What are the symptoms of OCD?
People with OCD:
- have repeated thoughts or images about many different things, such as fear of germs, dirt, or intruders; violence; hurting loved ones; sexual acts; conflicts with religious beliefs; or being overly neat.
- do the same rituals over and over such as washing hands, locking and unlocking doors, counting, keeping unneeded items, or repeating the same steps again and again.
- have unwanted thoughts and behaviors they can’t control.
- don’t get pleasure from the behaviors or rituals, but get brief relief from the anxiety the thoughts cause.
- spend at least an hour a day on the thoughts and rituals, which cause distress and get in the way of daily life.
