The Different Subtypes of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) | Dr. Rami Nader

Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) can be a confusing and difficult condition to understand. It is characterized by seemingly strange obsessive thoughts and bizarre rituals or compulsive behaviours that are hard to understand. This video reviews and discusses the different subtypes of OCD, giving a sense of the variability in how the condition presents in different people. It is important to note that, although OCD can present so differently in different people, the underlying process that is driving OCD is the same between all of the different subtypes. Specifically, the intrusive thoughts or obsessions cause distress, which person then feels a need to neutralize, thereby engaging in some sort of compulsive behaviour or thought to neutralize the distress from the obsession. This just serves to reinforce the obsession and drives the OCD cycle.
The eight different subtypes of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder include: contamination OCD, harm OCD, pedophilia OCD, sexual orientation OCD, relationship OCD, scrupulosity/religious OCD, “just right” or symmetry OCD and pure obsessional OCD.
For more information on Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, you can watch the videos in this OCD playlist: • Obsessive Compulsive D...
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10491 (72)

[@riazyusuf7477]

The intrusive thoughts are the worst u will never understand the torture until u going through it

[@jenniferirwin82]

Exactly!!! Not to try to be mean but for people that joke about mental illness. I kinda wish they would go through it, so they would understand how it feels. They couldn’t handle it. People that have these types of OCD never ever want to hurt anyone. Let alone their own child. It’s scary as hell. A lot of people that have this type of OCD have underlying childhood trauma and undiagnosed PTSD.

[@matthewhicks1574]

Harm ocd/pure o is hard as hell to live with but knowing I'm not alone is relieving. I've experienced most of these sub types and it's extremely hard finding therapists who understand it

[@kpsingh9810]

Even in foreign ?? I thought they had good doctors 😒😒

[@bones.and.botanicals]

Kambo and psilocybin habe helped me a lot. Wishing you the best🙏

[@joie.oliver]

Thanks a whole lot. I am now only learning about OCD and I didn't know that there are even subtypes to begin with. I have had these traits as a child with which I either managed to stabilize through compulsions and maladaptive behaviors. I am now in my early adulthood, imbued with these rituals, and confronting several major life changes. Everyday is a challenge. I can't afford therapy yet but I'll try to live more each day with the help of your videos.

[@KattKnipp]

I was officially diagnosed with OCD today. This is very bittersweet. It has been a long 29 years.

[@DrRamiNader]

I wish you all the best in your efforts to feel better.

[@KattKnipp]

@@DrRamiNader Thank You

[@sprayz390]

my therapist recently said that she believed i have OCD instead of bipolar disorder. so now i’m here!

[@DrRamiNader]

I hope you find some of the information helpful!

[@sprayz390]

@@DrRamiNader i did! it really did help! thank you very much!!!

[@DrRamiNader]

That's great to hear!

[@by_the_garden5482]

Same

[@britann0]

Is it common for OCD to result in cycles? I have a problem where if I want to cook, I have to have everything around me clean and organized.. for example the dishes in the cabinet or food in the fridge have to be organized and neat.. but once I start, I can’t stop. I’ll scrub the bathroom and organized the closets and by the time I’m done cleaning, no matter how long it takes and I finally cook. I find I’m too tired to clean up after and the mess or disorder will send me into a frustrated depressive state and I can’t bring myself to clean for days. I’ll even avoid coming home at my most extreme. Then something will just click and I’ll hyper focus on cleaning for hours and hours without stopping. It’s like this frustrating never ending cycle that I constantly think about.

[@DrRamiNader]

What you are describing is very common in OCD. It's part of the ritualized nature of the complusions.

[@britann0]

@@DrRamiNader Thanks

[@DrRamiNader]

@britannO 👍

[@BEE-od3li]

You can come to my house and clean and I will cook an amazing meal for you

[@sarahjane4719]

Oh my gosh, this sounds exactly like me. Hyper focus which leads to a crash which leads to depression and avoidance.

[@ukaszbadura5670]

I think the eight types you mentioned are examples. I think there are other subtypes as well, related to spending money, hoarding things, collecting, being stingy, constantly correcting other peoples behavior, over interpreting behavior of other people, senseless talking without allowing others to talk etc….

