Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is a condition marked by excessive orderliness, attention to detail, and perfectionism. In people with OCD, it’s likely the condition takes over their lives in a negative manner. However, some may find their symptoms aren’t getting in the way of their daily life. In such instances, you may wonder how to know if you have mild OCD.

Unfortunately, mild forms of the condition aren’t as well-researched as chronic forms. Still, it’s possible to understand whether or not you have a mild struggle and what you can do to overcome it.

What is Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder?

Before we discuss mild OCD, it’s in our interest to understand what this condition typically looks like. To be diagnosed with OCD, you must experience uncontrollable, reoccurring thoughts (obsessions), followed by ritualistic behaviors (compulsions). ¹ While it’s possible for someone to experience both obsessions and compulsions, some may just experience one or the other.

In most people with OCD, the condition interferes with many aspects of their lives through the following symptoms:

Obsession symptoms are repeated thoughts that cause anxiety.

• Aggressive thoughts about oneself or others
• Desire to have things placed in symmetrical order
• Fear of contamination (i.e. germs)
• Undesired forbidden thoughts (i.e. about sex or harm)

Compulsive symptoms are repeated behaviors performed to relieve obsessive thoughts.

• Compulsive counting
• Constantly checking on things (i.e. if a door is locked)
• Ordering and arranging things in a precise manner
• Vigorous cleaning or handwashing

Symptoms of OCD aren’t consistent like other mental health disorders. They may come and go, get better over time, or worsen. The severity of your symptoms will determine if you struggle with mild or chronic OCD.

What Causes OCD?

It remains unclear what causes OCD, but we do know some risk factors:

• Brain Structure and Functioning – Image studies have revealed that the frontal cortex and subcortical structures in the brain are different within those with OCD. ²

• Environment – Some studies have reported that aspects of our environment can lead to OCD. Most notably, childhood trauma. ³

• Genetics – If someone within your immediate family (i.e. parent, sibling) has OCD, you have a higher chance of developing it. ⁴

While it varies for everyone, most people are diagnosed with OCD by the age of 19. However, there are cases where it can appear after 35. With that said, the early signs of OCD may not be immediately detectable.

How to Know if You Have Mild OCD

To figure out if you have mild OCD or not, it can help to identify specific signs and symptoms. The following is a compilation of the most common OCD obsessions and compulsions. However, there are two things to consider before reading on:

1. It’s unlikely you struggle with every symptom mentioned here.
2. For the symptoms you do struggle with, the effects are likely to be mild.

We invite you to follow along as we take a deeper look at the ten most common signs of OCD:

1.) You Wash Your Hands Frequently

Constant hand-washing and hand sanitization have become one of the most common traits of OCD. Most often, the desire to wash your hands is produced by the obsessive fear of germs. However, you may also feel you have a moral duty to do so (i.e. you don’t want to make other people sick).

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, handwashing has become more common among the general population. It’s not necessarily an issue unless you worry about germs even after washing your hands.

Furthermore, people with OCD tend to worry about irrational diseases (i.e. contracting HIV from touching an object).

2.) You Compulsively Clean

“Washers” or people who compulsively clean are another common category of OCD patients. Similarly to hand-washing, people in this category tend to have an obsessive fear of germs or feeling impure.

While cleaning should help suppress this anxiety, you may continue to worry even after cleaning. On top of that, you may experience anxiety when you go a day without cleaning your environment.

3.) You Struggle with Checking Behavior

Do you check your stove multiple times to ensure it’s off? Or have you gone to your door several times before bed to ensure it’s locked?

If so, you struggle with checking behavior – the compulsion to constantly check objects to ensure they’re in order. While it’s not the most common symptom of OCD, it does affect 30% of people with the disorder.

Naturally, we all double-check objects from time to time. It’s OCD when this checking becomes ritualistic. For example, you may find yourself checking the oven exactly three times.

Even in mild forms, checking behavior requires different treatment methods than other forms of OCD.

