No two people experience obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) the same. In fact, when it comes to diagnosis, OCD can be a broad definition.

There are five subtypes of OCD that people are prone to struggle with. These subtypes aren’t as strong as having OCD itself but can cause interferences with day-to-day life. ¹

That said, the goal of this article is to review each subtype in more detail.

What Are the Symptoms?

For all OCD subtypes, symptoms are relatively the same. These are divided into two categories: ²

Obsession Symptoms

• Aggressive thoughts
• Consistently repetitive thoughts
• Mental images that cause paranoia
• Necessity to make things symmetrical or perfectly ordered
• Phobia of contamination or germs
• Unwanted thoughts (especially, taboo thoughts)
• Urges

Compulsion Symptoms

• Constantly checking on something (i.e. making sure the door is locked)
• Intemperate cleaning and/or handwashing
• Necessity to order or arrange things precisely

It’s important to remember that not everyone will experience the same symptoms. Listed above are simply the most common symptoms of OCD.

If you suffer from any of the above, you most likely struggle with one of the following subtypes of OCD: ³

1.) Contamination Obsession (Cleaning Compulsion)

Do you worry a lot about being contaminated? Do you find yourself constantly cleaning or washing due to this worry?

If so, then you struggle with contamination obsession (or cleaning compulsion). This subtype runs deep into the mind and inhibits your thought process.

For example, you might be walking down a city street and need to hit a button for the crosswalk sign. You’ll immediately think of how contaminated that sign is and pull out some sanitizer (or run to the nearest bathroom to wash your hands).

2.) Harm Obsession (Checking Compulsion)

Do you feel as though you’re always in a state of danger? Do you constantly check to make sure you’re not in danger?

People struggling with harm obsession (or checking compulsion) are prone to repeatedly check potentially dangerous situations to make sure the hazard is relieved.

For example, you may be baking a sheet of cookies in your oven, well aware it’ll take 20 to 30 minutes to finish. Most people will go off and do something else until they hear the timer go off. However, you find yourself repeatedly walking back to the oven to make sure everything’s okay.

You worry the oven may leak gas or somehow catch fire. You think by always checking it, you can avoid these potential dangers.

3.) Hoarding

Do you find yourself collecting numerous items that have no value to anyone other than yourself? Do you find your living space becoming more and more claustrophobic?

Hoarding is the most recently recognized subtype of OCD. People who struggle with this usually have large amounts of random objects (anything from old magazines to boxes of unused knick-knacks) barricading their homes.

If you struggle with hoarding, you most likely have a fear of losing all of these possessions. You may place an emotional attachment to them and hold the belief that they’ll have importance at some point or another.

The danger in this thinking is it can lead to other emotional problems, such as anxiety and depression. ⁴

Some people who suffer from hoarding may not show any signs or symptoms of OCD. This is a disorder that can prevail independently.

4.) Obsession Without Visual Compulsion

Do you suffer from intrusive thoughts you haven’t told anyone about? Have you thought of yourself in situations you would never dare actually follow through with?

You may suffer from obsession without visual compulsion. This subtype is categorized by an undesired obsession taking control of your consciousness, usually in the following forms:

• Aggression
• Religion
• Sex

For example, on occasions, you may unwillingly begin to think about murdering someone. If you let this thought roll out, you’ll begin to actually visualize how the scenario will go through. However, due to the anxiety you have for such thoughts, you don’t usually get to this point of visualization.

Instead, you have “mental rituals” for the sake of holding back these thoughts. You may force yourself to think about another topic, count in your head, or even pray.

Many people who struggle with this subtype will avoid anything that may trigger these thoughts.

5.) Symmetry Obsession (Ordering Compulsion)

When it comes to OCD, symmetry obsession (or ordering compulsion) is one of the most common symptom subtypes associated with the disorder. However, the signs and symptoms categorized by this subtype go beyond fixing objects until they’re “just right”.

This subtype can enter the consciousness and get people trying to think “just right”.

For example, let’s say someone is completing a task and their OCD is triggered. To make things perfect, they’ll think of a sentence or random arrangement of words over and over again until they get the task “just right.” This is a mental exercise to make sure the physical outcome is accomplished perfectly.

People who struggle with this subtype usually believe this kind of arrangement will protect them in ways. Sometimes from something dangerous, sometimes from negative opinions of others.

References

¹ Leckman JF, Bloch MH, King RA. Symptom dimensions and subtypes of obsessive-compulsive disorder: a developmental perspective. Dialogues Clin Neurosci. 2009;11(1):21-33. doi: 10.31887/DCNS.2009.11.1/jfleckman. PMID: 19432385; PMCID: PMC3181902.

² 1. Obsessive-compulsive disorder. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services; [cited 2024 Apr 27]. Available from: https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/obsessive-compulsive-disorder-ocd

³ Schwartzman CM, Boisseau CL, Sibrava NJ, Mancebo MC, Eisen JL, Rasmussen SA. Symptom subtype and quality of life in obsessive-compulsive disorder. Psychiatry Res. 2017 Mar;249:307-310. doi: 10.1016/j.psychres.2017.01.025. Epub 2017 Jan 20. PMID: 28152463; PMCID: PMC5526338.

⁴ Frost RO, Steketee G, Tolin DF. Comorbidity in hoarding disorder. Depress Anxiety. 2011 Oct 3;28(10):876-84. doi: 10.1002/da.20861. Epub 2011 Jul 18. PMID: 21770000; PMCID: PMC3188689.