[@SamPlaysBass49]

It is very important to distinguish the ways OCD can manifest... the term "subtypes" typically denotes distinct causal disease etiologies, which these are not... they are simply different content types. The content is simply the costume which OCD wears. Most people with OCD do not fall into a subtype, rather they cycle through them, and the content is merely there to guide the process and inform exposure exercises. (Speaking as someone who treats OCD for a living)

[@DrRamiNader]

Good and nuanced points. Thanks for contributing to the channel.

[@SamPlaysBass49]

@@DrRamiNader thank you!

[@kpsingh9810]

I had harm OCD , religious OCD , contamination OCD , symmetrical OCD , sexual OCD for some time now I dont know what kind of OCD I have . Now I think I have pure O OCD . I m tired now and I don't feel enjoyment in my life , No excitement. I don't have any desire to live long , I m tired , for 10 year I have been struggling with OCD . I just want to spend my life anyhow

[@maraquindejrgensen-ye5nj]

It is very hard to live with OCD I am 56 years og I hsve just Foundation out last year at I have den horrible psykisk desase. But search for hælp

[@KobeJamesLim]

That's scary, are these professionally diagnosed though? You need to ask for help on these dude

[@haventhebeast6050]

I was just diagnosed with OCD. I get so scared of telling people my intrusive thoughts cause I'm afraid they'll misunderstand me and won't let me around certain people.

[@kylesalmon31]

Idk how to explain my obsessiveness. I obsess on all kinds of things, I can wake up in the middle of the night and be obsessing. If it’s my work, I will constantly look up videos or think about how to do better and I’ll wake up thinking about it, if I’m gaming I’ll do it a lot, skateboarding I’ll obsess on it. I did intermittent fasting for a while and I had to watch videos, read about it, be submerged in it. Something they all compound lol. It’s tiring haha

[@taoist32]

I wouldn’t’t call that OCD. You may be autistic. Having special interests that may last 3 months or longer. But of course, I wouldn’t diagnose you from what you have typed.

[@piperjaycie]

I have contamination OCD but I don’t have a fear of getting sick any more than the average person who does not have OCD. I asked a psychologist I saw about 5 years ago about this as it seemed most people with contamination OCD have the type where they are worried about sickness. The psychologist called the OCD I have disgust contamination OCD. The idea of getting another person’s perceived germs on my is horrifying as is the thought I will then transfer those germs to my house and things. My ocd started at 14 but at 16 my older sister was stabbed by a homeless man who broke into our parents house and she was killed. The PTSD from that made the OCD spiral out of control with constant cleaning. A psychologist said I clean because it makes me feel safer and more in control. I’m still working on recognising that when I feel the need to clean compulsively it is actually because I am feeling something else like threatened or scared. The OCD and PTSD are so intertwined with each other it has been very difficult almost completely ineffective to treat. I have had 16 years of therapy and nothing has helped except one intensive therapy block for just the PTSD.

[@coo4231]

My contamination ocd is also from disgust and not being necessarily sick. I totally relate. I can't even open mouth kiss a partner because the idea of saliva is disgusting to me. Smells are another really difficult one for me, trying not to be too triggering in what I write 😂 but it has to do with this same theme.

[@bethhawkes2679]

Very informative! Trying to educate myself on OCD since my youngest son was just recently diagnosed with it and is struggling a little bit. Thank you for your videos I will watch them all!

[@DrRamiNader]

You're very welcome, glad you have found the videos helpful.

[@kanchankanchu1205]

This is a gift video for me....thank you so much🥺🥺😣😣😣.....I am 17 since 4 yrs maybe I have changes in me ....continously thinking ...disturbed....constantly cleaning .....disturbed bcuz of it...thta numbers ...almost I have all the subtypes u explained...thank you so much🙏🙏🙏

[@DrRamiNader]

You're very welcome. Glad you found the video helpful.