4.) You Perform Tasks to Number Patterns

Since orderly thoughts are a common instance of OCD, people will relieve these thoughts in different manners. One way is by performing activities in a numerical sense. For example, you may count the stairs as you walk up them or how many steps you take when you walk.

The cause of number patterns isn’t clear, but some scientists believe it has to do with superstitions. ⁵ For example, people may place good luck on the number seven and bad luck on the number 13. Therefore, during a task, they may purposefully take seven steps and avoid taking 13.

However, counting behavior isn’t always a concern for people with OCD. If you find that it doesn’t inhibit your daily life (or interfere with others), it’s likely not an issue to identify.

5.) You Need Things Organized

Continuing with orderly thoughts, some may find the best way to relieve these is through organization. Whether it’s making sure every object in a drawer is placed just right or coming up with a symmetrical interior design, these behaviors can become a problem.

Most people will just brush off this behavior as neat. However, it can lead to unnecessary anxiety. For example, if you visit a friend’s house, their setup may make you anxious.

6.) You Struggle with Fears of Violence

It’s in our instinct to want to avoid violence or misfortunate situations. However, in people with OCD, the fear of violence becomes so irrational that it may consume their daily lives.

Where these thoughts originate is unclear, but some research suggests they may be a product of previously experienced trauma. ⁶

Everyone struggles with dark thoughts from time to time. However, if you avoid certain areas (i.e. parks) to escape violence, you may struggle with OCD.

7.) You Have Unwanted Sexual Thoughts

Just like unwanted orderly thoughts, some people instead struggle with forbidden or taboo sexual thoughts. These can range in a variety of topics, from groping a coworker to getting confused over whether or not you’re gay.

Such thoughts are common in many people, even those without OCD. However, those with OCD may assume they’re the only ones with such thoughts or that they’re a horrible person for having such thoughts. ⁷

Sometimes, people may even change their behaviors due to these thoughts. For example, a person who thinks about groping their coworker may avoid them at all costs.

8.) You Dissect Your Relationships

Some people with OCD may find themselves obsessively thinking about relationships. Beyond romantic relationships, this can also be family, friends, or co-workers.

Most often, people with this type of OCD will constantly think of one event that may have had a negative outcome. For example, you may wonder whether or not a comment you made to a friend alienated them from you.

Such occurrences are also common among most people. Therefore, becoming obsessive after a romantic break-up isn’t necessarily a sign of OCD. However, if you find yourself continually recalling events and, in turn, deeming yourself a bad person, there’s a chance you struggle with OCD.

9.) You Always Seek Reassurance

As we’ve discussed, OCD is a type of anxiety that usually originates through obsessive thoughts. While everyone relieves these thoughts differently, some may find the best antidote is through reassurance from friends and family. ⁸

For example, if you embarrass yourself at a family gathering, you may constantly ask your family about the incident. Or, if you’ve recently moved in with a significant other, you may always ask them whether or not the house is dirty.

It’s natural for us to use our friends as a way to reassure our own values. But if you find yourself repeating the same questions to your relationships, you may struggle with OCD.

10.) You Obsess Over Your Looks

Body dysmorphic disorder (BDD) is similar to OCD in the sense that a person will obsess over aspects of their body that aren’t perfect. ⁹ The obsessions here are usually specific areas that one thinks are unattractive or abnormal (i.e. hair, nose, or skin) and the compulsions are doing anything to fix those areas.

As with other signs on our list, it’s natural for anyone to not like certain aspects of their image. BDD isn’t a concern until you spend hours a day in front of the mirror, overlooking every minor detail.

BDD is different from an eating disorder as those who struggle with it don’t tend to focus on diet or weight changes. ¹⁰

What Does Mild OCD Look Like?

While research concerning mild OCD is slim, one study found that only 15% of adults diagnosed with the disorder have mild impairment. ¹¹ Since this is a small percentage of the OCD population, it may be assumed that it’s insignificant.

