What kind of people have ocd

Current estimates are that approximately 1 in 40 adults in the U. Obsessions are persistent and uncontrollable thoughts, impulses, or images that are intrusive, unwanted and disturbing. In response to the distress created by these obsessions, people with OCD perform certain mental or physical compulsions or rituals.

Even though they usually realize that their obsessions are irrational, they feel compelled to carry out these rituals. Unfortunately, relief is only temporary, and the obsessive-compulsive cycle continues. And frustration, anger, and hopelessness often result. Current research reveals that the brains of individuals who have OCD function differently than the brains of those who do not. No laboratory test exists that can identify OCD. Mental health professionals frequently use diagnostic interviews to determine the presence of OCD as well as other tools that measure the severity of obsessions and compulsions, the most common of which is the Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale Y-BOCS.

Although not a substitute for a formal evaluation and diagnosis provided by a qualified mental health professional, there is a self-screening test you can take to determine if you have symptoms similar to those associated with OCD and could benefit from professional help. A number of other mental health disorders frequently occur with OCD.

In fact, people with OCD much more often than not have at least one other co-existing disorder. A trained mental health professional can diagnose and provide appropriate treatment for these conditions as well as OCD. They falsely believe that having the thoughts means they are capable of acting upon them.

The constant analysing and questioning of these disturbing aspects of OCD becomes incredibly upsetting and because of the nature of the thoughts many sufferers are reluctant to open up to health professionals to seek help, fearing they may be labelled. A person with these types of intrusive thoughts will avoid public places like shopping centres and other places, where social interaction may be required, to avoid coming into close contact with people that may trigger the obsessive thoughts.

An hyperawareness of particular bodily sensations, also sometimes called sensorimotor obsessions. Symptoms might include:. The intrusive thoughts are repetitive and not voluntarily produced, they cause the sufferer extreme distress - the very idea that they are capable of having such thoughts in the first place can be horrifying.

However, what we do know is that people with Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder are the least likely people to actually act on the thoughts, partly because they find them so repugnant and go to great lengths to avoid them and prevent them happening. To sufferers and non-sufferers alike, the thoughts and fears related to OCD can often seem profoundly shocking.

It must be stressed, however, that they are just thoughts, and they are not voluntarily produced. Neither are they fantasies or impulses which will be acted upon. We have chosen not to list anything about Pure O on this page because it's an unhelpful and not an officially recognised medical term. But more information about 'Pure O' can be found here. But all of the above will include both mental and physical compulsions, which is why the term 'Pure O' remains unhelpful.

Examples include:. They may also become mentally and physically drained if the compulsions take a considerable amount of time. The sufferer may also avoid social contact at home to prevent the symmetry and order being disrupted which can have a negative impact on social interaction and relationships.

The above list categorises the more common forms of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder and some of the fears associated with them. But this is by no means an exhaustive list and there will always be other OCD types not listed here.

Regardless of the type of OCD a person may be suffering with, the following three components are generally present, triggers, avoidance and reassurance, but what do they all mean? This will be their way of preventing the distress and anguish, and the hours of rituals they will be compelled to perform. There are several terms and acronyms used within the OCD community and amongst health professionals which often lead to confusion. Some people use acronyms to refer to different types of OCD.

It is worth noting that these acronyms have no official medical meaning and are used mainly by the OCD community on OCD message boards on the internet. One of the problems with these acronyms is they have often been confused to mean different things to different people. For informational purposes the three main commonly used acronyms are:.

Because these terms have no medical meaning and to avoid any confusion, we generally try and avoid using the acronyms in our writings where possible to ensure there is no loss of meaning or context. In fact, we actively discourage their use because we have seen on multiple occasions the use of the acronyms leading to some users experiencing a delay in accessing treatment. Disclaimer: This article is for information only and should not be used for the diagnosis or treatment of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder or any other medical condition.

OCD-UK have taken all reasonable care in compiling this information, but always recommend consulting a doctor or other suitably qualified health professional for diagnosis and treatment of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder or any other medical condition.