[@joshuagreene5118]

Realizing I’ve got bad ocd while watching this video😂😂😂😂

[@celestica55]

Hey, for almost two years I’ve had intrusive thoughts and tic-like responses - started as screaming, hitting/slapping myself, a very loud “shut up” or “kill yourself”. Progressively changed to more subtle, quieter things but occasionally it gets bad I’ll be loud. Now it’s variations of “stop” “no”, “kill yourself”, “f off”, “shut up shut up”. I also shake my head a bit or close my eyes as I say it 🤷‍♀️. Also will repeat words if it isn’t instantly shaken off. Or if I’m watching something, repeating the sentence I heard or read with a slightly raised voice? When I’m in public it’s much less common and only a few times have I had my voice raised. I tend to twitch and utter something instead. I don’t really consciously make this switch though when i’m public. It’s all a split second, as soon as I “respond” it disappears. Sometimes I’ll have attacks of 5-10 in a minute then feel very anxious for hours after. On average it’s 15x a day, maybe 2-3 on a good day. I’ve been at home the majority of this time so it hasn’t really affected my life outside of home. I just don’t know what’s going on. It’s caused a lot of problems with my parents, but by now they see I really can’t control it. I haven’t found many answers online or know if it’s OCD, just that they’re not physically caused tics and that I can’t consciously premeditate the reaction. The thoughts aren’t really that bad, just past memories/situations that are by no means “serious”, just slightly uncomfortable in the moment or in hindsight.

[@nathilism]

God, I do this same thing, albeit to a lesser extent. If I think of something embarrassing or cringy from the past, I'll say "I hate myself" in my head and sometimes I clench my fists as I say it. Or I might do this kind of "silent scream", where I open my mouth wide and begin to scream but cut it off in my throat. I also have other 'tics' which developed in the last 5 years or so, but they aren't in response to thoughts, but situations. When I'm sat in a quiet room e.g in a meeting, my body will do a quick, short breath in - it feels like my diaphragm flutters. And when I am forced to stay still, for example for an eye exam or a haircut, my body will do the exact opposite and shiver randomly.

[@elierry]

It seems to me that I have almost every diagnosis, but I have not been diagnosed with any. I wear a mask. And behind the mask is chaos, in which I constitutionally try to find an order.

[@mariannamaximouse3605]

thank you for all this information. I have O.C.D myself and I'm studying more about it

[@DrRamiNader]

Hi Marianna - glad you found it helpful.

[@menace2societies]

Can you study Peripheral Vision OCD or Compulsive Staring OCD, it is the most difficult OCD to have

[@marcellacallison4223]

This video nailed it

[@YumWater]

Id say i suffer the most from just right ocd (sometimes symmetry busts in too), sexual ocd (worrying, denial, etc. Especially as Im going through puberty), pure o and sometimes checking ocd. It changes in periods for me a lot. I Also sometimes worry i havent washed my hands Well enough (where other times i dont Care to actually wash my hands it depends really) and wasting the dishes PROPERLY.

[@piperjaycie]

I have been asking my doctors for brain surgery for about 5 years now. They keep saying it’s not advised and a last resort as it so dangerous. My argument is this is not living anyway. OCD takes up several hours of my day. Most people with OCD as bad as mine don’t work because they can’t but I have found a job and a place which allows me to work 4 hours per day and have space and time to do ocd compulsions when I need to. Leaving the hose takes 2 hours. Showering takes almost another 2. It’s exhausting and it’s literally every single day. Do you have any thoughts or advice on the brain surgery route. Either the electrodes one or the cutting or lesions in the brain one?

[@DrRamiNader]

Unfortunately I don't know much about surgical options for OCD, as I am a psychologist.

[@robertsacia6245]

I agree. I want to kill myself everyday

[@BrandonLankford-u1s]

Thanks for your video I’ve had at least a touch of OCD all my life, but has been severe since about the age of 9. I’ve had a little bit of all the types, but mainly religious and contamination OCD. It is extremely difficult, but it is a blessing to know that I’m not alone and that others understand it. I will also say even though it sounds counter intuitive, my relationship with Jesus has made it so much easier. This is because my “religious OCD” and my relationship with God are two completely different things. The LORD has taught me that those intrusive thoughts are not from me. Although OCD is still a struggle and I often still give in to the compulsions, there’s little to no anxiety because deep down I know that these thoughts are not mine and even if I did think something bad God would forgive me for it. Sorry for the long comment 😂 I tend to be long winded especially in conversations about OCD😂

[@shaimaadoma]

Thank you! I just got diagnosed and the video helped me understand better, what aspects about my situation could have contributed to the diagnosis. Though I have to admit, while I want to learn about it, I'm scared that my brain might subconsciously pick up new ideas for ticks and thoughts to obsess about. Is this fear also part of the condition? I don't really trust myself in that matter, and feel like actively negating in my mind the examples that don't apply to me (yet) when I hear about them. 😓

[@DrRamiNader]

Anxiety is a very big part of OCD. I wish you all the best in your efforts to feel better.

