Signs of OCD: How Can I Tell if I Have It?

OCD (obsessive-compulsive disorder) is a chronic mental health condition characterized by a cycle of recurring uncontrollable unwanted thoughts (obsessions) that invade your mind and drive you to repeatedly perform certain ritualistic behaviors (compulsions) to make them go away.

This cycle is a distressing, time-consuming process that tends to hurt your ability to carry out your normal day-to-day functions, and significantly interferes with your performance at work and your social interactions.

Most people who suffer from signs of OCD experience both obsessions and compulsions. However, it is possible to experience just one of the two.

Many times, the term OCD is misused to describe a person who is a perfectionist, is particularly clean or organized, and/or likes to have their things arranged neatly and in an orderly fashion. However, not all such behaviors are compulsions. It depends on their context, function, and the feelings associated with them.

If you engage in any of these behaviors as a matter of preference, and you do so because it gives you a sense of pleasure or satisfaction, you most likely do not have OCD.

People suffering from signs of OCD do not enjoy what they are doing. They feel compelled to do it to prevent anything bad from happening or to get rid of the anxiety created by their obsessive thoughts, which they are unable to escape, no matter how hard they try.

According to the National Institute of Mental Health, to be diagnosed with OCD, you need to be unable to control your thoughts or behaviors even when you realize they are irrational or excessive; spend an hour or more struggling with them each day; and experience a significant impairment in your ability to function in your day-to-day life because of it.

Common Signs of OCD

Obsessive thoughts. 

You are consumed by obsessive thoughts and fears about things such as germs, misplacing important items, harming yourself or someone else, being negligent, and causing a catastrophic event through your carelessness, or health issues.

Excessive hand washing and/or cleaning. 

Your obsession with germs and your overwhelming fear of being contaminated lead you to do things such as wash your hands over and over, take repeated showers, avoid touching shared objects, and/or constantly scrub and clean things around the house.

Constantly checking things. 

You need to repeatedly confirm things such as whether the stove is turned off, water isn’t running in the sink, the windows are closed, or the door is locked. You also frequently contact loved ones to make sure that they are safe and well.

Compulsive counting. 

You constantly count things such as the clothes in your closet, the squares in the pavement, or the steps you are climbing as you go up the stairs, and/or keep repeating numbers to yourself in a certain pattern.

Ritualistic behavior. 

You believe you must perform certain rituals to prevent something bad from happening to yourself or a loved one. You are also superstitious about things such as unlucky numbers or colors.

Ordering and arranging. 

You need items to be displayed a certain way, such as in a symmetrical pattern, or having the cans on your pantry shelf all face the same way and feel extremely distressed if something is out of place or not arranged just so.

Repetitive routines. 

You need to follow certain routines before being able to leave your house, for example, such as saying or doing something a set number of times and in a certain way. If you make a mistake while doing it, you feel you must start over from the beginning and get it right or it won’t work and something terrible will happen.

Hoarding. 

You are afraid to get rid of things, even when they are no longer useful or you are running out of space, for fear you may need them down the road, or that something bad will happen if you do so.

Seeking reassurance. 

You may frequently ask reassurance-seeking questions such as whether something is safe or clean, whether what you are doing is okay or right, or whether there is something wrong with your health.

If you see yourself in this article on signs of OCD and would like to set up an appointment to meet with a faith-based counselor experienced in treating obsessive-compulsive disorder, please don’t hesitate to give us a call.