Maybe you’ve found yourself Googling symptoms, unsure if what you’re experiencing is obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) or something else. OCD can be hard to recognize—especially because of common misconceptions that it’s a “personality quirk” or that you’re just a “neat freak.”
If you’re looking for answers, you’ve landed in the right place. Keep reading to find out the signs of OCD, how it actually presents, and how to get help.
What is OCD?
OCD is a common mental health condition characterized by two types of symptoms:
- Obsessions: Repetitive, intrusive thoughts, images, urges, feelings, or sensations that lead to feelings of distress.
- Compulsions: Physical or mental actions done to relieve distress from obsessions or to prevent something bad from happening.
Any relief that compulsions bring is temporary, and the obsessions inevitably return, reinforcing what is known as the OCD cycle.
Signs you might have OCD
While only a trained professional can diagnose OCD, recognizing your symptoms is a great first step in understanding your experiences and finding a provider.
Here are the most common signs of OCD:
- Intrusive thoughts that feel disturbing or unwanted
- Feeling like you need to do things a certain way to prevent harm
- Mentally reviewing or checking things over and over
- Seeking reassurance (from others or yourself)
- Time-consuming rituals that interfere with daily life
OCD vs. normal worries
So, how can you tell if it’s OCD or just normal anxiety? Everyone experiences intrusive thoughts or feels anxious from time to time. But for people with OCD, these thoughts can be difficult to ignore, and they come back no matter how hard you try to dismiss them. They may feel like they have to do something—like avoiding situations, checking, or mentally replaying past scenarios—to relieve distress or prevent a feared outcome.
If your thoughts feel distressing, overwhelming, or interfere with your daily life, it could be OCD, not just everyday anxiety.
What OCD isn’t: Myths that get in the way
OCD is a commonly misunderstood condition. You’ve likely heard people say that it is just about being neat or liking things organized, but that’s a myth. What’s important to remember is that OCD is not an enjoyable or wanted experience. It causes significant distress and often centers around the things you value the most.
There are several themes or subtypes of OCD. While the specific thoughts may vary, they all involve unwanted intrusive thoughts and mental or physical compulsions done to relieve anxiety.
Here are some of the most common OCD subtypes and how they can show up:
- Perfectionism or “just right” OCD: Revolves around organization, perfection, and making things feel “just right”
- Sexual orientation OCD (SO-OCD): Constant fears and doubts about your sexual orientation
- Contamination OCD: Intense fear about becoming contaminated or becoming ill
- Scrupulosity (religious) OCD: Persistent worries about violating religious, moral, or ethical beliefs
- Sensorimotor (somatic) OCD: Fixations on bodily sensations or involuntary bodily functions
- Harm OCD: Unwanted thoughts about hurting yourself or others
- Relationship OCD: Questioning everything about your relationships—romantic or platonic
- Existential OCD: Ongoing philosophical questioning about the meaning, purpose, or reality of life, or even your own existence
- False memory and real event OCD: Recurring doubts about things that happened in the past
Still unsure? Here’s what to do next
If you’re unsure about whether you’re experiencing OCD or something else, that’s completely okay. You don’t have to figure this out on your own. The best thing you can do is to reach out to a licensed mental health professional, preferably a therapist with experience treating OCD. They can assess your symptoms to help determine whether it’s OCD or another condition.
According to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5), OCD is diagnosed when symptoms:
- Are time-consuming (typically taking up at least one hour a day)
- Cause significant distress
- Impair your ability to function at work, school, or social situations
In addition to mental symptoms, many people with OCD also experience physical symptoms, like a tight chest, nausea, jaw-clenching, dizziness, and headaches.
If you’re diagnosed with OCD, the good news is that effective, evidence-based treatment is available. An OCD specialist can help you start treatment and begin your path to recovery.
Treatment for OCD
Exposure and response prevention (ERP) therapy is a specialized form of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) proven to be effective for OCD. General CBT, if not tailored for OCD, can sometimes be unhelpful or even worsen symptoms.
ERP works by gradually exposing you to your triggers and then teaching you healthier ways to respond without engaging in compulsions. You won’t be forced into anything before you’re ready, but you will be encouraged to take steps that move you toward recovery.
Find the right OCD therapist for you
All our therapists are licensed and trained in exposure and response prevention therapy (ERP), the gold standard treatment for OCD.
Bottom line
It’s not always easy to tell the difference between OCD and everyday anxiety—especially with the many myths out there. But if you’re stuck in an endless loop of distressing thoughts, doing things to relieve anxiety that only help for a little while, and it’s interfering with your life, it might be OCD. The good news? OCD is highly treatable. With the right support and evidence-based care, such as ERP therapy, recovery is possible.
Key takeaways
- OCD isn’t just about being neat or organized—it involves unwanted, intrusive thoughts and repetitive behaviors done to relieve anxiety.
- If your thoughts feel distressing, hard to ignore, and interfere with your daily life, it might be OCD—not just everyday worry.
- OCD can show up in many different ways, from fears about harm or contamination to doubts about relationships, morality, or identity.
- Exposure and response prevention (ERP) therapy is the most effective treatment for managing OCD symptoms and building long-term recovery.
