Obsessive compulsive disorder can have widely varying symptoms. If compulsions are absent, the condition is sometimes called “pure O” OCD. For those that suffer from obsessions, it can feel unimaginable to tell anyone about their thoughts.

The “Pure O” variant of OCD

Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) affects 1 to 2% of the population. That means in the U.S. alone, somewhere between three and seven million people have it. That’s a big group! OCD can look very different from one person in this group to the next.

What all these people have in common is that they experience obsessions and/or compulsions. Most have both. Those that experience only obsessions are sometimes said to have “pure O” OCD. This is not a formal category of OCD, but it’s a useful construct. Why? Because when most people think of OCD, they think of someone washing their hands constantly or fastidiously rearranging their desk. People with “pure O” OCD do not do anything outwardly that gives away their condition. But what are these obsessions, exactly?

What are obsessions?

Obsessions are thoughts that cause immediate anxiety. They are often described as intrusive and repetitive by those who have them.

We’ve touched upon violent obsessions that might be common for those with OCD in a previous post about fears of stabbing someone. I want to take some time to address other ‘bad’ thoughts that people sometimes have but feel they must keep to themselves.

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