Can you have OCD without being a clean freak?

Sometimes, yes. For many patients, obsessive thoughts revolve around germs, which makes the compulsions manifest as obsessive cleaning. People with OCD may also feel the need to organize everything to make sense of their thoughts. However, the symptoms are still the obsessions and compulsions, not the cleaning itself.
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Is OCD only about cleanliness?

"Neat freaks" do not have obsessions like people with OCD do. Not everyone with OCD is focused on cleanliness. OCD is pretty diverse in terms of its symptoms and everyone has symptoms that are a little different - their own personal spin.
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Do I have undiagnosed OCD?

Signs and symptoms of OCD

Obsessive thoughts: These obsession symptoms typically intrude other thoughts when you're trying to do or think about other things and may include: Fear of being contaminated by germs or dirt. Intrusive sexually explicit or violent thoughts. Fear of having a serious illness.
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Can you have OCD without anxiety?

Since OCD is inherently an anxiety disorder, we wouldn't typically see it without anxiety.
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Can you have OCD tendencies without having OCD?

As we've mentioned a few times now, when you become obsessed with the idea that you might not have OCD, it can be just another manifestation of your OCD. When this occurs, think of this as a shift in symptoms. It's perfectly normal when going through therapy to experience different or fewer symptoms of OCD.
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Understanding Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD)



Can you have OCD but still be messy?

Yes, you can have OCD and be messy or untidy. Everyone's different, so this behavior might result from the disorder or just an aspect of your personality. As a formal diagnosis, OCD is characterized by two main symptoms: compulsions and obsessions.
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Can you be slightly OCD?

Many of us have some minor, OCD-like thoughts, superstitions, and habits. As long as we don't feel that they prevent us from living full, rich, and meaningful lives, there's no need to make any major changes.
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What does pure OCD feel like?

Symptoms of Pure OCD

Persistent fears over causing unintentional harm to themselves or others. Persistent fears about engaging in repugnant sexual acts like molesting a child. Obsessively thinking about somatic issues such as breathing or swallowing. Thoughts questioning the nature of themselves or reality.
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What can OCD be mistaken for?

People struggling with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) are often misdiagnosed as having other psychological conditions. One of the most common misdiagnoses for this population is Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD).
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Can OCD just be obsessive thoughts?

For example, a person with OCD might have uncontrollable thoughts about germs and cleanliness that result in an urge to wash their hands over and over again. People who experience a "purely obsessional" form of this disorder still experience a range of OCD symptoms, although the obvious compulsions are absent.
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What are unknown OCD symptoms?

Other Unusual OCD Obsessions
  • Being bothered by certain sounds or noises (e.g., sound of chewing food)
  • Intrusive (non-violent) mental images (e.g., cartoons, faces, or clouds)
  • Intrusive nonsense sounds, words, or music that pop into a person's head and won't go away.
  • Losing one's personality or positive qualities.
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What does untreated OCD look like?

Untreated OCD can take a toll on your mental and physical well-being. Obsessive thoughts can make it extremely difficult or even impossible to concentrate. They can cause you to spend hours engaged in unnecessary mental or physical activity and can greatly decrease your quality of life.
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Can you self diagnose OCD?

Studies are now showing that millenials even tend to favor digital methods of self-diagnosing health problems rather than turning to a professional. This can be problematic as many Millenials Self-Diagnosing OCD themselves with problems they don't necessarily have.
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What is the root cause of OCD?

Experts aren't sure of the exact cause of OCD. Genetics, brain abnormalities, and the environment are thought to play a role. It often starts in the teens or early adulthood. But, it can also start in childhood.
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What are 5 of the main symptoms of OCD?

Compulsive behaviour
  • cleaning and hand washing.
  • checking – such as checking doors are locked or that the gas is off.
  • counting.
  • ordering and arranging.
  • hoarding.
  • asking for reassurance.
  • repeating words in their head.
  • thinking "neutralising" thoughts to counter the obsessive thoughts.
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How do I know if I have ADHD or OCD?

People with OCD tend to have obsessive thoughts, which they try to prevent by engaging in repetitive rituals, or compulsions. In contrast, a person with ADHD typically presents with excessive hyperactivity and impulsivity and difficulty focusing on one task at a time.
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Do I have OCD or just anxiety?

People with GAD tend to jump from one anxiety to another throughout their day (or have a general sense of being overwhelmed), whereas someone with OCD is more likely to obsess on a particular anxiety (or a few of them) and devote excessive attention to it.
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Do you hear voices with OCD?

The study also found that many OCD patients experienced intrusive obsessions as audible voices that shouted at them, spoke, or whispered.
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What do OCD tendencies look like?

OCD obsessions are repeated, persistent and unwanted thoughts, urges or images that are intrusive and cause distress or anxiety. You might try to ignore them or get rid of them by performing a compulsive behavior or ritual. These obsessions typically intrude when you're trying to think of or do other things.
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Can you suddenly develop OCD?

OCD typically begins in adolescence, but may start in early adulthood or childhood. The onset of OCD is typically gradual, but in some cases it may start suddenly. Symptoms fluctuate in severity from time to time, and this fluctuation may be related to the occurrence of stressful events.
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What is false memory OCD?

False Memory OCD refers to a cluster of OCD presentations wherein the sufferer becomes concerned about a thought that appears to relate to a past event. The event can be something that actually happened (but over which there is some confusion) or it can be something completely fabricated by the mind.
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What is somatic OCD?

Somatic OCD is a form of OCD that causes intrusive thoughts are focused on autonomic, or non-conscious body processes and functions, like breathing, blinking, or physical sensations.
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What gender is OCD more common in?

OCD is more common among males in childhood, but among females in adolescence and adulthood (39). Females with OCD tend to report higher depression and anxiety (35), to exhibit more contamination/cleaning symptoms, and to have greater comorbidity with eating and impulse-control disorders (38).
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Can you develop OCD from anxiety?

“Anxiety can easily lead to an OCD, episode therefore a person can learn to recognize when they are anxious and use coping skills for the anxiety.
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What are the 7 forms of OCD?

Common Types of OCD
  • Aggressive or sexual thoughts. ...
  • Harm to loved ones. ...
  • Germs and contamination. ...
  • Doubt and incompleteness. ...
  • Sin, religion, and morality. ...
  • Order and symmetry. ...
  • Self-control.
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