Symptoms of Obsessive-compulsive disorder

List of symptoms of Obsessive-compulsive disorder:

The list of signs and symptoms mentioned in various sources for Obsessive-compulsive disorder includes the 18 symptoms listed below:

• Compulsions - ritualized or repetitive behaviors
  • Rituals
  • Repeated hand washing
  • Repeated touching
  • Counting
  • Repeated checking
  • Rearranging things
  • Awareness that rituals are abnormal - patients are aware they have a compulsion but cannot control it
• Obsessions - disturbing thoughts or images
  • Anxious thoughts
  • Frequent thoughts of violence
  • Fear of causing harm
  • Unwelcome sexual thoughts
  • Fantasies
  • Inappropriate thoughts
  • Fear of becoming contaminated
  • Fear of being poisoned
  • Feelings of doubt

Note that Obsessive-compulsive disorder symptoms usually refers to various symptoms known to a patient, but the phrase Obsessive-compulsive disorder signs may refer to those signs only noticable by a doctor.

More ways to research these symptoms: To research other symptoms use the symptom center, or to research causes of more than one symptom in combination, try our multi-symptom search.

Research More About Obsessive-compulsive disorder

Do I have Obsessive-compulsive disorder?

• Obsessive-compulsive disorder: Introduction
• Obsessive-compulsive disorder: Diagnostic Testing to confirm diagnosis
• Home Diagnostic Testing
• Alternative diagnoses and misdiagnosis for Obsessive-compulsive disorder
• Failure to Diagnose Obsessive-compulsive disorder
• How serious is it?
• Treatments for Obsessive-compulsive disorder
• More about Obsessive-compulsive disorder

Home Diagnostic Testing

Home medical tests related to Obsessive-compulsive disorder:

• Mental Health: Home Testing:
• in
• Home Emotional Stress Tests
• out

Wrongly Diagnosed with Obsessive-compulsive disorder?

The list of other diseases or medical conditions that may be on the differential diagnosis list of alternative diagnoses for Obsessive-compulsive disorder includes:

• Normal behavior - everyone checks things like the stove sometimes, but OCD patients do so excessively.
• Normal anxiety
• Superstitious behavior
• Habits
• Substance-induced anxiety disorder (type of Anxiety Disorders)

See the full list of 53 alternative diagnoses for Obsessive-compulsive disorder

More about symptoms of Obsessive-compulsive disorder:

More information about symptoms of Obsessive-compulsive disorder and related conditions:

• Other diseases with similar symptoms and common misdiagnoses
• Tests to determine if these are the symptoms of Obsessive-compulsive disorder
• Underlying causes of Obsessive-compulsive disorder
• Associated conditions for Obsessive-compulsive disorder
• Risk factors for Obsessive-compulsive disorder

Other Possible Causes of these Symptoms

Click on any of the symptoms below to see a full list of other causes including diseases, medical conditions, toxins, drug interactions, or drug side effect causes of that symptom.

• Anxious thoughts - see all causes of Anxiety
• Awareness that rituals are abnormal - see all causes of Behavioral symptoms
• Compulsions - see all causes of Behavioral symptoms
• Fear of causing harm - see all causes of Fear
• Frequent thoughts of violence - see all causes of Aggression
• Inappropriate thoughts - see all causes of Mental problems
• Obsessions - see all causes of Obsessions
• Repeated hand washing - see all causes of Hand symptoms
• Rituals - see all causes of Behavioral symptoms
• Unwelcome sexual thoughts - see all causes of Sexual symptoms

Medical Books Online about Obsessive-compulsive disorder

16 MEDICAL BOOKS ONLINE! Full text. Free access without registration. The full text of published medical book chapters related to Obsessive-compulsive disorder is available from published medical books for more detailed information about Obsessive-compulsive disorder.

Copyright notice for book excerpts: Copyright © 2008 Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. All rights reserved.

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Symptoms of Obsessive-compulsive disorder: Online Medical Books

16 MEDICAL BOOKS ONLINE! Review the full text of medical books online, free, without registration, for more information about the symptoms of Obsessive-compulsive disorder.

