What Are the 7 Types of OCD?

There is no single official list, but many clinicians describe seven common OCD themes. These often include: contamination and cleaning; checking for harm or mistakes; symmetry, ordering, and counting; intrusive taboo thoughts (aggressive, sexual, or blasphemous); scrupulosity or religious/moral obsessions; hoarding or difficulty discarding items; and health or body-related obsessions. Within each theme, both "visible" compulsions (washing, checking, arranging) and mental compulsions (reviewing, neutralizing, praying, counting in the head) can occur. People rarely fit just one type perfectly; symptoms can overlap or shift over time. Understanding your main themes can help guide targeted treatment, especially exposure and response prevention (ERP) therapy.