Obsessive-compulsive disorder or OCD, is characterized by unreasonable thoughts and fears called obsessions, that lead you to do repetitive behaviors called compulsions. It's also possible to have only obsessions or only compulsions and still have OCD. OCD obsessions are repeated, persistent and unwanted urges or images that cause distress or anxiety. You might try to get rid of them by performing a compulsion or ritual. These obsessions typically intrude when you're trying to think of or do other things.
Obsessions examples:
- Fear of contamination or dirt
- Having things orderly and symmetrical
- Aggressive or horrific thoughts about harming yourself or others
- Unwanted thoughts, including aggression, or sexual or religious subjects
Examples of obsessions:
- Fear of being contaminated by shaking hands or by touching objects others have touched
- Doubts that you've locked the door or turned off the stove
- Intense stress when objects aren't orderly or facing a certain way
- Images of hurting yourself or someone else
- Thoughts about shouting obscenities or acting inappropriately
- Avoidance of situations that can trigger obsessions, such as shaking hands
This was a very interesting post. Some of the examples of OCD I had never heard of before. I never knew someone could have OCD for shaking hands.
ReplyDeleteIt is interesting that you highlighted the difference of obsessions and compulsions, similar to the text's approach. I have a friend with OCD, needs to clean everything for it to be safe, and it is interesting to see from your list that this is most likely a compulsion (similar to "fear of contamination or dirt"
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