Having OCD is difficult to live with whilst working at recovery. This section has lots of information, advice and features to help during this time. Due to the ongoing pandemic our parent workshops are currently hosted online, and free of charge. This section will be updated with information, advice and features for children and young people up to age OCD impacts on the lives of the whole family, especially those that love and care for people with OCD.

Due to the ongoing pandemic our parents workshops are currently hosted online, and completely free of charge. Common checking obsessive worries and compulsions include: Reassurance. The sufferer will often seek reassurance about their OCD fears, usually from a loved one or via sources such as Google or local news outlets.

Frequently the obsessional worry is that something bad may have happened to a loved one, so they will repeatedly check they're OK.

Another obsessional fear leading to reassurance seeking compulsions is worries that their partner may no longer have feelings for them or love them or they may have upset their loved one. Past memories. The person with OCD will often check their own memory to try and recall past events for reassurance they they did not cause harm to a loved one or child or even a stranger.

The more they try and recall the more OCD doubts set in, further worsening the need to be certain and therefore to check more. The obsessions go far beyond that someone might break in and steal treasured possessions and spill over into feeling responsible for preventing the consequences of not checking and the guilt that would follow if there was a theft.

Gas or electric stove knobs. The primary obsession is that the property may catch fire and burn down killing loved ones or neighbours or that treasured possessions will be destroyed. The primary obsessive fear will spill over into feeling responsible for the consequences of not checking and the guilt that would follow for allowing the loss of life and property destruction.

Water taps. The primary obsessive fear will spill over into feeling responsible for preventing the consequences of not checking and the guilt that would follow for allowing the loss of life and expensive property destruction. The primary obsessive worry is that the car may be stolen, or the handbrake is left off and it will roll back causing a serious accident or that the lights may be left on causing a dead battery. The primary obsessive fear will spill over into feeling responsible for the consequences of not checking and the feelings of guilt that would follow for allowing the consequences to happen.

Electrical appliances e. The person with OCD may physically keep checking electrical devices like computers or hair straighteners are off, this will usually happen at night before bed and can take a significant amount of time.

The primary obsessive fear will spill over into feeling responsible for the consequences of not checking and the feelings of guilt that would follow for allowing the loss of life and property destruction. House lights and candles. For similar obsessional fears to the above checking, the person with OCD may physically keep checking lights, lamps and candles to ensure they are off, this will usually happen each and every time the person leaves the house and in the evening before bed which can take a significant amount of time.

That primary obsessive fear will spill over into the responsibility and consequences of not checking would lead to guilt for allowing the loss of life and property destruction. Emails or letters. The primary obsessive fear will be that saying something inappropriate may lead to guilt and feelings of disapproval from the recipient. Driving route and checking car. The person with OCD may repeatedly drive their journey, retracing their route to check for signs of accidents the obsessional fear , the person may also spend time checking the exterior of the car for signs of impact.

The fear may also lead to feelings of guilt and worries about consequences of causing a fatal accident which may lead to prison, loss of employment or their family disowning them. Checking with a camera. The person with OCD will routinely check a room or other location before leaving by taking photos with a phone or digital camera so they can check later that they have not left anything behind, from seemingly worthless bits of paper to more valuable items. Illness and conditions.

The person with OCD will have the obsessional worry that seeing mild symptoms means they are going to develop an illness and will repeatedly check their body for more signs, google various medical websites for symptoms and even visit the GP for diagnosis and checks.

Re-reading text. Re-reading text, usually in a book but also can be in a letter or on an email over and over again is a common checking problem. They will keep reading until they 'feel' confident they have taken the text in correctly. The primary obsessional fear is not quite taking in the information or missing something important from the text. For some women suffering with OCD, they can become convinced that they have picked up semen from toilet seats and will become accidentally pregnant, equally through protected and unprotected sexual encounters, even if not full sexual penetration.

