| Obsession | Description |
|---|
| Contamination | Irrational fear of contamination by dirt, germs, or other toxic substances. Typically accompanied by cleaning or washing compulsion. |
| Pathological doubt | Feeling of uncertainty about having accomplished a simple task. Recurring fear that you have inadvertently harmed someone or violated a law. Typically accompanied by checking compulsion. |
| Violent or sexual thoughts | Fear that you have harmed or will harm another person or have engaged or will engage in some sort of unacceptable behavior. May take the form of intrusive mental images or impulses. |
|
| Compulsion | Description |
|---|
| Washing | Urge to repeatedly wash yourself or clean your surroundings. Cleaning or washing may involve an elaborate, lengthy ritual. Often linked with contamination obsession. |
| Checking | Checking repeatedly to make sure that a simple task has been accomplished. Typically occurs in association with pathological doubt. Checking rituals may take hours. |
| Counting | Need to engage in certain behaviors a specific number of times or to count to a certain number before performing some action or task. |
| Symmetry and precision | Need for objects or actions to be perfectly symmetrical or in an exact order or position. Need to do or undo certain actions in an exact fashion. |
| Source: From Psychiatric Clinics of North America, 15, Rasmussen, Steven A.; & Eisen, Jane L., The epidemiology and clinical features of obsessive–compulsive disorder, 743–758, Copyright Elsevier (1992). |