What is OCD? What are the symptoms of OCD?

Both of these questions are commonly asked questions about obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD).

Put simply, OCD is a behavioral disorder in which an individual has obsessive thoughts or urges, which then trigger compulsive behaviors that are aimed at reducing the anxiety, fear, distress, panic, and/or intense feelings of discomfort surrounding the obsession. The obsessive-compulsive cycle is all-consuming and often interrupts functioning and interferes with daily life.

Beyond this simple definition, you may still be wondering: what is OCD - exactly?

OCD is sometimes misconstrued. As most commonly portrayed on TV or used in the colloquial sense: OCD isn’t just experiencing obsessions and anxious feelings around being extremely neat and not having things lined up in a specific way (although it certainly can be!). OCD has subtypes, and each is most commonly centred around experiencing intrusive thoughts; which are thoughts that are involuntary and unwelcome in nature and cause distress. In this blog, we’ll discuss some subtypes, although this list is not exhaustive.

OCD Subtypes

False memory OCD

False memory OCD is a subtype which is characterized by doubting one’s memories, as well as compulsive behaviours which are performed in an attempt to neutralize the anxiety caused by this doubt. In this subtype, it’s common to experience frequent doubts about things that happened in the recent past or from long ago, particularly around doing something immoral or inappropriate, even if the individual recognizes there is no objective evidence suggesting that these memories are accurate. Negative emotions can come up when thinking about and complying with these doubts, such as anxiety, fear, guilt, and shame.

Contamination OCD

Contamination OCD is a subtype of OCD in which an individual has serious distress or anxiety from their obsession about contracting an illness, being contaminated by germs, but it doesn’t only apply to sickness. It can also be about being contaminated by various other substances, such as household chemicals, bodily fluids, broken glass, and soap - though this list is not exhaustive. Some compulsions used to alleviate the anxiety and distress caused by these contamination obsessions are excessive or ritualized hand washing, disinfecting things, or throwing things away, to name just a few.

Checking OCD

Checking OCD is a subtype in which an individual has compulsive behaviours around checking something excessively, in fear that they may be responsible for something bad happening. For example, checking whether or not the stove is turned off multiple times in fear of causing a fire

An individual with this subtype performs checking rituals in response to obsessions surrounding safety concerns, or even checking that they have not behaved inappropriately.

Relationship OCD

Relationship OCD is more than just the common doubts one might experience at times in their relationship. Relationship OCD is a constant uncertainty and questions one might have about their relationship, with this subtype, an individual’s obsessions are triggered at any sign of doubt thus triggering their obsessive-compulsive cycle.

Symmetry or “Just Right” OCD

Symmetry or “Just Right” OCD is a subtype that is not centred around a specific underlying fear, rather, the primary characterization of this type of obsessive-compulsive behaviour is a feeling that there is something that isn’t just right. Obsessions are centered around feeling like something isn’t symmetrical, just right, or is feeling off, and compulsions are centered around adjusting objects, redoing activities until things feel right, or revisiting a topic of discussion until the resolution feels just right.

Counting OCD

Counting OCD is a subtype which is heavily focused on the ritualistic behaviour of counting. In this subtype, the obsessions usually present as intrusive thoughts about something bad happening, and the compulsion is focused on engaging in a counting ritual, as a way to to feel safe. Counting rituals become automatic over time, and could be about doing an activity a specific number of times, for a specific duration each day, or doing a specific amount of an activity.

And others…

It’s also important to note that you don’t need to be formally diagnosed with OCD in order to experience obsessive-compulsive symptoms. Many of us can experience obsessions and compulsions, engage in ritual-like behaviours, and have intrusive thoughts that we can’t seem to shake.

OCD isn’t a one-size-fits-all definition, and obsessive-compulsive symptoms can look different depending on the subtype and can vary for each person, it can also be triggered for different reasons and even at various stages in life.

If you or someone you love is struggling with OCD or obsessive-compulsive symptoms, Shift Collab has some great therapists who specialize in OCD that would be able to support you in understanding the origin and impact of your obsessive-compulsive behaviours, how to manage symptoms, as well as teaching you practical coping strategies.