As a specialist in treating OCD, I always tell folks that OCD is infinitely creative, and a person may really obsess about anything! However, there are some common themes OCD symptoms may fall into:
Common Obsessions
Common Obsessions
- Excessive fears of dirt, germs, or contamination
- Excessive preoccupation with order, arranging things, or needing things to be symmetrical
- Upsetting thoughts of a religious, sexual, or violent nature. These thoughts can be extremely upsetting for the person with OCD, and very embarrassing to discuss, but they are actually quite common in OCD.
- Excessive doubting, which can include excessive doubting about one's sexual orientation
- Cleaning, washing, or bathing
- Evening out or ordering things
- Checking and re-checking
- Repeating things
- Counting
- Mental rituals