How do I know if its OCD ?
A common question I often hear is, “How do I know if it’s OCD?” There’s a lot of misunderstanding about OCD, and that can be incredibly frustrating for those who live with it, especially since it’s a condition that’s often misrepresented. People sometimes say, “I’m a bit OCD,” referring to liking things neat or organized. But as someone diagnosed with OCD, I can assure you, this isn’t what OCD is about.
While it’s true that some individuals with OCD may have a strong preference for cleanliness or order, what most people don’t see is the intense emotional struggle that comes with intrusive thoughts driving that obsession. OCD isn’t just about being tidy; it’s about the constant, overwhelming battle with thoughts you struggle to control, and the compulsions you feel compelled to perform in an attempt to relieve that anxiety.
If you like things neat or in order but don’t experience constant fear, intrusive thoughts, or the need to perform rituals to prevent “bad things” from happening, it’s likely you don’t have OCD.
OCD Symptoms Checklist
Below is a list of some common symptoms you may experience with OCD. While this is not an exhaustive list, these are some of the most common symptoms.
- Intrusive thoughts
Intrusive thoughts are unwanted, distressing and most importantly irrational. These thoughts often conflict with a person’s values and beliefs.
These thoughts can take many forms. For example, in the case of harm OCD, someone may fear causing harm to loved ones or even strangers. These fears are irrational and highly unlikely to happen. People with this subtype may avoid objects like knives or anything they believe could cause harm. Over time, these intrusive thoughts become obsessive, leading the person to fixate on them, creating a vicious cycle of irrational fear.
There are several subtypes of OCD.
Another example is contamination OCD, where individuals become excessively worried about contamination. This fear leads them to avoid certain surfaces, substances, or to engage in excessive cleaning. These behaviour’s are driven by irrational, intrusive thoughts, for example believing they are destined to become contaminated.
As mentioned above there are a vast amount of OCD subtypes, and everybody’s thoughts are unique and tailored to their own personal fears. Check out some more common symptoms on the OCD Symptoms Checklist below.
- Compulsions
Compulsions, Repetitive actions or rituals performed to alleviate anxiety caused by obsessive Intrusive thoughts (e.g., washing hands, checking locks, counting, tapping surfaces, repeating words over and over ).
- Overthinking
Overthinking, An inability to stop overanalysing situations or decisions, often driven by a fear of making the wrong choice, or fearing judgement from others. see also rumination.
- Avoidance
Avoidance, Avoiding certain places, objects, situations or people, due to fear of contamination or harm
- Need for Symmetry/Order
A strong urge for things to be in a specific order or arrangement. This can lead to excessive organizing or rearranging.
- Reassurance-Seeking
Frequently asking others for reassurance about a specific fear or concern or intrusive thought, to relive anxiety.
- Hyperawareness
Hyper-focus on involuntary bodily functions, like blinking, breathing, and swallowing, can become debilitating. This often stems from the fear that if the person doesn’t focus on it, the function will stop or they’ll never be able to stop thinking about it. See also sensorimotor OCD.
- General Anxiety
Generalized Anxiety characterised by excessive, uncontrollable worry about a variety of everyday situations. People often anticipate disaster and struggle to relax, even when there’s no clear reason for concern. This chronic anxiety can lead to physical symptoms like restlessness, fatigue, difficulty concentrating, and sleep disturbances. The worry often feels overwhelming and disproportionate to the actual situation, affecting daily functioning and well-being.
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