Information Section: Conditions
Condition: OCD
Article: About Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder
Source: Leslie E. Packer, PhD 
Page Last Updated:  Oct. 3, 2005  

Page 1  2 

Article Table of Contents

 

 

PREFACE

Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) has two main elements to it: thoughts (obsessions) and behaviors (compulsions). In this section, we will define the terms and then provide some background for other sections.

DEFINITIONS - OBSESSIONS

Obsessions are recurrent and persistent thoughts, impulses, or images that are experienced as unwanted, intrusive, and inappropriate. These thoughts cause marked anxiety or distress, and are not simply excessive worries about real-life problems.

The individual attempts to ignore or suppress the thoughts, images, or impulses, and/or tries to 'neutralize' them by some other thought or a specific action, although s/he realizes that the thoughts are the product of his or her own mind.

Note the implications of this: if a child or an adult spends eight hours each day "stuck" on some thought but s/he doesn't experience it as anxiety-producing or distressing and makes no attempt to stop the thoughts, then many professionals would argue that it does not meet the definition of obsessing and would not diagnose the child as having a disorder. Family members who have to live with someone who spends hours every day stuck on a thought generally have no doubt that they consider it a disorder.  

DEFINITIONS - COMPULSIONS

Compulsions are repetitive behaviors or mental acts that the person feels driven to perform in response to an obsession, or according to rules that must be applied rigidly. These behaviors or mental acts are usually aimed at preventing or reducing distress or preventing some dreaded event or situation. Importantly, the compulsive behaviors are generally not connected to the worrying thought. For example, a child may be plagued with an obsessive worry that if they don't turn the light switch on and off perfectly exactly 32 times, he will come home to find his dog slashed and mutilated.  

In young children, we often find that the very young child does not realize that others are not experiencing the same bizarre intrusive thoughts that they are. As the child gets older and realizes how bizarre the thoughts are, they may be reluctant to tell others what's going on internally or why they feel the need to do peculiar things.

SUPERSTITIOUS BEHAVIOR, NORMAL WORRY, OR OCD?

I know -- from experience -- that as soon as I start describing OCD and giving examples, at least half the audience will start to worry that they have OCD or will diagnose themselves, so let me introduce a little caution here:

All of us have our habits and "eccentricities." Such repetitive behaviors or intrusive repetive thoughts do not rise to the level of a "disorder" unless they seriously interfere with your life, cause you significant distress, or consume hours each day.

We will discuss the diagnostic criteria later in this overview, but just keep in mind that a certain amount of these types of behaviors is within the realm of 'normal' experience.

COMMON OBSESSIONS

Certain themes tend to occur across all races, cultures, and societies. The following themes are some of the more common types of intrusive, repetitive thoughts: 

  • Contamination fears (fear of germs, dirt, chemicals). This is one of the most common symptoms in terms of lifetime prevalence. Individuals may be morbidly afraid of getting AIDS or other infections, may be afraid to touch bathroom faucets, and may appear horribly anxious if anyone touches their food. 
  • Doubting. Anyone can doubt whether they remembered to turn off the coffee pot or lock the door, but someone with OCD may repeatedly doubt themselves, even after checking. It is as if they don't trust their memory: "Did I really do that or did I just think about doing it?"
  • Specific order or symmetry. Individuals with OCD may have a need to have things lined up or arranged in a particular way. The symmetry is also known as "evening up." 
  • "Just so" feelings or "just right." Individuals with OCD may need to have things "perfect" or "just right."
  • Aggressive or horrific imagery. Individuals with OCD may have intrusive thoughts that harm will come to a family member or others or themselves.
  • Sexual or "taboo" imagery. Individuals with OCD may be burdened with recurring thoughts of socially unacceptable behavior.
  • Moral and religious themes or "scrupulosity." 

Although children and adolescents with OCD also experience these same types of intrusive thoughts, they are also likely to have recurring thoughts about particular numbers - either lucky/magical or unlucky.

COMMON COMPULSIONS

If you think, for a moment, about the common obsessional themes listed in the previous section, you can probably anticipate most of the common compulsive rituals or behaviors that the individual engages in "over and over again:" 

  • Washing or hygiene rituals. 
  • Counting may be combined with other compulsions. Counting is frequently a "silent ritual." Teachers may not realize that the student is having to mentally count things while attempting to process or complete work. Since doubting also goes along with OCD, the student may suddenly begin to doubt whether they've counted correctly, and may have to start all over again. 
  • Checking and re-checking. Individuals who have OCD will check and recheck excessively, whether it is checking to see if they locked the door, turned off the stove or tap, or checking to see if they just ran over someone. It is not uncommon to find patients late for school or work because they spend excessive time checking and rechecking in the home. Assignments may not be submitted on time because the individual is compulsively checking and rechecking their work. 
  • Saving or hoarding. In a recent study at Johns Hopkins, about 30% of OCD patients reported hoarding, with males twice as likely to engage in hoarding compulsions as were females. Hoarders were also more likely to engage in skin-picking, nail-biting, and hair-pulling.
  • Seeking reassurance.
  • Ordering or arranging things. 
  • Reworking something until it is "perfect." Children who have perfectionist compulsions in school may have to erase and rework their work until there are holes in it from so much reworking. Perfectionism may also result in the child staying up until all hours of the night getting their homework perfect. 
  • Praying, tattling. Some individuals will engage in repeated prayer as a form of penance or to ward off frightening thoughts. Children who have scrupulosity obsessions may feel compelled to speak up when someone has been wronged or falsely accused. Or they may become the class "snitch" because of a need to confess or tell someone what someone else has done.
  •  Repeating compulsions. One example is the child who has to read a line backwards after reading it forwards to prevent something terrible from happening. Or the child may have to walk up and down the hall a certain number of times or come through a doorway a particular way a specific number of times. Such compulsions often combine other compulsions such as counting/numbers. 
  • Compulsive avoidance. When a particular setting or situation has become associated with compulsive behavior, the individual may start to avoid that situation or setting, for fear that they will lose control and get "stuck" performing the ritual. In other cases, some particular event or stimulus may be associated with horrific thoughts, and the individual will attempt to avoid that stimulus. Children who have gotten "stuck" engaging in a ritual in the gym, for example, may seem reluctant to go to gym the next time it is scheduled and may start offering excuses as to why they can't go.

Information Section: Conditions
Condition: OCD
Article: About Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder
Source: Leslie E. Packer, PhD 
Page Last Updated:  Oct. 3, 2005   

Page 1  2 

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