OCD Signs & Symptoms

OCD typically has two components: obsessions and compulsions. Obsessions are intrusive, distressing, and unwanted thoughts that are repetitive and occur without the individual’s conscious desire to think them. Although the vast majority of people even without OCD experience intrusive thoughts, people with OCD experience these thoughts to a much greater and more intense degree and experience them as very threatening and disturbing.

The second component of OCD is compulsive behavior, which is a need to perform a particular action in order to neutralize or undo the anxiety that is driven by obsessions. It is crucial to note that compulsive behavior can take the form of observable actions or behaviors that another person could see or observe as well as mental processes such as compulsive prayer, thought replacement, or working to cancel out distressing thoughts. These mental processes are collectively referred to as mental compulsions or rumination. Often, compulsive behavior will consist of an elaborate routine, sometimes taking hours to complete.

It should be noted that OCD is different from superstitious or normally careful or cautious behavior. For example, it’s not OCD to check that you have turned off electrical appliances before you go to bed, but it might be OCD if you need to check each one multiple times before you can feel safe and comfortable.

Many people with OCD know that their obsessions and compulsive behaviors aren’t grounded in reality. But they still feel unable to force these thoughts from their mind or feel calm and safe until they complete their array of compulsions. OCD is designated by the presence of intense, disturbing, and unwanted fears that are far in excess of the actual risk presented in a given situation, as well as the presence of compulsive behaviors that the individual feels unable to stop doing despite knowing they are excessive and unreasonable.