[@shaimaadoma]

@@DrRamiNader Thank you so much 🙏

[@michelleveloni1329]

Well explained

[@DrRamiNader]

Hi Michelle, glad you found it helpful.

[@beepmiop3457]

WHY DOES KZbin KEEP RECOMEDING ME THIS IVE NEVER WATCHED ANYTHING LIKE THIS HELP

[@shelbywilliams1603]

Wow I have a couple of these 😢 this explains a lot.

[@DrRamiNader]

Glad you found the video helpful.

[@shelbywilliams1603]

@@DrRamiNader what about obsessional jealousy? Can this be a form of OCD. I’m constantly questioning my partner if he has seen attractive woman that day, or if he looked/talked to a woman? I’m constantly asking for reassurance and struggle to even goin public with him for fear of seeing attractive woman. I know this sounds crazy, I hear myself! But despite countless therapist, good old fashioned logic, and trying to have pure will power to stop…I’ve not made progress. It’s incredibly frustrating and not sure how to fix this. If I could just stop obsessing about this I would have a long time ago. My partner has done nothing to deserve this. Do I just need medication?

[@DrRamiNader]

Hi Shelby - I plan on doing a video about obsessional jealousy in the future, so I hope you will keep an eye out for that.

[@bigarms4341]

thank you dr for this great video 🙏🏻 but isnt there a type of ocd which include intrusive thoughts like im gonna have heart attack or my brian will stop or im feel like dying or you feel like all the time somthing bad gonna happen ?

[@DrRamiNader]

There are lots of different forms that OCD can take, these are just some of the more common versions.

[@mels.3750]

Big Arms, I have this and I've been diagnosed with anxiety and depression. During anxiety attacks I have intrusive thoughts that will not leave. They circle around in my brain in a loop and I can't get it to stop. I will try to find some kind of answer for uncertainty that will make the tape in my brain stop running in a loop. I believe this is OCD thinking.

[@skullmalice5287]

me realizing I experience 98% of these but am not diagnosed: nawww I don't have OCD

[@josebenitez8683]

My ocd is when I wear a outfit and then I get it messed up I can’t even think because I like fashion and when I want to look nice and my outfit turns out messed up I get upset

[@rg50868]

I cant diagnose anything but it looks like perfeccionism, not ocd.

[@LemoneyC]

Is there such a thing as thought compulsion? Where when having a thought or action or situation, there's an immediate thought compulsion to compensate

[@DrRamiNader]

Yes, a thought can be a compulsion as well.

[@nandini_10570]

Dr, is there any type of ocd of speaking everything that comes in mind even useless things....and Another is writing everything that I found new.... otherwise I will forget it

[@DrRamiNader]

I have heard of those variants of OCD.

[@tianamoana6535]

Thank you for this video, as a child I had a fear of underwear, i didn't like how it felt on my body, and i didn't like skirts or shorts especially if i had to wear underwear underneath.... I didn't like sheets, found them uncomfortable to sleep under. I now struggle with what i think might be religious ocd, i don't know for sure, but i always think disgusting towards jesus and god now and it seems to be a repeating thing, I swear and stuff in my thoughts to God, yet i started off in a positive state, loving the word of God now its just become a unhealthy connection with God

[@shelleybrady9085]

Where does compulsive counting sit in the OCD spectrum?

[@DrRamiNader]

Counting compulsions are very common in OCD.

[@justenglish4002]

A little girl was raped and killed, I have been suffering from these thoughts and images that are coming to my mind 24 7, I just can't take what she went through and those thoughts and images have been giving me so much pain, is it ocd or what?

