10 Signs and Symptoms of People with OCD

Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder affects almost 1% of the population. Do you know someone with OCD?

If you are one of those people who washes their hands every ten minutes, or you have an obsession for your closet to be tidy following a perfect chromatic scale, you have probably been told that you suffer from OCD. Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD)..

Recommended reading: "Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder: what is it and how does it manifest itself?"

Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder: how do you know if you suffer from it?

In many cases, small "manias" for cleaning or other rituals may not constitute any kind of psychological problem. In fact, there are people who may prefer to wash their hands very often, but who do not have an obsessive need to perform this act of cleaning. We would be talking about a case of preference.

However, other people cannot avoid performing this type of compulsions in their day-to-day life. These people suffer from a disorder called Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD), a condition that, in addition to the aforementioned compulsive rituals, also refers to the obsessive thoughts they must deal with on a daily basis. OCD affects 1% of adults in the United States..

Signs, symptoms and signs of OCD sufferers

How can we tell if someone is showing signs and symptoms of needing professional help? OCD is a complex disorder and there are multiple diagnostic tests that help mental health professionals know if a person has this disorder.

In addition, OCD can manifest itself sub-clinically, that is, there are individuals who are affected by some of its characteristic signs, but not others. These are cases of OCD that do not meet the minimum diagnostic criteria, but which undoubtedly pose a relative problem for the person's well-being.

10 signs and symptoms of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder

There are certain behavioral patterns and symptoms that can warn us that we are dealing with a person suffering from some degree of OCD. These are the ten most common.

1. Compulsive hand washing

Compulsive hand washing or use of hand sanitizers is often a sign of OCD.. This category of people who wash very often are considered a "subtype" of OCD sufferers.

This act of constant cleaning is motivated by their fear of germs. But it can also be due to a phobia of contracting infectious diseases or infecting someone.

How to seek help if you suffer (or know someone who suffers) from this symptom? If you often think about the danger of germs and wash your hands, are afraid that you haven't washed them properly, or have a permanent and irrational phobia of getting a disease (such as AIDS or an infection), you may have one of the main signs of compulsive hand washing. It is also a negative sign if you feel the need to have hand-washing routines, such as having to go every two hours to wash your hands.

2. Thorough and excessive cleaning

Another category of OCD sufferers is that of "cleaners". As can be easily deduced cleaners are those individuals who clean compulsively.. They may go so far as to sweep, scrub and disinfect their homes to avoid germs or the feeling of uncleanliness. Although the act of cleaning temporarily calms your obsessive thoughts, they soon return to the urge to clean even more thoroughly than the last time.

You should consider seeking professional help if you spend several hours a day cleaning. However, although obsessive cleaning is a sign that we may be suffering from a psychological disorder, it is not necessarily a sign linked to OCD. Obsessive cleaning may be related to anxiety disorders.

Related post: "Obsession with cleaning: causes, characteristics and tips".

3. Revision behavior

The behaviors of revision consist in that the person has the need to return 3,4 or 20 times to check if the oven is on or not, if the door has been left open or closed. It is one of the compulsions most frequently linked to OCD, and affects almost 35% of people who suffer from it..

As with other compulsive behaviors, checking can lead to a number of obsessions, such as irrational fear of harm or feelings of irresponsibility.

Should help be sought if someone exhibits this sign? Well, it depends. It is normal that sometimes we check some things, such as whether we have left the gas on or whether we have locked the car properly. But if checking interferes negatively with daily life, for example by making us late to places, it can be a clear sign of OCD.

4. Counting

Some people who have Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder perform tasks according to certain numerical patterns, or mentally count while doing their daily chores, for example, when doing dishes or dishes with a computer.for example when washing dishes or climbing stairs. These behaviors may be manifestations of superstitions or irrational beliefs such as, for example, believing that the number 7 is the lucky number, and this may lead them to take seven steps when crossing a pedestrian crossing. This can be dangerous.

