Common Fears & OCD Subtypes
OCD subtypes can help people to find community with others who share similar experiences, and they can assist therapists in designing targeted treatment plans, but they don't tell the whole story. If you can't find your subtype, that doesn't mean you don't have OCD—everyone's experience is unique, and many people's OCD symptoms don't fit neatly into any specific theme.
Responsibility OCD
Responsibility OCD is characterized by ongoing intrusive thoughts, images or urges, and compulsive physical and/or mental behaviors around a person’s sense of responsibility for other people and animals around them.
Religious OCD, also known as scrupulosity OCD, is a common form of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) in which someone experiences unwanted intrusive
As an ERP-trained therapist, I have seen this fear come up for many of the people I work with to recover from OCD.
By Melanie Dideriksen, LPC, CAADC
Reviewed by Patrick McGrath, PhD
Discover the link between OCD and the fear of being "canceled." Learn how to identify and manage obsessions and triggers in cancel culture.
Fear of leaving the stove on resulting in damage or injury is highly common for people suffering from Responsibility OCD or Harm OCD.
OCD focused on fear of being a bad person involves recurrent, persistent, unwanted and intrusive thoughts or images about being a bad person.
Fear of concussions in OCD involves recurrent, persistent, unwanted, and intrusive thoughts related to head trauma/concussion.
Excessive apologizing is common in OCD. Often, people with OCD feel the urge to compulsively apologize when it is not needed.
People with fear of being homeless in OCD may have persistent fears about experiencing homelessness, even if their housing is very secure.
Intense or persistent fears about doing something wrong may be a sign of OCD, falling under the OCD subtype of Responsibility OCD.
Some people with OCD struggle with intense fear of failing. If you have a persistent fear of failing it may be a sign of OCD or Atychiphobia.
A persistent fear of making mistakes can be a sign of a subtype of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) called Responsibility OCD.