Types Of OCD (Obsessive Compulsive Disorder): Which Are The Most Common?

There are different types of OCD (obsessive compulsive disorder), a set of obsessions and compulsions that some people suffer from. Obsessions are the presence of intrusive and recurring thoughts while compulsions refer to repetitive behaviors or mental acts. The WHO includes the Obsessive Compulsive Disorder among the top 20 disabling diseases of the population, since it significantly interferes with people’s functioning, causing anxiety and limitations.

Likewise, the 5th edition of the Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders of the American Psychiatric Association (DSM-V ) includes it in a separate chapter analyzing its symptoms and different types. Although the most well-known obsessions and compulsions are cleaning, ordering or checking, there are many different kinds. Two examples of types of OCD Less well known would be the case of patients who come to our office obsessed with falling asleep in case they choke on their own saliva or people who come terrified by the possibility of harming a loved one. Therefore, we could say that the person who suffers from OCD can suffer from it in many different ways.

What is OCD?

When we talk about obsessive compulsive disorder or OCD in psychology, we are referring to the disorder that is characterized by obsessive and constant thoughts. Both mild and severe OCD can greatly interfere with the daily lives of those who suffer from it.

He OCD or obsessive compulsive disorder It usually begins in childhood or adulthood. This psychological pathology can first appear as obsessive-compulsive thoughts until it triggers a disorder that interferes with many aspects of our lives.

Most common types of OCD

There are different types of OCD that can occur when someone suffers from a compulsive disorder. Among the most common we find the following:

1. Cleaning and washing obsessions: As we mentioned previously, these types of obsessions are among the best known. The person presents a obsessive fear to become contaminated, to be infected with germs or to contract a disease by touching something, shaking hands with someone… This OCD leads the sufferer to avoid all these situations and to wash and disinfect (himself, his hands or his home and objects). constantly. One of these compulsive disorders may go unnoticed at first but end up becoming a complete impediment in his life.
2. Somatic checking and hypochondriacs: Those who suffer from it have obsessive thoughts in relation to your health. They live with the fear of developing a disease and any symptom, no matter how small or non-existent, they relate to a serious illness (obsessive fear of developing cancer, having a small pimple and anticipating that it will be a tumor…). These people can spend a lot of time doing checkups on their body, looking at their heart rate, breathing rate or temperature, among others. In these cases, people suffer from involuntary bad thoughts that make them suffer from hypochondria that ends up evolving into an obsessive-compulsive disorder.
3. Repeaters: These are those people who repeat certain actions over and over again. They repeat without being able to stop a specific action. Sometimes these types of obsessions can interfere both in the personal or work sphere. These rare types of ocd For others, they are very common within this disorder.
4. Computers: This type of OCD It is also very well known and one of the most common. These are people who are obsessed with things being a certain way, following certain guidelines: symmetry, colors, sizes, etc. They carry out organizing rituals on common objects such as clothing, accessories, decoration or work tools. At first, these types of obsessions can go very unnoticed by those closest to them. In OCD, order seems to be one of the characteristics best known by the majority of society regarding this psychological disorder.
5. Accumulators: Hoarders collect insignificant objects, which they cannot part with, even if it is something of no value, neither economic nor sentimental. These types of ocd or types of unhealthy obsessions They are usually afraid of throwing away something that they may need in the future.
6. Mental compulsions: In order to fight the anxiety caused by their obsessions, the person performs a mental compulsion. It is often more difficult for the person to realize that something is not going well since it is more difficult to detect both the obsession and the compulsion when they are mental. In it knock these guys They may go completely unnoticed by the people around them, but are very visible to those closest to them.
7. Numerals: In this type of OCD People who suffer from this compulsive disorder are obsessed with numbers, whether adding (counting cars, streetlights, license plates, tiles, steps…), subtracting or operating. They look for meaning in the numbers around them by changing them until it gives them a number that is meaningful to them or the result calms their anxiety. In this way, OCD compulsions arise from suffering from poor mental control in this type of obsessions related to numbers.
8. Perfectionists: Self-demanding and self-critical, people who suffer from it have an absolute need to do tasks completely perfect. There are those who worry about minor and irrelevant details or there are also those who need to know or remember things that may be trivial or meaningless. In this OCD or obsessive-compulsive disorder, the darker side of perfectionist people can be clearly seen reflected.
9. Superstitious: He magical thinking and OCD They are related to these types of obsessive-compulsive disorders. In this way, people with OCD of this type believe in magical thinking. They have the feeling that if they do not do the corresponding superstitious ritual, something bad may happen to them. Although sometimes they may recognize that it does not make sense, it is impossible for them to stop doing it for fear that something so terrible that they do not want could happen.
10. Checking Obsessions: The person lives with obsessive doubts about whether he or she has carried out a specific act (for example, fear of not having locked the door at home or having left an electrical device on, etc.). Check OCD or verification leads you to check again and again that you have not made an oversight that would have the fatal consequences you fear.
11. Compulsive questioners: These people have the need to continually ask themselves or others about anything, no matter how small or absurd it may seem. Although it may seem like one of the rarer types of ocd the reality is that it is very common to suffer from it in obsessive-compulsive disorder.
12. Analyzers: Those who suffer from this type of OCD They mentally analyze, turning over and over the conversations they have had or the situations they have experienced. They constantly review the development of events.
13. Doubtful and indecisive: In this case, people who suffer from it have difficulties with ambiguous and uncertain situations and problems with decision making. They tend to worry about mistakes and doubt their actions. They need the greatest certainty to make their decisions and the maximum possible control.
14. Obsessions related to sexuality: Many people come to consultation distressed by their thoughts related to sexuality. These may be recurring thoughts about sexual acts (whether forbidden, disgusting, or taboo behaviors). Other people doubt their sexuality and become obsessed with the subject: many come with doubts about homosexuality Others who are afraid of being a pedophile or committing incest (for example the presence of a recurring pornographic mental image).
15. Aggressive content obsessions: People with aggressive obsessions They are people who live in fear of causing some kind of harm to other people or to themselves. Horrible and violent images cross his mind. Sometimes they tell us that they are afraid of hurting their children.
16. Religious obsessions: Those who have this OCD They are excessively concerned about the possibility of committing sinful acts regarding their religion or beliefs. They feel like bad people and judge themselves for it. Many of them suffer with intrusive and immoral thoughts about sex. Faced with this suffering, they feel the need to confess sins that they have not even committed or are trivial, or they perform compulsive acts such as constantly repenting.

As can be seen in this article, the types of OCD -obsessions and compulsions- are very varied and can cause great suffering to people who suffer from them. Many people report that this type of problem makes them feel chained and imprisoned by their own thoughts and actions. Fortunately, empirical evidence and our own clinical experience show that with treatment its intensity, frequency or appearance can be reduced, achieving a significant improvement in people’s quality of life.