Is this sign worrying? It depends on the context. Does it make sense? Probably, in some situations it does make sense to count. But people with OCD count obsessively and in contexts where it does not bring them anything positive, but rather the opposite: they can put themselves in danger or see how their thoughts are hijacked by this pathological habit: they cannot get numbers and the habit of counting out of their head.

5. Organization

People suffering from OCD can be extremely organizedand tend toward perfectionism. Everything must be arranged in a symmetrical way, or following a perfect chromatic order, etc. It is a sign that alludes to your need to order everything in an unhealthy way.

We should seek help if we see that our need to tidy things up goes beyond the rational. It is natural and perfectly logical that we want to have our desk well ordered and with the tools at hand, but if we feel the need that all the pens and pencils are ordered according to some perfectionist criteria (for example, the year in which we acquired each one of them) and we feel anxiety if they are not as we believe they should be ordered, we may need to talk to a psychologist.

6. Aversion to violence

We all take care not to expose ourselves to dangers that could cause our physical integrity to be undermined. We all flee (to a greater or lesser extent) from violent situations and dangers. We also, from time to time, think about the possibility of an accident. The more we try to get rid of these kinds of negative thoughts, the more they come back to us, as several scientific researches show. But this is especially true for people with OCD, who may try to eliminate such thoughts, without success, or may be may try to eliminate these thoughts, without success, or they may be very upset by the recurrence of these fatalistic thoughts..

When to seek help? Negative thoughts are not unique to people with OCD. We all have them quite frequently. But the sign that we have OCD is when we perform behaviors (or stop performing them) to avoid potential dangers, such as not getting into a car or constantly warning someone about the danger of using the gas stove.

7. Disturbing sexual thoughts

As with violent thoughts, people with OCD may experience disturbing sexual thoughts, people with OCD may experience recurrent thoughts about sexual issues.. These thoughts cause them discomfort, because they are often disturbing and completely unwanted. For example, they may imagine themselves having homosexual relationships while being heterosexual (or vice versa).

These obsessive thoughts can be very upsetting and can lead someone with OCD to withdraw from certain people with whom they feel they are "putting their sexuality at risk." This may be a sign that we should seek professional support.

8. Obsession with romantic partners

People with OCD are also characterized by are characterized by obsessive thoughts about their romantic partners.. And, sometimes, they can also manifest this symptom towards their friends, co-workers and other acquaintances. For example, they are obsessed to the point of breaking off a romantic relationship when they cannot overcome a false rumor about their partner's fidelity.

This psychological problem can be reflected in the discomfort to cope with uncertainty, and can dynamite many of your personal relationships.

Sentimental breakups generate a situation of stress and sadness, and it is normal that we even feel a little obsessed with him or her. But the sign of OCD occurs when these thoughts become entrenched in our mind and generate an excessive feeling of guilt, failure or fear.

9. Search for security

The way in which some people with OCD try to mitigate their anxiety is based on to ask the opinion to their relatives if their behavior is visible or annoying for the others.. They may feel very worried and uncomfortable during a party, and resort to certain compulsions or rituals to feel secure with themselves.

What are the behaviors that are cause for alert? People who use a friend to calm their anxiety with constant questioning may have OCD.

10. Hating their physical appearance

Body Dysmorphic Disorder is often a condition related to OCD. People with BDD obsessively fixate on some feature of their body that they consider asymmetrical, disproportionate, or simply unsightly (this may be the nose, the skin, or the body). (it can be the nose, the skin, the eyes, the ears... or any other part of the body). These obsessive thoughts are quite similar to those suffered by people with Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder. In fact, they are disorders that are often interconnected and suffered simultaneously.

This does not mean that any person who dislikes any part of his or her physique suffers from BDD, of course. But individuals with BDD may develop traits of OCD. If the influence that this supposed physical defect has on your daily routine and psychological balance is noticeable, it will be necessary to seek psychological help.