Are you finding yourself struggling with intrusive thoughts, images or impulses? Do these experiences cause you to obsess over their meaning or lead you into spirals of painful self-doubt? Do you cope with this suffering by getting stuck in rituals that might even seem illogical or unnecessary to you? Obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) is the diagnostic label clinicians use to describe when someone is getting stuck in a loop of trying to rid themselves of experiences that they find terrifying or disgusting. You can learn more about OCD here.

Obsessive Compulsive Disorder

Because obsessions revolve around uncertainty and control, OCD can focus on anything that we cannot know for sure or anything that makes us feel out of control. As humans, we cannot know precisely why the past happened as it did, what the future holds, what goes on inside other people, what we’re (not) capable of, and those big existential questions like the meaning of life, what makes a good person, and what happens when we die. So, OCD loves to zero in on these subjects. Below are some of the common themes that OCD latches on to. Specialized OCD treatment can help you if you are dealing with any of these themes or others.

Close-up of someone cleaning a surface with a yellow rubber glove and a blue cleaning cloth, with soapy water and bubbles visible.

Contamination

Open religious text resting on a mossy rock outdoors with a blurred background of trees and autumn leaves.

Morality / Scrupulosity

A peacock with its tail feathers fanned out, showcasing vibrant blue, green, and gold eye-patterns.

Just Right

A femme presenting person with a flower crown, white veil, and a pink dress holding a bouquet of flowers, smiling at a person with a beard seated to the right in a wheelchair who is wearing a floral jacket and gray pants

Relationship

A clear night sky filled with countless stars and the Milky Way galaxy.

Existential

A round red traffic sign with a white horizontal bar in the center, indicating no entry, standing outdoors against a sunset sky with soft pastel colors, overlooking the ocean or large body of water.

Taboo

Inside a car during sunset showing two people in the front seats, view through the windshield with a bright sunset in the background.

Harm

A wooden surface with three black and silver Sharpie markers and three stacks of "hello, my name is" stickers on white paper with blue headers.

Identity

Close-up of an open padlock latch on a wooden door.

Responsibility

A white analog alarm clock with black face and white numbers, a pink notebook, a checkered pen, a pink binder clip, and a March calendar on a pink background.

Real Events

A foggy landscape with a narrow stone path running through grassy terrain along a hillside.

… everything else

Obsessions can latch onto anything. If it’s possible to be uncertain or feel wrong about it, it’s possible to obsess about it.

Body Focused Repetitive Behaviors

Body focused repetitive behaviors (BFRBs) are sort of like OCD’s younger cousin. Skin-picking, hair-pulling, nail-biting, and nose-picking are all examples of BFRBs. You can kind of think of it like grooming gone overboard. It’s estimated that 1 in 20 people are struggling with a BFRB. Because it’s so rarely talked about, many people experience shame about it, so it’s likely it’s far more common than that. In fact, some research estimates that as much as 97.1% of people will engage in a BFRB at some point in their lives. However, for some people, it becomes a debilitating problem that well-intentioned encouragement to “just stop” really falls short in addressing. There are several evidence-based treatments for BFRBs, but all of them involve custom-fitting the treatment to your specific situation. Help is indeed available. You can learn more about BFRBs here.

Body Dysmorphic Disorder

Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD) is another cousin of OCD used to describe when someone is fixated on aspects of their appearance and get stuck in a loop of monitoring, critiquing or trying to change their perceived flaws. The treatment for BDD is very similar to the treatment for ERP. You can learn more here.

Hoarding Disorder

Hoarding disorder (HD), another family member of OCD, is when someone is struggling to let go of items that no longer serve them or when the amount of items they are holding onto are leading to significant challenges in their life. This can include both physical and digital possessions. To learn more, you can visit this site here.