OCD Symptoms: When the Brain Just Can’t Let Go

Have you ever felt like your brain has the hiccups? For instance, maybe you keep checking your front door to see if it’s locked. Or perhaps you wash your hands all the time because you’re afraid of germs. This type of ritualistic, repetitive behavior may be a symptom of obsessive compulsive disorder, or OCD. OCD is a type of anxiety disorder. Almost all of us have worries which lead us to do things over and over again, but if this behavior becomes time-consuming and disabling, then it becomes a disorder. If you recognize OCD symptoms in your own life, then you know that OCD seems like it could be capable of taking over your entire existence with meaningless actions you wish you could stop.

It is estimated that OCD symptoms affect 2 percent of the U.S. population at any given time, while up to 4 percent of Americans have experienced OCD symptoms at some time during their lives. As the name “obsessive compulsive” suggests, OCD symptoms are two-fold. Having OCD means you likely have both obsessions and compulsions. In other words, your obsessive thoughts are briefly relieved by compulsive behavior (for example, an obsessive fear of stepping on sidewalk cracks is relieved by the compulsion of jumping over them). However, some patients may have just obsessions or just compulsions. Since OCD can be manifested in many different obsessions and compulsions, OCD symptoms are many, but here is a partial symptom list:

• Fear of contamination, germs, and dirt
• Imagining that you’ve lost control of your aggressive impulses
• Intrusive thoughts or urges, particularly “forbidden” ones
• Obsession with having things orderly, lined up, facing the same way, and “just so”
• Repetitive washing, checking, or touching
• Excessive counting, sometimes in certain patterns
• Raw, inflamed hands from excessive washing
• Demands of reassurance from others

OCD symptoms are different from being labeled a “perfectionist.” Lots of people are very hygienic, neat, and clean but they do not have OCD. Likewise, you can have excessive worries about real-life situations, but this does not signify OCD. OCD symptoms are also slightly different than the symptoms of obsessive compulsive personality disorder. In any case, with OCD, symptoms are so intrusive and time consuming that a person cannot accomplish anything else, and the worries are based in one’s imagination.

The result of OCD symptoms is that the person often is unable to enjoy life, relationships, and accomplishments because all time is devoted to obsessions and compulsions. Through years of research, it has been discovered that many people can find relief from their OCD symptoms with therapy. Most therapy is focused on bringing OCD symptoms under control so that they can live a more meaningful, pleasurable life.