A)  The following is a common list of obsessions which the typical OCD sufferer might be struggling with.  You may be struggling with one, a couple or similar obsessions that are not on this list:

• You are afraid of germs, poisons, or other contaminants in your environment and food
• You are afraid of hurting someone else or harm coming to someone you care about
• You are afraid of making a mistake
• You are afraid of behaving or being perceived in an embarrassing or socially unacceptable manner
• You are afraid of aggressive, evil or terrible thoughts that scroll through your mind unbidden and unwanted
• You need things to be orderly and in their correct place
• You are always very worried and need constant reassurance
• You have repetitious worries or doubts

B) These fears and doubts often manifest in the following way:

• You are afraid of being contaminated when shaking hands or touching objects others have touched
• You are unsure whether you´ve shut off the lights, locked the door, or turned off the stove
• You worry that you´ve hit someone with your car
• You get very upset when objects are not arranged in the correct way
• You are afraid of hurting your child or other loved one
• You feel a compulsion to shout obscene words at inappropriate times
• You have phobic avoidance of anxiety producing situations
• You have unwanted pornographic images play through your mind
• Your skin is dry and chapped from frequent hand washing
• You have skin lesions from nervously picking at the skin on your hands or other places.
• You pull your hair and have some hair loss or baldness as a result.

This is not an exhaustive list, and obsessions and behaviors can either resemble or not resemble what´s listed above.

C) Common compulsions include:

• Repeatedly bathing, showering or washing hands
• Refusing to shake hands or touch doorknobs
• Repeatedly checking things, such as locks or stoves
• Constant counting, mentally or aloud, while performing routine tasks
• Constantly arranging things in a certain way
• Eating foods in a specific order
• Being stuck on words, images or thoughts, usually disturbing, that won´t go away and can interfere with sleep
• Repeating specific words, phrases or prayers
• Needing to perform tasks a certain number of times
• Collecting or hoarding items with no apparent value
• Needing constant reassurance

There are a number of biological and environmental factors that can contribute to or cause obsessive compulsive disorder. There is a possible link between low levels of serotonin, a neurotransmitter that helps the nerve cells in your body to communicate, and OCD. This is why prescription drugs that can deal with this imbalance are often at least partially helpful in resolving some of the effects of OCD.

Low levels of serotonin may be a genetic trait passed on from parents to children so the tendency to develop OCD may be an inherited risk. There is also a link between the development of OCD in children and an untreated infection caused by streptococcus bacteria.

Obsessive-compulsive disorder is color blind and age blind. It affects over 3 million adults and 1 million children in the United States. Rich or poor, old or young, male or female, you can be plagued by the obsessions and compulsions of this anxiety driven disorder.

OCD can arise in children as young as 10 or emerge in adulthood. An important component of any OCD diagnosis is the excessive and distracting or damaging interference in your daily life. OCD will not just go away with the wave of a magic wand. It needs to be treated so it doesn´t worsen and it doesn´t continue to have a detrimental affect on your life.