OCD: What do "Obsessions" Look Like?

By: Nick Clipton

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Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) is an anxiety disorder where a person has recurrent and unwanted ideas or impulses (called obsessions) and an urge or compulsion to do something to relieve the discomfort caused by the obsession. The obsessive thoughts range from the idea of losing control, to themes surrounding religion or keeping things or parts of one's body clean all the time.

Compulsions are behaviors that help reduce the anxiety surrounding the obsessions. Most people (90%) who have OCD have both obsessions and compulsions. The thoughts and behaviors a person with OCD has are senseless, repetitive, distressing, and sometimes harmful, but they are also difficult to overcome.

What do "Obsessions" Look Like?

There are many different types of obsessions, and many people with OCD will have more than one type of obsession. Some examples of common obsessions are:

Fear of contamination

This obsession involves a fear of coming into contact with germs, getting sick, or making others sick, from touching "dirty" or "contaminated" items, sticky substances, or chemicals. For example, "I will be contaminated by germs if I pick up this pen off the floor", or "I can be poisoned by lead if I come into contact with paint."
Thoughts of doubt.

This obsession involves constant doubt about whether you've done something wrong or made a mistake. For example, "Did I turn off the stove?", "I think I made a spelling error on the email I just sent.", "I think I threw away something important", or "I might not have answered that question clearly and precisely enough."

Fear of accidentally harming self or others

Adults with these obsessions are afraid of harming themselves or others through carelessness. For example, "If I don't make sure that the door is locked at night, the apartment might get broken into and I might be robbed and murdered", "If I don't immediately change out of my work clothes and wash them with bleach, I might bring outside germs home and cause my whole family to be sick."

There are many effective treatments for obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), ranging from therapy to self-help and medication. However, the treatment for OCD with the most research supporting its effectiveness is cognitive-behavioral therapy. The cognitive therapy component for obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) focuses on the catastrophic thoughts and exaggerated sense of responsibility you feel. A big part of cognitive therapy for OCD is teaching you healthy and effective ways of responding to obsessive thoughts, without resorting to compulsive behavior.