptoms of OCD(Obsessive Compulsive Disorder).

Here, the person who battles these thoughts is in a constant battle with their thoughts and is caged in distress. Even though he/she realizes how unreal his/her thoughts are, the person's mind throws at him/her an infinite number of questions like "What if I do this?.... What if I am a sinner..... What if my thoughts are real?" and many more.

6. Fear that you have become a Pedophile / POCD: 

As the title says it all, this is one of the concerning symptoms of OCD(Obsessive Compulsive Disorder), where the person's thoughts can trick them into believing that they are sexually attracted to children and can cause an immense amount of anxiety in the sufferer.

Your Obsessive Compulsive Disorder always tricks you into constantly thinking of the thoughts that you strongly despise.

7. Rumination: 

Rumination is another core symptom of OCD(Obsessive Compulsive Disorder). While these thoughts are not necessarily the ones that cause distress but can lead to mental exhaustion. The thoughts could vary over a wide range of themes,

For eg: Repetition of a certain phrase or a sentence from a conversation earlier.

8. Fear of losing control / Fear of uncertainty: 

Undeniably, this is the most common one of the symptoms of OCD(Obsessive Compulsive Disorder). The sufferer frequently has a surge of negative feelings thinking that he might lose control at any moment in the future and harm someone unconsciously by his actions or words. The sufferer may fear that he might;

Lose control and scream at the top of his lungs in a peaceful place.

Lose control over himself and stab someone unconsciously.

9. You counter your intrusive thoughts by neutralizing them with positive thoughts: 

For every distressing intrusive thought the person gets, he neutralizes it by trying to think of positive thoughts. This is one of many distinguishable symptoms of OCD(Obsessive Compulsive Disorder).

10. Fear of Psychosis/Schizophrenia: 

Last but not least, the fear that they're becoming psychotic or Schizophrenic brings chills down their spine and intervene in their daily life, debilitating their normal functioning.

This fear also massively increases their somatic awareness making them believe that they are hearing or seeing things that don't exist in real life.

 

You don't have to control your thoughts, You just have to stop letting them control you.