An exaggerated obsessive worry about one's health (in the absence of  medical evidence), endless internet researching medical information, visits to doctors, odd diets, or reassurance seeking from others.  Ordinary physiological sensations can be misinterpreted as cancer, heart disease, HIV, etc. (Read more...)

Collecting, buying, or failure to discard possessions.  Sometimes hoarding OCD can also take the form of never using items for fear of "damaging" them.  Frequently, hoarders won't allow people into their home out of embarrassment, or will prevent others from moving or tampering with their belongings for fear they won't be able to find important things in case they need them. (Read more...)

Unwanted gay or lesbian thoughts or abrupt doubts about one's sexual identity.  HOCD sufferers often check whether they get aroused by a variety of same-sex situations, in effect testing their sexual orientation.  (Read more...)

Sexual OCD sufferers experience upsetting obsessions about inappropriate sexual relationships, such as family members, children, married people, animals, or rape.  They have intrusive thoughts they'll become a pedophile, rapist, molester, adulterer, promiscuous, pornographer, paraphiliac, bestial, fetishistic, or deviant.  Sexual OCD sufferers constantly test their arousal level to these targets hoping to reassure themselves that they're normal.  (Read more...)

Exaggerated sense of guilt, over-responsibility, or dread of punishment, harsh disapproval, or retaliation.  Sufferers fear they've either offended someone, question if they did something illegal, immoral, or sinful.  They might compulsively apologize, confess minor infractions, seek amends and reassurance, over-justify their actions and opinions, review past events for violations, or engage in excessively long or repetitive religious rituals beyond what is normative in their faith community.  (Read more...)

Distorted negative body image, compulsively checking, covering up, or over-grooming a particular part of their body or appearance (hair, fat, stomach, chest, skin, teeth, birth marks, face shape, eyebrows, nose, etc.). BDD can sometimes also be an imaginary body odor. BDD is often misdiagnosed as an eating disorder like anorexia. They might look the same, but their causes and treatments are very different.  (Read more...)

"Pure O" (purely obsessional) OCD is really a misnomer and an often used but obsolete term. With Pure O, the OCD sufferer thinks they have only obsessions and not compulsions. In reality, so called Pure O sufferers have internal mental compulsions, usually self-reassurance, rather than behavioral compulsions. Pure O sufferers try to talk themselves out of their worry, answer an unanswerable question, or ask others to reassure them.

Fear that something has become contaminated (by germs, dirt, asbestos, chemicals, or contaminated just by an evil superstitious thought) and that either the person or loved ones will be contaminated in turn.  Sometimes contamination OCD can also take the form of feeling disgusted by contact, without any fear or danger associated.  Often people feel compelled to clean, wash, launder, throw out, or isolate "contaminated" objects.