Obsessive-compulsive disorder: Signs and symptoms
(Professional Guide to Diseases (Eighth Edition))

The psychiatric history of a patient with OCD may reveal the presence of obsessive thoughts, words, or mental images that persistently and involuntarily invade the consciousness. Some common obsessions include thoughts of violence (such as stabbing, shooting, maiming, or hitting), thoughts of contamination (images of dirt, germs, or feces), repetitive doubts and worries about a tragic event, and repeating or counting images, words, or objects in the environment. The patient recognizes that the obsessions are a product of his own mind and that they interfere with normal daily activities.

ELDER TIP In the older patient, any environmental change, such as transfer to a nursing home or a visit from a stranger in the patient’s home, may trigger a need for treatment. A distraction from the patient’s ritual activity may provoke anxiety or agitation.

The patient’s history may also reveal the presence of compulsions, irrational and recurring impulses to repeat a certain behavior. Common compulsions include repetitive touching, sometimes combined with counting; doing and undoing (for instance, opening and closing doors or rearranging things); washing (especially hands); and checking (to be sure no tragedy has occurred since the last time he checked). In many cases, the patient’s anxiety is so strong that he will avoid the situation or the object that evokes the impulse.

When the obsessive-compulsive phenomena are mental, observation may reveal no behavioral abnormalities. However, compulsive acts may be observed. Feelings of shame, nervousness, or embarrassment may prompt the patient to try limiting these acts to his own private time.

Also evaluate the impact of obsessive-compulsive phenomena on the patient’s normal routine. He’ll typically report moderate to severe impairment of social and occupational functioning.

READ FULL BOOK TEXT ONLINE »

Obsessive-compulsive disorder: Signs and symptoms
(Handbook of Diseases)

The psychiatric history of a patient with this disorder may reveal the presence of obsessive thoughts, words, or mental images that persistently and involuntarily invade the consciousness.

Some common obsessions include thoughts of violence (such as stabbing, shooting, maiming, or hitting), thoughts of contamination (images of dirt, germs, or feces), repetitive doubts and worries about a tragic event, and repeating or counting images, words, or objects in the environment. The patient recognizes that the obsessions are a product of his own mind and that they interfere with normal daily activities.

The patient’s history also may reveal the presence of compulsions, irrational and recurring impulses to repeat a certain behavior. Common compulsions include repetitive touching, sometimes combined with counting; doing and undoing (for instance, opening and closing doors or rearranging things); washing (especially hands); and checking (to be sure no tragedy has occurred since the last time he checked). The patient’s anxiety is often so strong that he’ll avoid the situation or the object that evokes the impulse.

When the obsessive-compulsive phenomena are mental, observation may reveal no behavioral abnormalities. However, compulsive acts may be observed, although feelings of shame, nervousness, or embarrassment may prompt the patient to try limiting these acts to his own private time.

You’ll need to evaluate the impact of obsessive-compulsive phenomena on the patient’s normal routine. He’ll typically report moderate to severe impairment of social and occupational functioning.

READ FULL BOOK TEXT ONLINE »

Article Excerpts About Symptoms of Obsessive-compulsive disorder:

Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder: NWHIC (Excerpt)

Obsessive-compulsive disorder is characterized by anxious thoughts or rituals you feel you can’t control. If you have OCD, as it’s called, you may be plagued by persistent, unwelcome thoughts or images, or by the urgent need to engage in certain rituals.

You may feel obsessed with germs or dirt, so you wash your hands over and over. You may be filled with doubt and feel the need to check things repeatedly. You might be preoccupied by thoughts of violence and fear that you will harm people close to you. You may spend long periods of time touching things or counting; you may be preoccupied by order or symmetry; you may have persistent thoughts of performing sexual acts that are repugnant to you; or you may be troubled by thoughts that are against your religious beliefs.

