Signs Of OCD
OCD, short for Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, is an anxiety disorder defined by obsessive thoughts that drive a person to perform certain actions repeatedly.
These repetitive worry thoughts are known as obsessions and they drive people experiencing them to act out time-consuming rituals known as compulsions. We all have little worries and doubts, but when you can’t stop thinking about them and it starts to affect your daily functioning it becomes a problem.
Signs of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) are habitual obsessions or compulsions that interfere with daily life. People with OCD have repeated thoughts or images about many different things, such as fear of germs, dirt, or intruders; violence; hurting loved ones; sexual acts; conflicts with religious beliefs; or being overly neat. They do the same rituals over and over such as washing hands, locking and unlocking doors, counting, keeping unneeded items, or repeating the same steps again and again. They have unwanted thoughts and behaviors they can’t control. Other signs of OCD sufferers don’t get pleasure from the behaviors or rituals, but get brief relief from the anxiety the thoughts cause. A sure sign of OCD is that people spend at least an hour a day on the thoughts and performing the rituals.
Signs that you may have OCD are cleaning and washing compulsions, excessive and ritualized hand washing, showering, bathing or teeth brushing. The unshakable thoughts that household items such as dishes, are contaminated or cannot be washed clean enough. . Do you have an obsessive need for order? People with OCD will spend hours upon hours aligning objects. People with OCD find the need to keep doing things until things are just right. Another sign of OCD is hoarding. Hoarding is characterized by keeping trash, such as old newspapers or items rescued from trash cans. The inability to discard anything because it may be needed sometime is a hallmark sign of OCD. People who hoard have a gnawing fear of losing something or discarding something by mistake.
There are many signs associated with OCD. For example, one will engage in repetitive rituals, often repeating routine activities for no logical reason. Repeating questions over and over, rereading or rewriting words or phrases. Other signs of OCD to watch for are compulsions for checking things. Is the oven off? Is the door locked? You turn them off but your brain isn’t convinced. Repeatedly checking and rechecking that the oven is off and the door is locked. Signs of OCD also include the need to touch, tap or rub certain objects repeatedly and counting compulsions, such as counting panes in windows or signs along the road, mental rituals, such as reciting silent prayers in an effort to make a bad thought go away.
Everyone has some level of compulsive behavior. For example, everyone has a certain way that they like things done, such as how a sandwich has to be cut or how we like our CD collection arranged. For people with OCD, this behavior becomes too obsessive so that it becomes debilitating and hinders the person from being able to fully function. OCD is like having your worst fears in life, the things that you hate the most and that make you feel absolutely terrified, constantly put in front of you and placed at the front of your mind; this means that there seems to be no escape from them and whether you like it or not you are continually made aware of and feel threatened and in danger from them.