According to statistics, one in 100 children and one in 40 adults struggle with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) in the US alone. Common symptoms for OCD include and are not limited to arranging objects in a particular pattern or excessive cleaning. The condition impairs a person’s social life and the ability to undertake daily responsibilities. Therefore, one needs to seek professional assistance to ease the disorder’s effects and regain personal confidence. Luckily, you can book an appointment at Thriving Center of Psychology for OCD in New York. To help you get started, here are the common signs or types of OCD.
Intrusive thoughts
Although every person alive experiences intrusive thoughts, those suffering from OCD have an obsessive thought. This is often misleading, disturbing, repetitive, horrific, and repugnant. The thought often revolves around the same topics, and it mostly focuses on the negative side. For instance, if a person struggling with OCD gets into a relationship, their intrusive thought will tend to show them that they might harm the other person in the relationship. Therefore, he/she will constantly have an obsession in thought trying to evaluate the relationship. However, no matter what they do, the thought will remain the same, making the relationship insecure.
Checking
There is nothing wrong with checking on something once or twice in confirmation. However, when you find yourself checking for a little too long, then you could be struggling with OCD. Compulsion is the need to check as a way of reassurance, while obsession is a thought to prevent something from happening. Everyday struggles with checking include house alarm, gas or electric stove knobs, water taps, house lights, cars, emails, or letters. The obsession with checking often causes the person to be late in attending other activities in their day-to-day life. Additionally, the obsession of checking results in damaging objects while trying to tighten.
Hoarding
Hoarding is a form of disorder in itself, but it is also considered part of OCD. It is the inability to discard worn-out or useless possessions. The worst part of hoarding is that one tends to hold on to fear and worries about something that happened long ago, but the thought remains fresh. Therefore, this affects the way a person relates to others and decision-making in matters regarding others.
Contamination
The fear of being contaminated or dirty is an obsessional worry. The greatest fear of contamination is the worry of causing harm to self or loved ones. Therefore, the sufferer will often feel the need to avoid, wash, or clean something in order to keep contamination away. The common contamination obsession includes shaking hands, chemicals, doorknobs, public toilets, etc. Therefore, one will tend to engage in multiple cleaning or washing to avoid contamination or until the person feels something is clean. However, this might result in one hurting themselves or even missing on other opportunities while preventing contamination.
OCD is a severe condition, and it strikes when you least expect. Therefore, it is essential to keep a close observation of the things you repeatedly do and see whether it is an obsessive compulsive disorder. However, OCD happens in several other forms, and it might not be easy to tell when a person is affected.
Contact Thriving Center of Psychology today to visit with a specialist.
