What are the signs of OCD?
Last updated September 3, 2026.
Obsessions - intrusive, unwanted thoughts that spike anxiety - plus compulsions, the rituals done to quiet them: washing, checking, counting, arranging, reassurance-seeking. The markers of clinical OCD, per NIMH: the thoughts are uncontrollable and unwanted, the rituals bring only brief relief, and the cycle is time-consuming - often an hour-plus a day - and interferes with daily life. Onset is usually late childhood to young adulthood. It is very treatable: exposure and response prevention (ERP) is the specialized therapy, and SSRIs help many.
What to do
- Name the loop out loud. "Intrusive thought, ritual, brief relief, repeat" - that description gets a clinician oriented fast.
- Time it. An hour-plus a day on obsessions or rituals is the clinical yardstick.
- Ask for ERP specifically. Exposure and response prevention is the therapy with the evidence.
- Know it is treatable. ERP plus SSRIs helps most patients. In crisis: 988 in the US, or your local crisis line.
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