Obsessive-compulsive disorder or OCD is a mental health condition that affects roughly one out of every forty adults in the United States and about one out of every one hundred children alone. OCD affects people worldwide and impacts individuals of all genders, socioeconomic statuses, and so on. If you are looking for an obsessive-compulsive disorder test online, you are likely wondering if you may have obsessive-compulsive disorder. In this article, we will go over questions to ask yourself if you think you could have OCD, OCD symptoms, and talk about how an OCD test might help you.
Do I Have OCD?
Obsessive-compulsive disorder is a disorder that is characterized by obsessions, compulsions, and intrusive thoughts. Here are some questions to ask yourself if you think that you may have OCD:
- Do You Experience Obsessions?
Obsessions vary for everyone with obsessive-compulsive disorder. Common obsessions include contamination or cleanliness, symmetry or order, and harm (preventing harm or worrying that a loved one will be harmed). Some people with obsessive-compulsive disorder have purely obsessive obsessive-compulsive disorder or obsessive-compulsive disorder with no visual compulsions. Other obsessions that may occur in obsessive-compulsive disorder include but are not limited to sexuality and relationships. If an obsession affects your life, especially if it is paired with compulsions, whether those are actions or mental compulsions, you may have obsessive-compulsive disorder.
- Do You Experience Compulsions?
Compulsions may include but aren't limited to excessive washing or cleaning, which is typically affiliated with contamination OCD, arranging objects so that they are just right and experiencing extreme distress if you do not do so, which is typically affiliated with Symmetry OCD, repeating words or phrases, making another action until it is just right, or something else. At the end of the day, what compulsion is is a compulsive behavior meant to relieve the distress affiliated with someone's obsession or obsessions.
Many compulsions are physical actions, but a person with obsessive-compulsive disorder might also have mental compulsions. This is seen frequently in people with obsessive-compulsive disorder who have no visible external compulsions. Mental compulsions present internally or in a person's mind instead of externally. Therefore, for example, someone with purely obsessive OCD who has no visible compulsions might have mental compulsions, which typically present as repetitive thoughts. Some examples of mental compulsions would be counting numbers in one's head or mentally repeating lucky phrases to relieve the fear affiliated with a person's obsession. Mental compulsions are no less distressing than other, more external forms of compulsions experienced by obsessive-compulsive disorder.
- Do Obsessions And Compulsions Affect Your Life Significantly?
To be diagnosed with obsessive-compulsive disorder, symptoms must affect your life or functioning. Obsessive-compulsive disorder can affect one's functioning in a number of ways. For example, it may affect someone's interpersonal relationships, attend events or engage in activities, and work or education. Since obsessive-compulsive disorder and the obsessions and compulsions that the disorder is characterized by are so frequently misunderstood, it can be hard for people living with OCD to find a sense of community or understanding. It can feel lonely to live with OCD sometimes, but it is important to remember that you are not alone. The good news is that, while there is no known cure for obsessive-compulsive disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder is a treatable mental health condition.
Types of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder
Many do not realize obsessive-compulsive disorder because there are a number of different subtypes of obsessive-compulsive disorder, meaning that it can manifest in a number of ways. Here are some of the common subtypes of obsessive-compulsive disorder or OCD:
Contamination OCD often includes obsessions with potential contamination and compulsions such as handwashing that relieve this extreme fear and obsession with contamination.
Symmetry OCD often includes an obsession with order and compulsions related to arranging objects until the object is arranged "just right."
Harm OCD, which often includes an obsession with potential harm and compulsions meant to prevent this harm, whether the compulsions would or would not logically reduce the potential of harm. An example of this is that someone might place things in front of the door to avoid a robbery, or they might repeat a phrase repeatedly due to an intrusive thought that says that if someone does not repeat this phrase, something that will happen. In any form of OCD, intrusive thought that prompts a compulsion is not the same as a hallucination or delusion. Even if someone has a logical understanding that the compulsion will not do what the intrusive thoughts say it will, the intrusive thoughts are so strong that it feels unwaveringly essential.