The disturbing thoughts or images are called obsessions, and the rituals that are performed to try to prevent or dispel them are called compulsions. There is no pleasure in carrying out the rituals you are drawn to, only temporary relief from the discomfort caused by the obsession. (Source: excerpt from Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder: NWHIC)

Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder: NWHIC (Excerpt)

Most adults with this condition recognize that what they’re doing is senseless, but they can’t stop it. Some people, though, particularly children with OCD, may not realize that their behavior is out of the ordinary. (Source: excerpt from Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder: NWHIC)

Anxiety Disorders: NIMH (Excerpt)

"I couldn't do anything without rituals. They invaded every aspect of my life. Counting really bogged me down. I would wash my hair three times as opposed to once because three was a good luck number and one wasn't. It took me longer to read because I'd count the lines in a paragraph. When I set my alarm at night, I had to set it to a number that wouldn't add up to a "bad" number.

"Getting dressed in the morning was tough because I had a routine, and if I didn't follow the routine, I'd get anxious and would have to get dressed again. I always worried that if I didn't do something, my parents were going to die. I'd have these terrible thoughts of harming my parents. That was completely irrational, but the thoughts triggered more anxiety and more senseless behavior. Because of the time I spent on rituals, I was unable to do a lot of things that were important to me.

"I knew the rituals didn't make sense, and I was deeply ashamed of them, but I couldn't seem to overcome them until I had therapy." (Source: excerpt from Anxiety Disorders: NIMH)

Anxiety Disorders: NIMH (Excerpt)

You may be obsessed with germs or dirt, so you wash your hands over and over. You may be filled with doubt and feel the need to check things repeatedly. You may have frequent thoughts of violence, and fear that you will harm people close to you. You may spend long periods touching things or counting; you may be pre-occupied by order or symmetry; you may have persistent thoughts of performing sexual acts that are repugnant to you; or you may be troubled by thoughts that are against your religious beliefs.

The disturbing thoughts or images are called obsessions, and the rituals that are performed to try to prevent or get rid of them are called compulsions. There is no pleasure in carrying out the rituals you are drawn to, only temporary relief from the anxiety that grows when you don't perform them.

A lot of healthy people can identify with some of the symptoms of OCD, such as checking the stove several times before leaving the house. But for people with OCD, such activities consume at least an hour a day, are very distressing, and interfere with daily life.

Most adults with this condition recognize that what they're doing is senseless, but they can't stop it. Some people, though, particularly children with OCD, may not realize that their behavior is out of the ordinary. (Source: excerpt from Anxiety Disorders: NIMH)

Facts about Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder: NIMH (Excerpt)

People with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) suffer intensely from recurrent, unwanted thoughts (obsessions) or rituals (compulsions), which they feel they cannot control. Rituals such as handwashing, counting, checking, or cleaning are often performed with the hope of preventing obsessive thoughts or making them go away. Performing these rituals, however, provides only temporary relief, and not performing them markedly increases anxiety. Left untreated, obsessions and the need to perform rituals can take over a person's life. OCD is often a chronic, relapsing illness (Source: excerpt from Facts about Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder: NIMH)

Medical articles and books on symptoms:

These general reference articles may be of interest in relation to medical signs and symptoms of disease in general:

• Diagnostic Testing for a Diagnosis of Obsessive-compulsive disorder
• Research Alternative Diagnoses for Obsessive-compulsive disorder
• How serious is Obsessive-compulsive disorder?
• More about Obsessive-compulsive disorder
• Online Diagnosis
• Self Diagnosis Pitfalls
• Pitfalls of Online Diagnosis
• Symptoms of the Silent Killer Diseases
• Lesser known silent killer diseases
• Books on signs and symptoms

Full list of premium articles on symptoms and diagnosis

About signs and symptoms of Obsessive-compulsive disorder:

The symptom information on this page attempts to provide a list of some possible signs and symptoms of Obsessive-compulsive disorder. This signs and symptoms information for Obsessive-compulsive disorder has been gathered from various sources, may not be fully accurate, and may not be the full list of Obsessive-compulsive disorder signs or Obsessive-compulsive disorder symptoms. Furthermore, signs and symptoms of Obsessive-compulsive disorder may vary on an individual basis for each patient. Only your doctor can provide adequate diagnosis of any signs or symptoms and whether they are indeed Obsessive-compulsive disorder symptoms.