This post is not about someone who places their books in size order on a shelf. It’s also not about that person you know who practices good hygiene. Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is not what pop culture tells us it is. You see, there’s nothing unusual about feeling anxiety and getting uncomfortable about it. Such feelings come and go in everyone’s life. 

With OCD, however, feelings like this are chronic and can feel relentless. They manifest in unusual ways that often serve to heighten anxiety. Your everyday life — relationships, work, school, etc. — is impacted, and you need relief. Fortunately, with proper treatment, OCD can be managed.

The Basics of OCD

It’s a disorder characterized by intrusive thoughts that cause anxiety. In the name of reducing that anxiety, a person with OCD will experience obsessions and address them with compulsions. This cycle offers temporary relief, but soon enough, the intrusive thoughts return.

During this cycle, you may encounter some of the signs that have become shorthand for OCD, e.g., counting, washing, and more. Left unchecked, the OCD cycle can hamper anyone’s ability to function daily. 

Signs of OCD in Adults

Before we get to the outward signs — the compulsions — it’s helpful to offer a brief description of the obsessions that get things started. Even if they realize that their intrusive thoughts are irrational, someone with OCD still has the understandable need to resolve them. Some of the most common OCD obsessions involve: 

• Fear of contamination — by other people or inanimate objects 

• A desire for everything in their vicinity to be symmetrical and orderly 

• Concern that they will suddenly harm someone, someone will harm them, or some random harm will come to anyone

• Worrying that they have not completed a task, e.g., turning off an appliance or locking a door

• Fear of misplacing something important or minor 

• Disturbing thoughts related to religion or sex

• In some cases, the intrusive thought can be patently meaningless yet still anxiety-inducing 

Next come the signs and symptoms. When an adult with OCD performs compulsions, they are most often noticeable by others.

Compulsions

The anxiety caused by OCD obsessions can be overwhelming. They leave the person to conjure up anything to relieve the tension. Thus, the compulsions they perform are personal, and they feel necessary. However, if compulsions offer fleeting relief, they can result in days filled with repetitive rituals. Here are some OCD compulsion examples: 

• Cleaning: Hand-washing is most commonly associated with OCD, but this compulsion can also manifest in toothbrushing or taking many showers. In addition, it can involve cleaning objects instead of yourself. 

• Checking: What they check often includes locks and appliances. Also, it could mean relentlessly checking to be sure you brought whatever items were required for your destination. 

• Arranging: You need items in your line of sight to be laid out in a particular way. 

• Counting: These are compulsions related to numbers. 

• Avoidance: Sometimes, it can be a person or place that feels like it’s the source of distress.

• Approval: A person with OCD may need and seek reassurance regularly. 

In other words, when looking for signs of OCD in adults, it typically comes down to identifying compulsions in action. However, this isn’t a green light to make assumptions or accusations. As you can certainly imagine, this cycle is unpleasant. No one wants to be there. They feel shame about it. 

Hence, if you or someone you know is displaying behaviors like those listed above, it makes sense to reach out for help. An experienced mental health professional can help guide you in your quest to help a friend or loved one.

Learn more about OCD Treatment.