Unusual Fears and Worries in OCD

Many Rare Forms of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder are Unrecognized

Although cleaning and arranging are the most common worries you will hear about when people discuss OCD, there are some lesser known signs and symptoms that are also a part of this challenging disorder. Below we discuss symptoms of OCD that are not unusual, but they are less common, as well as some truly unusual variations.

Some less common forms of OCD:

• Relationship Obsessions
• Somatic (Body-Focused) Obsessions
• Existential Obsessions
• Need to Know Obsessions

Less Common OCD Obsessions

Here we describe some lesser known worries in OCD, followed by some very rare obsessions.

Relationship Obsessions

Relationship worries in OCD, also sometimes called ROCD, is a kind of OCD in which the sufferer experiences intrusive and distressing thoughts about their feelings of attraction or love for their significant other. Obsessions in ROCD include a preoccupation with the relationship or doubting whether their spouse is the right one, or contemplating the overall attractiveness, desirability, or future compatibility of their loved one. Obsessions often arise in otherwise healthy relationships, which can cause new relationships problems of their own.

Somatic Obsessions

Somatic obsessions refer to a hyperawareness of various bodily sensations. These are intrusive thoughts that draw attention to body processes like breathing, blinking, swallowing, body position, ringing in the ears, dull pain in the joints, or awareness of normal occurrences like itching, being full, or heart rate. Somatic obsessions are sometimes called sensorimotor or somatoform obsessions, which can lead to somatic compulsions.

Existential Obsessions

Existential obsessions in OCD occur when a person can't stop thinking about questions that may be philosophical or spiritual in nature. The questions usually revolve around the meaning or purpose of life, or one's own existence. Sometimes people with sort of OCD worry that they may not be real or that life might be an illusion. Many people ponder these sort of issues, but most people can stop thinking about these topics when they want and move on to other things. But people with this form of OCD will continue to be distressed as they unable to arrive at permanently satisfying answers.

Like The Matrix, existential OCD can make you question reality. Image source here.

Need to Know Obsessions

Many people with OCD feel a burning need to know specific information. In these cases, if a person hears part of some information, they can't move on until they hear the rest. For example, if they see a billboard on the highway, they might drive back to see the rest if they could not read it all when they passed the sign initially. This could also include the need to remember unimportant information, such as names of movies or song lyrics.

Fear of Saying the Wrong Thing

Sometimes people with OCD have a fear of saying certain things. For example, some people with this worry may avoid social situations out of a fear of blurting out something silly, offensive, even racist. These fears can even have a magical quality, and as such they might worry that saying certiain words will make something bad happen. Conversely, some people with OCD have a fear of not saying just the right thing, and then worry about not being perfectly understood by others.

Unusual Worries in OCD

Cell Phone Icons Jiggle

One client came into treatment due to intense anxiety when seeing the icons on his iPhone "jiggle." He had the sudden thought that the icons were trying to escape from his phone. This happened to him more than once, and each time the client had a surge of panic. He also had the thought that the icons were watching him or looking at him in some way. After the first incident, he also became reactive and anxious upon seeing other clusters of objects, such as the buttons on his TV remote and the holes in blue cheese. Remotes with the highest contrast between buttons and background made him the most anxious.

Other Unusual OCD Obsessions

• Being bothered by certain sounds or noises (e.g., sound of chewing food)
• Intrusive (non-violent) mental images (e.g., cartoons, faces, or clouds)
• Intrusive nonsense sounds, words, or music that pop into a person's head and won't go away
• Losing one's personality or positive qualities
• Fear of losing important things (e.g., keys, wallet, etc.)
• Fear of vomiting (also called emetophobia)

Related Research

Jang, S. J. (2016). Existential Spirituality, Religiosity, and Symptoms of Anxiety-Related Disorders: A Study of Belief in Ultimate Truth and Meaning in Life. Journal of Psychology and Theology, 44(3), 213–229.