There are four types or dimensions of Obsessive-Compulsive disorder (OCD). The four types are contamination, doubt and harm, perfection, and forbidden thoughts.
Contamination OCD People have a fear of contamination or germs. They will go to great lengths to avoid situations that can be ‘risky’. Some rituals provide temporary relief from the fear of being contaminated. These rituals include:
Disinfecting and sterilizing (excessive cleaning)
Excessive hand washing
Throwing away objects that are believed to be contaminated
Changing clothes frequently
Creating safe zones (clean)
Doubt and harm OCD is when people keep on checking again and again. People with obsession in this dimension tend to experience thoughts about how they will unintentionally harm themselves or others due to being careless. Some of the behaviors you might notice with people in this dimension of OCD is:
Checking and rechecking things such as door locks, stoves, etc.
Checking may include a symmetrical way or a specific number of times
Reviewing daily activities mentally or physically to see if anyone was harmed or not
People who want to make something ‘just right’ fall under the dimension of perfection OCD. They will spend a lot of time, moving, counting, and rearranging things in the perfect order to avoid distress. They might also have superstitions about numbers and patterns. Some of the common behaviours include:
Items to be arranged in a specific way
Need for symmetrical organizations
Need for symmetrical actions
Re-arranging items until they are just right
Counting rituals
Believing something terrible will happen if things aren’t just right.
Attachments to certain items
The person with this type of OCD might interact less socially so that the symmetry and order don’t get disrupted. This can have bad effects on relationships.
Forbidden thoughts are when a person experiences unwanted or intrusive thoughts. These thoughts usually violate a person’s values. People with this type of OCD participate in behavioral rituals to prevent unwanted thoughts. Some of the rituals and themes of this type of OCD are:
Persistent intrusive thoughts
Worry about acting on said thoughts and whether these thoughts make them a bad person
Obsessions about religious ideas
Engaging in rituals to prevent intrusive thoughts
Trying to seek reassurance
People with this type of OCD usually have no record of violence nor do they act on these thoughts.
By Dhriti Gupta
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