New York Center for Obsessive - About OCD

Obsession Compulsive Disorder

Obsessions are repetitive, intrusive thoughts or unwanted images. Unless a person has OCD, it is difficult to imagine that the faulty circuitry in an individual’s brain generates their obsessive thoughts.  Obsessions are different than thoughts an average person have. 
Most common obsessions are thoughts of:
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• Contamination,
• Pathological doubt,
• Somatic,
• Symmetry
• Aggressive and/or sexual,
• Religious scrupulosity and hoarding.

The key to understanding OCD is that the intrusive thoughts, images, or impulses generate doubt in an individual’s mind.  Obsession can be exacerbated and triggered by stress, positive or negative change in work or home environment, and medical problems. Obsessive thoughts have no boundaries or limitation.   However, the frequency and intensity usually varies from day to day.

Compulsions are an individual attempt to try to neutralize, suppress, or deal with anxiety provoking obsessive thoughts. Compulsions consists of repetitive mental or physical acts ritualistic acts.  Compulsive behavior is the common response that individual performs in their attempt to neutralize and decrease the anxiety that the obsessive thinking bring.  Compulsions can come in the form of mental and/or physical. Physical compulsions are actions that are physically carried out by individuals such as washing, grooming, touching, counting, excessive organizing and hoarding. Most common mental compulsions are checking, reassurance seeking, rumination, self-checking, and counting.
Physical and mental or rumination can put a strain on a person physically and mentally.  Rumination usually consists of individuals going through different scenarios in their mind and attempting to rationalize with their OCD.   The amount of rumination depends upon how severe the OCD, whether the OCD is composed of mental compulsion, and whether a person goes through the process of mental checking or counting. The actual act of ruminations is mentally tiring and draining on a person.

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