Walking though my high school halls, stores, or even the streets, the sayings “I feel like I am going crazy” or “I am so Obsessive Compulsive about that” are sadly fairly common sayings that I have heard people use meaninglessly . My opinion is, most of these people who use these sayings do not have the slightest notion of what it feels like to think that you could be going crazy or to figure out that you are a sufferer of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder.

While researching for answers and finding out if I indeed had OCD, I encountered lists upon lists of obsessions and compulsions that were characteristics of OCD. While many were characteristics of OCD, many sites failed to leave out other common characteristics that many feel too ashamed to talk about or bring up.

Before I give you a list of what my own personal OCD symptoms are and were (In living with OCD), I want to give the Diagnostic Criteria of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder by the DSM-IV-TR. Below I will also include my list of what I think the most common OCD symptoms are.

Diagnostic Criteria for Obsessive Compulsive Disorder- 300.3 ^NOTE

A.       Either obsessions or compulsions:

Obsessions are defined by (1), (2), (3), and (4):

(1)     Recurrent and persistent thoughts, impulsive, or images that are experienced at some time during the disturbance, as intrusive and inappropriate that cause marked anxiety or distress.

-    Killing your children or loved ones

-    Explicit religious images or acts

-    Fear of becoming or being a homosexual

-    Any sexual acts or images therefore causing one to feel "dirty."

(2)     The thoughts, impulses, or mages are not simply excessive worries about real life problems.

* For more information, please read my story on my fear of AIDS in the OCD Facts section.

(3)     The person attempts to ignore or suppress such thoughts, impulses, or an image, or to neutralize them with some other thought or action.

* In high school, at times, I would go from months to years fearing something.

(4)     The person recognized that the obsessional thoughts, impulses, or images are products of his or her own mind (not imposed from without as in thought insertion). 

Compulsions as defined by (1) and (2)

(1)     Repetitive behaviors (e.g. hand washing, ordering, checking) or mental acts (e.g., praying, counting, repeating words silently) that the person feels drive to perform in response to an obsession, according to rules that must be applied rigidly.

(2)     The behaviors or mental acts are aimed at preventing or reducing distress or preventing some dreaded event or situation; however, these behaviors or mental acts either are not connected in a realistic way with what they are designed to neutralize or prevent or are clearly excessive

* It is important to remember that compulsions can be mental!! Mental thoughts about a fear can compulsively run over and over in one's mind.

B.       At some point during the course of the disorder, the person has recognized that the obsessions or compulsions are excessive or unreasonable. (This does not apply to children).

* During this point, was when the depression hit really hard on me. When I finally realized that I was suffering from OCD and thought that I would never be able to tell anyone. I feel that this is the most crucial point to remember that there are other people out there that know exactly what you are going through, and wonderful people that can help you.

C.       The obsessions or compulsions cause marked distress, are time consuming (take more than 1 hour a day), or significantly interfere with the person's normal routine, occupations (or academic) functions, or usually social activities or relationships.

* For Me, at one point junior year in high school the obsessional compulsions were so strong that I missed 30 some odd days.

D.       If another Axis I disorder is present, the content of the obsessions or compulsions is not restricted to it (e.g. preoccupation with food in the presence of an Eating Disorder; hair pulling in the presence of Trichotillomania, concern with appearance in the presence of Body Dimorphic Disorder; preoccupation with having a serious illness in the presence of Hypochondrias; preoccupation with sexual urges or fantasies in the presence of a Paraphilia; or guilty ruminations in the presence of Major Depressive Disorder). 

* As if we (I) were not lucky enough to get Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (ha-ha just joking), I have had also Major Depression because of OCD.

The disturbances are not due to the direct physiological effects of a substance (e.g. a drug of abuse, a medication) or a general medical condition. 


* Reference - Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (4th ed.). (2000).  Washington, DC: American Psychiatric Association.