However, it’s very likely many people who struggle with mild OCD aren’t diagnosed. Since mild OCD symptoms don’t overwhelm a person’s daily life, they’re less likely to seek out medical treatment.

The best way to determine if you have a mild form of this condition is to go over an OCD symptoms checklist (as we’ve laid out above) or an OCD test. From there, you’ll want to consider how much these symptoms play a role in your life. For example, if you find they inhibit daily activities, you likely struggle with a more severe form of OCD.

Even if you do determine you have mild OCD, it can be beneficial to discuss it with your healthcare provider. Without proper treatment, OCD can worsen over time. Furthermore, by identifying which type of OCD you have, you can take the right steps to resolve symptoms.

Final Word

While mild OCD isn’t as much a concern as moderate or severe OCD, that doesn’t take away from the fact that it may harm your life. If you’ve been able to identify mild OCD symptoms, chances are you can also identify a treatment plan that will work best for you.

References

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² Huey ED, Zahn R, Krueger F, Moll J, Kapogiannis D, Wassermann EM, Grafman J. A psychological and neuroanatomical model of obsessive-compulsive disorder. J Neuropsychiatry Clin Neurosci. 2008 Fall;20(4):390-408. doi: 10.1176/jnp.2008.20.4.390. PMID: 19196924; PMCID: PMC4476073.

³ Dykshoorn KL. Trauma-related obsessive-compulsive disorder: a review. Health Psychol Behav Med. 2014 Jan 1;2(1):517-528. doi: 10.1080/21642850.2014.905207. Epub 2014 Apr 23. PMID: 25750799; PMCID: PMC4346088.

⁴ Pauls DL. The genetics of obsessive-compulsive disorder: a review. Dialogues Clin Neurosci. 2010;12(2):149-63. doi: 10.31887/DCNS.2010.12.2/dpauls. PMID: 20623920; PMCID: PMC3181951.

⁵ Brugger P, Viaud-Delmon I. Superstitiousness in obsessive-compulsive disorder. Dialogues Clin Neurosci. 2010;12(2):250-4. doi: 10.31887/DCNS.2010.12.2/pbrugger. PMID: 20623929; PMCID: PMC3181957.

⁶ Miller ML, Brock RL. The effect of trauma on the severity of obsessive-compulsive spectrum symptoms: A meta-analysis. J Anxiety Disord. 2017 Apr;47:29-44. doi: 10.1016/j.janxdis.2017.02.005. Epub 2017 Feb 14. PMID: 28242410.

⁷ Williams MT, Farris SG. Sexual orientation obsessions in obsessive-compulsive disorder: prevalence and correlates. Psychiatry Res. 2011 May 15;187(1-2):156-9. doi: 10.1016/j.psychres.2010.10.019. Epub 2010 Nov 20. PMID: 21094531; PMCID: PMC3070770.

⁸ Haciomeroglu B. The role of reassurance seeking in obsessive compulsive disorder: the associations between reassurance seeking, dysfunctional beliefs, negative emotions, and obsessive- compulsive symptoms. BMC Psychiatry. 2020 Jul 7;20(1):356. doi: 10.1186/s12888-020-02766-y. PMID: 32635924; PMCID: PMC7339499.

⁹ Phillips KA. Body dysmorphic disorder: recognizing and treating imagined ugliness. World Psychiatry. 2004 Feb;3(1):12-7. PMID: 16633443; PMCID: PMC1414653.

¹⁰ Balasundaram P, Santhanam P. Eating Disorders. 2023 Jun 26. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2024 Jan–. PMID: 33620794.

¹¹ Rapp AM, Bergman RL, Piacentini J, McGuire JF. Evidence-Based Assessment of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder. J Cent Nerv Syst Dis. 2016 Aug 21;8:13-29. doi: 10.4137/JCNSD.S38359. PMID: 27594793; PMCID: PMC4994744.