OCD Subtypes
Two people with OCD can look very different. Subtypes are commonly based on themes of the symptoms, but this isn't clear cut - mixed OCD presentations are common and can often overlap.
Reserach suggests that other subtupe classications might also be important:
- wheher or not tics ar epresent
- whether symptoms are triggered by internal or external cues
- on the basic of comorbid conditions
-early versus late onset
There is no one way to experience OCD.
Your particular OCD experience may closely resemble other people with similar themes, e.g., two people with Pure O may have very similar obsessive themes and mental compulsions.
Or your experience might be quite different! (E.g., your Pure O might have different types of triggers etc).
This is all ok and to be expected, and ultimately clinicians are more interested in the underlying themes than the symptoms.
Note for clinicians:
There is a lot of variability in how OCD may present and so it is important for researchers and clinicians to not only explore the disorders symptoms, but the underlying dimensions
Can you be a “little bit OCD?”
No. The “D” in OCD stands for Disorder. This means that the obsessions and compulsions are not just annoying but highly distressing, and/or significantly impact on someone's quality of life.
Most people have had unwanted thoughts, and the urge to do something about them. For instance, many people can relate to the doubt of “did I lock the front door?” and the urge to go back and check. While some people might use the term “a little bit OCD” to refer to cleanliness, or a preference for order, this undermines the disorder element of disabling OCD.
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