The person suffering with OCD will be convinced, that they have become pregnant and will engage in checking for signs, pregnancy tests at home and through their GP. Sometimes such obsessional worries will lead to avoidance's of public toilets and sexual encounters.

Two checks this is a very specific and common OCD problem where the person with OCD will have the obsessional worry that their OCD will lead to them developing schizophrenia. They will repeatedly check and google various medical websites for symptoms and even visit their GP for diagnosis and checks. The secondary obsessional fear and worry is that the illness is present and they will become seriously ill and it will lead to them losing control and carrying out dangerous behaviours that go against their morals.

We will categorise this separately because of it being a very specific and a very common OCD problem. The person suffering may worry that they weren't careful enough during a past sexual encounter and in addition avoids new sexual encounters. Further sexual encounters can sometimes trigger the return of the obsession.

The secondary obsessional fear and worry is that the illness is present and they will be guilty for spreading the virus to someone they care about through sexual encounters or passing of blood or saliva accidentally. Sexual arousal. For some people suffering with OCD their obsessional thoughts lead them to believe they may be attracted to people they don't want to be, perhaps the obsessional fear of being a paedophile or a straight person being attracted to a member of the same sex or someone who is gay being attracted to someone of the opposite sex.

Frequently the person will check their body for arousal, however because they are focused on not wanting a sexual response, the body will automatically generate feelings of arousal, and like checking in all forms of OCD, the solution becomes the problem. Valuable items wallet, purse, phone. The primary obsessional fear is that they may leave and lose the valuable item, but the fear may also lead to feelings of guilt and worries about being irresponsible for not checking, making them a careless and a bad person.

Common contamination obsessive worries and compulsions include: Public toilets. Fear of and avoidance Using public toilets fear of contracting germs from other people. Coming into contact with chemicals fear of contamination. Shaking hands. Although there does not appear to be one type of personality that is vulnerable to developing OCD , recent research suggests that certain personality features may be influential.

Although there are many ways in which we can think about or define personality, it has become popular to describe personality using distinct categories that reflect different aspects of the way we think or act. According to one popular psychological model, the Temperament and Character Inventory TCI , personality can be described using seven categories. Studies using the model have consistently found that individuals with OCD have higher scores on harm avoidance and lower scores on novelty seeking, reward dependence, self-directedness, and cooperativeness compared to people without OCD.

While specific personality characteristics are unlikely to be a direct cause of OCD, they could be risk factors. A risk factor is something that increases a person's chances of eventually developing a given illness.

For example, a person who scores high on harm avoidance may develop ineffective coping strategies for managing stress, thus increasing the chance that they will develop OCD. In addition to being risk factors for developing OCD, particular personality traits may be associated with symptoms of OCD owing to a shared biological basis. In another example, someone who is low in reward dependence may have difficulty taking advantage of the support offered by friends and family that might otherwise be helpful in dealing with difficult situations.

Again, under the right circumstances, this could leave them vulnerable to developing OCD. Unrelated to the personality categories detailed above, there are five specific personality traits that many people with OC spectrum disorders tend to have.

Many clinical psychologists are trained in personality assessment and can work with you to explore your personality profile. If you are interested in learning more about how your personality might be influencing your symptoms or treatment, be sure to speak with a mental health care provider. Learn the best ways to manage stress and negativity in your life. Samuels J, Costa P. The Oxford Handbook of Personality Disorders. OCD cannot be cured, but it can managed effectively with medication and psychotherapy.

Suddenly discontinuing medication without a gradual taper and without cognitive behavior therapy will likely cause a relapse in OCD, according to The Recovery Village. Additionally, exposure and responsive therapy and cognitive behavior therapy can help people with OCD manage their anxiety and control their compulsions.

She explains that the idea of ERP is to teach the brain how to respond differently to obsessions by tolerating the anxiety and discomfort that come with them. Mindfulness teaches you to observe your feelings and thoughts in an objective manner while CBT teaches you to identify, label, and reframe your thoughts. Skip to main content Search for a topic or drug. OCD statistics