There are four types of OCD. They are as followed.

According to the OCD Institute, obsessions are "ideas, thoughts, impulses, or images that keep coming back."

They are unwanted and very disstressing for those who experience them, and they can often cause anxiety as well.

"The content of these obsessions is sometimes grouped into different areas, including: aggression (fears of harming others), contamination (fears of being dirty), sex, religion, and exactness."

"What separates OCD obsessions from normal obsessions experienced by everyone are the frequency, intensity, and discomfort."

As previously stated, there are four types of OCD. They're known as "symptom dimensions" and each dimension includes different types of obsessions and compulsions. OCD Institute has a little map of these dimensions, which I will show you, but I will also break them down in text as well.

Contamination and Washing

Okay, so. Sort of seems obvious doesn't it? Probably, the most common form of OCD that everyone knows. When you think of OCD, this is probably what you think of... But let's break it down anyway.

This form of OCD is the fear or excessive concern relating to illness, diseases, the feeling as though one is physically unclean, or even feeling mentally polluted.

However, this is not limited to things like dirt and germs. It can also relate to blood, house hold chemicals, sticky substances, or residues, people who appear unclean or unkempt, and various types of animals and insects.

People with this form of OCD tend to go to great lengths to avoid areas, such as public restrooms, associated with the feared contaminats. 

They may find themselves engaging in protective "rituals" such as disinfecting and sterilizing, throwing "contaminated" objects away, changing clothes frequently, and designating "clean" areas within their homes that are off limits to others.

If contaminats cannot be avoided, they will often resort to excessive washing or housecleaning for decontamination.

Contact with feared contaminats will result in fear, disgust, and general discomfort. In some cases, this may result in feeling responsible for spreading contamination to others.

Fear of Harm and Excessive Checking

People who fall under this form of OCD often suffer from intrusive thoughts, impulses, and fears related to the possibility of unintentionally harming themselves or one of their loved ones or someone else "by means of carelessness or negligence."

Two common examples given by OCD Initiative are as followed:

"Hitting a pedestrian while driving"

"Forgetting to turn off the stove before bed, there by leading to death of a loved one in a house fire."

Alongside this fear, people with this form of OCD can also experience excessive doubt, dread, or uncertainty. They may also feel a heightened sense of responsibility.

Obsessive checking may ensue in order to make an attempt at keeping these fears at bay. For example, if they fear leaving the front door unlocked and someone breaking in and harming them or their loved ones, they may excessively check the locks.

Symmetry, Arranging, and Counting

Individuals whom fall under this category tend to "engage in compulsive behaviors that include repetitive arranging, organizing, or lining up objects until certain conditions are met."

"For example, patients may experience intense discomfort if the objects on their desk are not symmetrically aligned or a certain distance apart from one another."

It's proposed that a recurring theme in the organizing and arranging category is a feeling of "incompleness" which is also associated with compulsive slowness.

"Individuals with this type of OCD may engage in rituals, such as mental arranging and counting, as well as tapping and touching behaviors. These behaviors are sometimes accompanied by magical thinking &mdasp; i.e., the belief that a thought can cause an event to happen or not (e.g., "If I don't align the dinner plates, my husband will have a car accident and die on his way home from work"), although studies have shown that there is also a large group of individuals who do not report beliefs of this sort."

Unacceptable Taboo Thoughts & Mental Rituals

"The "taboo," or "unacceptable thoughts," symptom dimension characterizes individuals with unwanted obsessions that are often of a religious, violent, or sexual nature.

"This group has often been referred to as "pure obsessional" due to their lack of overt rituals.

"However, it is now apparent that these individuals tend to engage in covert rituals, such as mental compulsions an reassurance-seeking.

"This symptom dimension captures individuals who experience intrusive thoughts that severely violate their morals or values.

"Examples include thoughts of sexually molesting children, blasphemous thoughts about religious figures, and impulses to do violent things, such as to push pedestrians into oncoming traffic.

"Individuals who have these thoughts typically have no history of violence, nor do they act on their urges or impulses; however, because OCD patients often believe their thoughts are dangerous and overly important, they devote a large amount of their mental effort in attempts to suppress them.

"Other attempts to control intrusive thoughts include mental ritualization (e.g., arguing with oneself over the morality of one's character), neutralizing (e.g., mentally "cancelling out" bad thoughts by replacing them with good thoughts, engaging in excessive prayer or confession), and performing some form of checking (e.g., reviewing one's behaviors, seeking reassurance from others, etc.)

"Behavioral avoidance of known triggers is also especially common in this group.

"For example, sufferers may make excuses to avoid childcare responsibilities or religious ceremonies that might trigger unwanted thoughts. Individuals with unacceptable thoughts may suffer with more severe obsessions than those with other forms of OCD."

Link to OCD Institute:

✑

~ Elsie