The Unexpected Symptoms of OCD

There is more to obsessive-compulsive disorder than what is portrayed on TV

- Christina Caron

When most people think of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), they may picture behaviours they have seen on TV - like repetitive hand-washing, flicking light switches on and off, and meticulously arranging small items over and over.

But the disorder manifests in many other ways. Some patients obsess over thoughts that they might hurt someone, while others fixate on certain aspects of their personal relationships.

American comedienne Maria Bamford, for example, has called her OCD "unwanted thoughts syndrome." On talk show The Late Show With Stephen Colbert, she shared a story about how she could not stop thinking horrific thoughts about her family members.

On social media, people describe many types of obsessions and compulsions: "relationship OCD," "sexual orientation OCD," "emotional contamination OCD."

These are not separate diagnoses, but different expressions of the same disorder - much like how people with phobias can suffer from different fears, said Dr Carolyn Rodriguez, an OCD expert and professor of psychiatry and behavioural sciences at Stanford Medicine.

Understanding these distinctions can help clinicians tailor a precise treatment plan, she added. And they are important for the public to grasp as well. Otherwise, people who experience the disorder might not recognize that they have it, Dr Rodriguez said.

People who are fearful of harming others might think, "Maybe I am a murderer," she added. "If I tell anybody these things, I'm going to be put in jail."