You’ve probably heard someone exclaim, “I’m so OCD about my desk!” or “I think I left the stove on”. Perhaps you’ve expressed a similar sentiment yourself, as most of us occasionally do. However, it doesn’t mean you actually have OCD, a serious, often debilitating condition.
Some people take self-tests that can indicate potential OCD. However, these tests are not complete medical assessments. They require clinical confirmation for a diagnosis.
In this article, I outline key signs of OCD, clarify the purpose and limits of online OCD tests, and provide guidance on seeking professional help.
What is OCD? Separating Symptoms from Stereotypes
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) is a mental health disorder. It’s characterized by a cycle of obsessions and compulsions.
Obsessions are unwanted intrusive thoughts, images, or urges causing intense anxiety.
Compulsions are repetitive behaviors or mental acts performed to neutralize the anxiety. OCD affects about 2 out of every 100 people in the U.S. [1].
Typically, OCD occurs in a vicious cycle:
Obsession → Anxiety → Compulsion → Temporary Relief → Return of Obsession.
The compulsions are exhausting attempts to manage distress with the goal of avoiding a feared outcome, not perfection.
Obsessions can range from the ordinary (“Did I lock the door?”) to the bizarre (“I may go into an alternate reality if I think the wrong thought”). It is not the content but the quality of the thoughts as intrusive, unwanted, and difficult to suppress that makes them obsessions rather than delusions [2].
OCD is sometimes called the “doubting disease” because pathological doubt fuels the symptoms for most people with the disorder.
Common Themes of Obsessions and Compulsions
This table provides a helpful summary so you can recognize the ways OCD can be experienced, courtesy of CAMH [2].
| Obsession | Description/Examples |
| Contamination | Concerns about dirt, germs, body waste, illness |
| Symmetry | Needing things “just so,” even or lined up in a certain arbitrary way |
| Aggressive | Usually focused on inadvertent harm, e.g., being responsible for a fire or break-in; horrific thoughts or images of deliberately harming others |
| Sexual | Disturbing sexual thoughts not consistent with one’s orientation or cultural norms, e.g., a gay person having unpleasant heteroerotic thoughts, having unwanted sexual thoughts about children |
| Religious | Thoughts about selling one’s soul to the devil; inappropriate thoughts about major religious figures; anxiety about committing a mortal sin |
| Somatic | Exaggerated fears of contracting a serious illness in the absence of an identifiable high risk |
| Washing | Excessive hand-washing, showering, and cleaning |
| Checking | Repeatedly turning the stove on and off, driving around the block to make sure one hasn’t hit anyone, repeatedly asking for reassurance |
| Ordering | Folding clothes “just so”; arranging all cans in the cupboard so labels face outward |
| Counting | Performing actions a certain arbitrary number of times, e.g., tapping each foot four times when getting out of bed |
| Repeating | Actions typically done to “cancel” out a bad thought or until it feels “right”; e.g., repeatedly going up and down the stairs or flushing the toilet |
The “OCD Test”: A Starting Point, Not a Diagnosis
You can easily find OCD tests online. These are generally quizzes, such as the Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale screener, and are self-assessment tools, not diagnostic instruments. They serve several purposes:
- To increase self-awareness and put a name to experiences.
- To try to identify and assess symptoms.
- To provide information to discuss with a medical professional.
Usually a medical assessment focuses on these common themes:
- Time: How much time do your obsessions and compulsions consume daily?
- Distress: How much anxiety or discomfort do they cause?
- Interference: What is their impact on work, social life, or daily routines?
- Resistance: How hard is it to ignore the obsession or resist the compulsion?
Only a qualified mental health professional can provide an official diagnosis. Self-diagnosis has risks and may miss other conditions (e.g., Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD), Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), and OCD Spectrum Disorders.
When to Seek Help: 8 Red Flags and Life Impact
Signs that indicate it’s time to move from a self-test to professional consultation include [1] [3] [4]:
- The 1-Hour Rule: If obsessions/compulsions occupy more than one hour per day.
- Distress: When significant and persistent anxiety, shame, or emotional pain is caused by the thoughts and behaviors.
- Interference: The symptoms actively interfere with important areas of life.
- Work and Academics: The compulsions lead to missing deadlines, inability to focus, and avoiding tasks.
- Relationships: Rituals cause uncomfortable interactions with family and friends.
- Daily Functioning: If you are spending excessive time on routines (cleaning, checking, ordering) and avoiding places or situations.
- Lack of Insight: You feel powerless, despite knowing your fears are irrational.
- The Cost of Coping: You feel exhausted, depressed, or hopeless from the energy spent managing your illness.
How To Seek Help: Taking the Next Steps
Outcomes are improved by early intervention with therapies like ERP, CBT, and medication.
- Talk to your doctor, who will help rule out other conditions.
- Find the right medical specialist for treating OCD.
- In the first appointment, the specialist will conduct a clinical interview. They will discuss your thoughts, behaviors, history, and impact. It’s helpful to bring notes from your self-assessment.
ERP: The Gold-Standard Treatment: Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) is the most evidence-based psychotherapy for OCD. Medication (typically antidepressant SSRIs) can also be an effective tool, often used in combination with ERP.
Finding Support for Healing at Corner Canyon
Treatment for mental health conditions and trauma is available in Utah. Are you or a loved one looking for a compassionate space to heal from OCD, anxiety, trauma, PTSD, CPTSD, other mental health conditions, or addictions? Our licensed trauma-informed professional therapists and counselors at Corner Canyon Health Centers can provide compassionate help using a range of therapeutic and holistic techniques.
Reach out to our Admissions team now at Corner Canyon. We’re in a peaceful setting bordered by the beautiful Wasatch Mountains.
Sources
[1] ClevelandClinic.org. 2025. Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD).
[2] CAMH. nd. OCD: Screening and Assessment. Table courtesy of Peggy A. Richter and Steven Selchen “The patient with obsessive compulsive disorder” in Psychiatry in primary care by CAMH (2019).
[3] AlliedPsychiatry.com. nd. Signs That Your OCD Could Benefit From Medical Help.
[4] MayoClinic.org. nd. Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD)