Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD)

Obsessions

• Fear of contamination (i.e., shaking hands with a stranger)
• Doubting if you've locked the door or turned off the iron, even when you checked it previously
• Intense distress when objects aren't in a neat orderly fashion or facing a certain way
• Unwanted thoughts of driving your car into a crowd
• Avoiding situations that can trigger obsessions

Compulsions

• Handwashing until your skin becomes irritated
• Checking the stove repeatedly to make sure it's off
• Counting in certain patterns
• Silently repeating a prayer, word, or phrase
• Arranging items (i.e., canned goods, hangers) to face a certain way or by color, etc.