[@arasanapalaivenugopalsrika1082]

I get obsessive thoughts that some harm will happen to my only daughter. I get lot of anxiety. What is this type of OCD

[@gitarkid61]

you don't seem to include intrusive thoughts which can be seriously debilitating...

[@DrRamiNader]

All of these intrusive thoughts can be seriously debilitating.

[@Planzenbieter]

Hi Guys! I‘m from Austria and a little bit desperate at this moment! After struggeling with anxiety and depression for some time a developed this very weird and devistating condition… i started getting these intense psycho-somatic symptoms (chest pain, headache, neck pain) and at first they seem to be random… then i noticed that specific symptoms would appear in specific situations (e.g. chest pain while sitting, neck pain while listening to music) and my brain somehow over time strenghtened these connections/conditionings to a point where now my chest starts to hurt when i think about /see a chair/table or my neck hurts when i think about music! it reminds me of pavlov‘s dog! feel like i‘m going crazy and no behaviorial therapist could help me so far! don‘t know if it‘s ocd, or somatic symptom disorder or a combination or something different! does anyone know something about this? maybe experience something similar? i‘m happy about every answer! thx

[@puggcash4860]

get to a doctor

[@rousch435]

I recently watched your video and wanted to share some thoughts. I found the content to be very interesting and informative, and I was genuinely eager to hear what you had to say. However, I was distracted by your frequent hard swallows, which were quite off-putting and became all I could think about. This made it difficult for me to focus on the subject matter you were presenting.

[@DrRamiNader]

Thanks for the feedback. Will try to be more mindful of that in future videos.

[@Sherman_13]

Don't mean it in a weird way but you have a very soothing voice.

[@DrRamiNader]

Thank you - a few people have commented on that and it's nice to hear.

[@bukamin7410]

for some reason, every now and then i get these weird eye movements making me either blink alot or flip my eyes after gaming or even randomly. Is thiss ocd. How do i fix it

[@baiaiaamjaajka]

I experience something similar and for me it’s tics so you could have tics too but we’re not the same person so it might be something different for you

[@m8nxy]

i dont know what this id but whenever i go somewhere new i have the need to touch an item???? like if i see the word yellow i would have to touch the letter o 2 times i dont know if thid id ocd or if im just weird

[@BEE-od3li]

I have to do this as well, sometimes it's turning the doorknob a certain amount of number of times, stepping on specific stones when I'm walking, fearing I have some type of breast cancer so I will touch my chest evenly amount of times to make sure that I don't get it. Stuff like that it's definitely some sort of OCD I'm trying to figure it out

[@m8nxy]

@@BEE-od3li yes!!!!! I have those too sorry for the super super late repose but yes I struggle with those too and I am not sure what it’s called yet still

[@m8nxy]

@@BEE-od3li I’ll let you know if I find it

[@baiaiaamjaajka]

that sounds very similar to OCD but I’m not a professional so I can’t know if you have OCD or not so you should speak to a professional about it if you want to find out if you have it or not

[@apostleofazathoth7696]

Try the noise reduction tool in audacity. Your voice is like silk!

[@DrRamiNader]

Thank you for your kind words 😊

[@Edgar-S]

Is there an ati-religion type of OCD? Because my terapist is suspecting OCD and many of the things you say ring a bell. But when you mentioned religious OCD, I do seek reassurence that I have nothing to do with religion. Every single day I spend my time hating religion and the concept of it to an obsessive level. Is that a thing?

[@DrRamiNader]

There are lots of variations of OCD, I just covered some of the more common.

[@tesheyafrancis9542]

can you do schizoaffective disorder next?

[@DrRamiNader]

This is not an area I have a lot of experience in, but I can add it to my list of future video ideas. Thanks.

[@mrduck4850]

What’s that

[@mrduck4850]

Sorry

[@baiaiaamjaajka]

@@mrduck4850schizophrenia + a mood disorder like major depression or bipolar disorder

[@ikudane5423]

im cooked

[@maybemints]

Fireeeee 🔥🔥🔥🔥

[@markk2745]

This guy making things more complicated than they are. All of this is just ocd there are no subtypes and levels and multi-level marketing and whatever else nonsense you want to come up with it's all ocd. Hiccup literally make 1 million different categories using this kind of logic.