Although there’s an infinite number of ways intrusive thoughts can manifest, they often fall into categories or ‘themes’. Having articles on these themes helps people suffering with OCD to know thoughts are way more common than believed, and hopefully speeds up understanding and recovery.
The table below shows what themes have been reported in the community via the OCD log.
Articles on these themes can be seen below, with logs of where these thoughts took place, along with what compulsions, if any.
Fear of germs, dirt, illness, or chemicals leading to excessive washing, cleaning, or avoidance.
Feeling “dirty” or contaminated internally (e.g., after certain thoughts, memories, or interactions), even without physical contact.
Obsessions about acting in a humiliating way or being judged negatively by others.
Excessive responsibility or fear of having done something wrong, even without evidence.
Fear of losing important items (keys, wallet, documents), leading to repeated checking or mental reviewing.
Intrusive thoughts about hurting yourself or others, despite not wanting to act on them.
Obsessions about having or developing serious illnesses, often involving checking symptoms or seeking reassurance.
Doubts about love, loyalty, or harming relationships (e.g., “Do I really love them?”).
Fear of sinning, offending God, or not being morally “pure” enough.
Obsessions about reality, existence, or meaning (e.g., “What if nothing is real?”).
Unwanted intrusive thoughts about inappropriate or taboo sexual behaviours.
Doubts or fears about one’s sexual orientation, often conflicting with one’s identity.
Hyper-awareness of bodily sensations (e.g., breathing, blinking), feeling unable to stop noticing them.
Fear of staring inappropriately at people or things (e.g., private body parts), often leading to avoidance.
A need for things to feel perfect, symmetrical, or complete — driven by discomfort rather than fear.
Doubting past events or fearing you did something wrong, even when it didn’t happen.