Symptoms of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder

The symptoms of OCD can be very commonplace and normal, if they are only shown in moderation. However, the key component of OCD is not the fact that someone who suffers shows normal fears or exhibits typical behavior, it is because they do the behavior excessively and at length and they are unable to control their need to do said behavior.

Some of the obsessions that a sufferer of OCD experiences are:

• Afraid of contracting a disease or germ

• Afraid of dirt or dirtiness

• Afraid of causing harm or hurt to another person

• Afraid of causing or making a mistake

• Afraid of the way they might act or that they may do something embarrassing in public

• Afraid of thinking evil or nasty thoughts about them self or others

• Obsessing over organization (i.e. the position of pencils on a desk or they way papers line up)

• Expressing need for constant reassurance over feelings of doubt

In addition, there are many compulsions that a sufferer of OCD might exhibit. Again, these are behaviors that the OCD suffer will mark as silly and unnecessary, but they cannot curb their desire to carry out the behavior. Examples include:

• Excessive hand washing or bathing

• Unable to make physical contact with other people (will not shake hands, hug, etc.)

• Ritualistic behavior (flipping locks, flipping a light switch on and off, counting while performing tasks, arranging items in a certain order or way)

• Rituals when eating foods

• Repeating prayers, mantras, words

• Hoarding items, unable to throw items away