Symptoms of OCD and Possible Treatment Options

OCD is a term often casually misused to describe a person who is overly detail-oriented, meticulous, or likes things arranged just so. If that sounds like you and you wonder if you have symptoms of OCD or not, read on. Not everyone who fits that description necessarily has the condition.

OCD (obsessive-compulsive disorder) is a mental health disorder characterized by out-of-control, recurring thoughts (obsessions), repetitive behaviors (compulsions), or both. In many cases, it’s like being trapped in a continuous, time-consuming, vicious cycle of distressing thoughts that lead you to engage in specific actions or rituals to try and offset them.

Symptoms of OCD may start slowly, go away for a while, then typically intensify or change over time. They are aggravated by stress, and people suffering from symptoms of OCD often try to avoid situations that trigger their symptoms or turn to alcohol or drug use to try and cope.

Obsessive symptoms of OCD

Obsessive symptoms of OCD take the form of unwanted, sometimes terrifying, intrusive thoughts, urges, mental images, or irrational ideas that produce anxiety and distress. The most common ones include fear of being contaminated by germs or dirt; fear of forgetting things or losing or misplacing something you need; fear of not being able to control your behavior and harming yourself or others; a strong need for order and symmetry in your environment and having things placed in a specific manner, such as facing the same way; and/or violent or taboo thoughts related to sex or religion.

Compulsive symptoms of OCD

Compulsive symptoms of OCD manifest as repetitive behaviors you feel driven to engage in over and over again to try and prevent a dreaded event from happening, and that you are unable to control even if you know the thoughts leading to them are irrational. These may include, but are not limited to the following compulsive behaviors:

• Excessive hand washing, showering, or cleaning.
• Arranging items in a very precise, symmetrical order.
• Compulsively counting in certain patterns or needing to do things a specific number of times without interruption.
• Silently repeating words or phrases.
• Checking and rechecking to see if the door is locked or the stove is turned off.
• Performing rituals such as tapping or moving a particular way a certain number of times.
• Continuously repeating something according to certain rules that must be followed in exact order.

Some people with compulsive symptoms of OCD also have a tic disorder that causes them to repeat sudden brief movements or sounds such as eye blinking, facial grimacing, shoulder shrugging, head jerking, and/or repetitive throat clearing, sniffing, or grunting sounds.

Treatment options

Left untreated, the symptoms of OCD can become severe, reduce your quality of life, and interfere with your ability to take care of your daily routines and responsibilities. The good news, however, is that obsessive-compulsive disorder is treatable.

There are several evidence-based treatment options, such as cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and exposure and response prevention (ERP), that can help you understand how thoughts affect feelings and behavior, teach you how to identify unrealistic obsessive beliefs, replace them with more rational ones, and equip you with practical techniques for responding in healthy ways rather than reacting compulsively.

If you have questions about this article on symptoms of OCD or would like to set up a risk-free appointment to meet with one of the faith-based counselors at our location, please give us a call.