Contamination Obsessions

• Concern with dirt or germs.
• Excessive concern with environmental contaminants. Examples: asbestos, radiation, pesticides or toxic waste.
• Excessive concern with household items. Examples: cleansers, solvents.
• Concern or disgust with bodily waste or secretions. Examples: urine, feces or saliva
• Fear of blood. Fear could be a) related to blood-borne illnesses like AIDS or hepatitis or b) caused by just the sight of blood.
• Bothered by sticky substances or residues. Examples: adhesives, chalk dust or grease.
• Excessive concern with animals or insects. (Distinguished from Specific Phobia.)
• Concerned will get ill because of contaminants. Examples: AIDS or cancer
• Concerned will get others ill by spreading contaminants.
• No concern with consequences of contamination other than how it might feel.
• Excessive concern with becoming pregnant or of making someone pregnant.
• Concerned with having an illness or disease. Where to draw the line between somatic obsessions and the somatic preoccupations of Hypochondriasis is not always evident. Factors that point to OCD are presence of multiple obsessions, compulsions not limited to seeking reassurance, and persistence of symptoms
• Fear of eating certain foods. Examples: excessive concern about risks of certain foods or food preparations. (Distinguished from anorexia nervosa in which concern is gaining weight. )

Symmetry, Order, Exactness and “Just Right” Obsessions

• Need for symmetry or exactness. Examples: certain things can’t be touched or moved, clothes organized in closet alphabetically, bothered if pictures are not straight or canned goods not lined up. (Distinguished from OCPD, in which perfectionism is less dramatic.)
• Exactness in dressing. Examples: excessive concern about appearance of clothing such as wrinkles, lint, loose threads; may not wear garments out of concern they will become worn.
• Symmetry in dressing. Examples: bothered if stockings are not at the same height or shoe laces not tied at the same tension.
• Exactness or symmetry in grooming. Examples: bothered if hair not parted exactly straight or hair not precisely same length on each side of the head.
• Fear of saying the wrong thing or not saying it “just right”. Example: patient may appear to have thought-blocking because she is reviewing every interpretation of what she is about to say.
• Need for exactness related to feared consequences. Example: something terrible may happen if things aren’t in their proper place
• Need for exactness unrelated to feared consequences. Examples: can’t explain what might happen if things aren’t in their proper place; feels discomfort unless things are just right.
• Excessively bothered by things not sounding “just right.” Examples: re-adjusting stereo system until it sounds “just right,” asks family members to say things in just the right way.
• Finds certain sounds irritating.* Examples: “sh” sound, lisps, static/noise, sniffing/coughing, ticking clocks, dripping water. (Distinguished from irritability not specific to OCD.)
• Need to know or remember. Examples: needing to remember insignificant things like license plate numbers, bumper stickers, advertising slogans, names of actors.

What's Related

• What Is Obsessive-compulsive Disorder?
• An Introduction to Treatment of OCD
• Treatments for Obsessive-compulsive Disorder
• Distinguishing OCD From Other Conditions
• Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder in Children and Adolescents
• Frequently Asked Questions about OCD
• What Causes Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD)?
• Is Sexual Addiction a Recognized Disorder?
• When Your Child Has Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder
• About Behavior Therapy
• Other articles by Jim Haggerty, M.D.

 

Last reviewed:
  On February 17, 2006
  By John M. Grohol, Psy.D.