Common Fears & OCD Subtypes
OCD subtypes can help people to find community with others who share similar experiences, and they can assist therapists in designing targeted treatment plans, but they don't tell the whole story. If you can't find your subtype, that doesn't mean you don't have OCD—everyone's experience is unique, and many people's OCD symptoms don't fit neatly into any specific theme.
Health and Contamination OCD
Health Concern/Contamination OCD is a subtype of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) where a person experiences obsessive thoughts around fears of becoming contaminated, contaminating others, or contracting and spreading a disease. These obsessive thoughts drive people to engage in various compulsions aimed at alleviating their anxieties about contamination (e.g., showering for hours or until they feel clean).
Fear of taking medication in OCD is characterized by unwanted and intrusive thoughts/images about adverse reactions to medications.
Reviewed by Patrick McGrath, PhD
Fear of paralysis in Health Concern OCD causes intrusive, unwanted thoughts and/or images of being paralyzed.
Reviewed by Patrick McGrath, PhD
If you find yourself perpetually concerned that your food has been tainted in some fashion—maybe even poisoned—that may be a sign of OCD.
Reviewed by Taylor Newendorp
If you’re worried about or afraid of using your pencil or being harmed by it, that may be a sign that you have OCD.
Reviewed by Taylor Newendorp
Fear of allergic reactions in OCD is characterized by unwanted and intrusive thoughts about the possibility of having an allergic reaction.
Reviewed by Taylor Newendorp
In OCD, contamination fears can manifest around food and eating, making it difficult to differentiate from a diagnosable eating disorder.
Reviewed by Taylor Newendorp
OCD fear of pulmonary embolism includes intrusive thoughts such as "What if I get a Pulmonary Embolism?" and/or images of suffering one.
Reviewed by Taylor Newendorp
People with fear of magical thinking OCD think they have the power to prevent something bad from happening by performing a certain behaviors.
Fear of Ebola OCD involves fears that develop into obsessions about contracting or spreading the Ebola virus.
Reviewed by Patrick Carey
Panic Attack OCD involves intrusive, recurring, and distressing thoughts related to the fear of experiencing a panic attack.
Reviewed by Taylor Newendorp