Compulsions can also include avoiding situations that trigger obsessions. People with OCD realize this is only a temporary solution but without a better way to cope they rely on the compulsion as a temporary escape. These are repetitive behaviors or thoughts that a person uses with the intention of neutralizing, counteracting, or making their obsessions go away. Superstitious ideas about lucky/unlucky numbers certain colorsĬompulsions are the second part of obsessive compulsive disorder.Concern with getting a physical illness or disease (not by contamination, e.g.Obsessions about one's sexual orientation.Excessive concern with right/wrong or morality.Concern with offending God, or concern about blasphemy.Obsessions about aggressive sexual behavior towards others.Sexual obsessions that involve children or incest.Forbidden or perverse sexual impulses about others.Forbidden or perverse sexual thoughts or images.

Inability to decide whether to keep or to discard things.

Fear of losing or forgetting important information when throwing something out.

Concern with a need to know or remember.

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).Fear of being responsible for something terrible happening (examples: fire, burglary).Fear of blurting out obscenities or insults.Fear of violent or horrific images in one's mind.

Fear of acting on an impulse to harm others.

Fear of acting on an impulse to harm oneself.

Household chemicals (examples: cleaners, solvents).

Environmental contaminants (examples: asbestos, radiation).

In fact, research has shown that most people have unwanted “intrusive thoughts” from time to time, but in the context of OCD, these intrusive thoughts come frequently and trigger extreme anxiety that gets in the way of day-to-day functioning.Ĭommon Obsessions in OCD Contamination While these thoughts look the same as what you would see in OCD, someone without OCD may have these thoughts, be momentarily concerned, and then move on. In fact, individuals with OCD have a hard time hearing this usage of “obsession” as it feels as though it diminishes their struggle with OCD symptoms.Įven if the content of the “obsession” is more serious, for example, everyone might have had a thought from time to time about getting sick, or worrying about a loved one’s safety, or wondering if a mistake they made might be catastrophic in some way, that doesn’t mean these obsessions are necessarily symptoms of OCD. You can be “obsessed” with a new song you hear on the radio, but you can still meet your friend for dinner, get ready for bed in a timely way, get to work on time in the morning, etc., despite this obsession. “Obsessed” in this everyday sense doesn’t involve problems in day-to-day living and even has a pleasurable component to it. These more casual uses of the word means that someone is preoccupied with a topic or an idea or even a person. Unfortunately, “obsessing” or “being obsessed” are commonly used terms in every day language. This last part is extremely important to keep in mind as it, in part, determines whether someone has OCD - a psychological disorder - rather than an obsessive personality trait.

Obsessions are typically accompanied by intense and uncomfortable feelings such as fear, disgust, doubt, or a feeling that things have to be done in a way that is “just right.” In the context of OCD, obsessions are time consuming and get in the way of important activities the person values. In most cases, people with OCD realize that these thoughts don’t make any sense. Individuals with OCD do not want to have these thoughts and find them disturbing. Obsessions are thoughts, images or impulses that occur over and over again and feel outside of the person’s control. What exactly are obsessions and compulsions? Most people have obsessive thoughts and/or compulsive behaviors at some point in their lives, but that does not mean that we all have “some OCD.” In order for a diagnosis of obsessive compulsive disorder to be made, this cycle of obsessions and compulsions becomes so extreme that it consumes a lot of time and gets in the way of important activities that the person values.

Another word for repeating actions