Obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) is not characterized as an anxiety disorder. This may seem surprising because the thought processes experienced when living with OCD most often are very anxiety provoking. However, OCD is a disorder characterized by the compulsive patterns experienced.

This mental health disorder is in a separate category within the diagnostic and statistical manual due to the repetitive and compulsive nature of the thought processes experienced. The types of thought processes and the motives in engaging in them is often the same regardless of the content. For this reason, if you catch yourself in particular thought patterns, you may be able to notice if you’re engaging in mental of physical compulsions.

Obsessive compulsive disorder is widely misunderstood and under-diagnosed. I hope that in identifying some of these compulsive thought patterns, even if your provider hasn’t identified that you may have OCD, you may have additional information to advocate for further assessment if it is appropriate. Knowledge is power! I can say for myself that I figured out on my own that I have OCD and had to educate my providers as to what OCD really is. I hope to share that awareness and empowerment.

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You may be engaging in a mental compulsion if:

• You review details of events in your head over and over again to be more sure of what happened and the outcome
• You repeatedly recall facts, details, create hypothesis and go on what is often called a “fact finding mission” in hopes to feel more certain
• You repeatedly rehearse a script on how to behave or what to say before a conversation or event in hopes to feel more sure
• You try to push thoughts out of mind. This is also called “thought-blocking”.
• You repeat positive or neutral words, phrases or mantras when having anxious or uncomfortable thoughts
• You think of contingency plans if your feared scenario were to be true (“I’ll run, pack a bag and leave the country if I have to”).

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Many often think of OCD symptoms as repeatedly checking, tapping or washing and cleaning. However, there are many symptoms of OCD that tend to go undetected.

Here are a list of physical compulsions that tend to go undetected:

• Confessing
• Seeking reassurance
• Googling/scouring Reddit
• Checking physical symptoms
• Calling loved ones repeatedly to ensure safety
• Throwing out food or objects that are deemed contaminated
• Scanning your body for physical sensations
• Overly distracting- flooding your attention to avoid obsessional thoughts

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What determines if something is a compulsion isn’t the act itself; often times compulsions can seem very normal upon first glance. However, the purpose behind the action, the emotion that is driving it and the amount of time spent completing these actions or thought processes daily is what determines if this behavior is a compulsion.

If you find yourself engaging repeatedly in thought processes or actions that are aimed to reduce discomfort or anxiety, and it is impacting your functioning, it may be a good idea to do further research and seek a specialist OCD therapist.

At Lux Behavioral Health we provide outpatient individual therapy to individuals with anxiety and OCD in Rhode Island and Massachusetts.