Relationship OCD, which includes obsessions related to one's romantic relationships. Someone with relationship OCD will often obsess over if their partner is "the one," if their partner loves them or not, and/or similar ideas.
Purely Obsessive OCD, which is again a form of OCD that is characterized by obsessions absent of any visible compulsions.
Religious OCD, also called "Scrupulosity," typically includes obsessions related to wondering if they have engaged in sinful behavior or mulling over if thoughts or actions would have consequences within their religion.
OCD Symptoms
Outside of obsessions and compulsions, a number of symptoms may occur in a person with obsessive-compulsive disorder. Potential symptoms affiliated with OCD include:
- Excessive fear or worry over losing control
- Feelings of guilt
- Feelings of depression
- Feelings of anxiety
- Hypervigilance
- Rituals or ritualistic behavior
- Repetitive words, phrases, or movements
- Isolation or withdrawal from others
Note that there are a number of common potential comorbid conditions that often occur in those with OCD. Common comorbidities of the obsessive-compulsive disorder include anxiety disorders and mood or depressive disorders. Risk factors affiliated with the obsessive-compulsive disorder include a family history of obsessive-compulsive disorder, personal history of another mental health condition, and life circumstances or traumas. That said, OCD could affect anyone.
What An OCD Quiz Can And Can't Do
An obsessive-compulsive disorder quiz can give your insight into your symptoms. It might be able to give you clarity that is more comprehensive if you are wondering if the symptoms you face might be due to OCD. What it cannot do is replace a diagnosis from a mental health provider. You might wonder, then, what the benefit of taking an obsessive-compulsive disorder test or screener might be. The answer is that when you gain an awareness of your symptoms, it can help you get that sense of clarity and validity so that you can reach out to a provider or such as your primary care physician, a therapist, or a psychiatrist who can diagnose you. If a quiz suggests that you have OCD symptoms and/or your obsessions, compulsions, and other symptoms are affecting your life, it is essential to reach out to a provider. You do not have to go through this alone, and non-invasive, effective forms of treatment for obsessive-compulsive disorder are out there.
The Diagnosis And Treatment Of OCD
To be diagnosed with obsessive-compulsive disorder, you may start by reaching out to a psychiatrist or your primary care physician. A primary care physician is your general doctor. If you do not have one, you can make an appointment with any general doctor who will be able to listen to you as you describe your symptoms and, if you choose, give you a referral to a therapist or psychiatrist. A form of cognitive-behavioral therapy or CBT, which is generally a short term but very effective form of treatment, called exposure and response prevention therapy or ERP, is a commonly used form of therapy for obsessive-compulsive disorder. For all information regarding specific treatments and therapies, please consult a medical or mental health professional.
Getting Support For OCD
To find someone in your local area who treats obsessive-compulsive disorder, you can search the web for "OCD therapist near me" or "OCD counselors near me." You can also use a provider locator tool such as the one on the mind diagnostics website. Many people find a mental health provider through online searches, online directories, contacting their insurance company, or asking their doctor for a referral. College students may have on-campus resources that are beneficial for students with mental health conditions or disorders.
Although it is not a replacement for OCD treatment, many people with OCD find solace in joining support groups that meet either online or in person, or through joining online forums for people living with obsessive-compulsive disorder. Popular forums for those with OCD include the obsessive-compulsive disorder forum on mentalhealthforum.net and the OCD forum on psychforums.com. If you seek a support group, you can search the web for "OCD support groups near me," check the International OCD Foundation (IOCDF) website's resource locator tool by clicking here or asking a mental health provider in your area who can give you a recommendation.
Take The Mind Diagnostics OCD Test
Are you looking for a "Do I have an OCD test?" If so, consider taking the Mind Diagnostics obsessive-compulsive disorder test. The Mind Diagnostics obsessive-compulsive disorder test is not a replacement for a diagnosis or evaluation from a medical or mental health professional. Still, it can give your insight into your symptoms and what you are going through. Although the obsessive-compulsive disorder can affect people of all ages, the Mind Diagnostics obsessive-compulsive disorder test is for those aged 18 and older.
Click here to take the Mind Diagnostics obsessive-compulsive disorder test.
