What are other examples of behaviors typical of people who suffer from OCD?
People who do the following may have OCD: • repeatedly check things, perhaps dozens of times, before feeling secure enough to go to sleep or leave the house. Is the stove off? Is the door locked? Is the alarm set? • fear they will harm others. Example: A man’s car hits a pothole on a city street and he fears it was actually a body. • feel dirty and contaminated. Example: A woman is fearful of touching her baby because she might contaminate the child. • constantly arrange and order things. Example: A child can’t go to sleep unless he lines up all his shoes correctly. • are excessively concerned with body imperfections — insist on numerous plastic surgeries, or spend many, many hours a day body-building. • are ruled by numbers, believing that certain numbers represent good and others represent evil. • are excessively concerned with sin or blasphemy. Is OCD commonly recognized by professionals? Not nearly commonly enough. OCD is often misdiagnosed, and it is often underdiagnosed. Many pe
