Characteristics of Three Types of OCD Symptoms

San Diego-based neurophysiologist and UCSD researcher Kevin T. Murphy, M.D., developed the innovative brain stimulation technique PrTMS®, and created the tool PeakLogic to help psychiatrists and other medical providers deliver this treatment across the country. Kevin T. Murphy, M.D., is also the founder of San Diego’s Mindset, a clinic that provides PrTMS® and other treatments to patients experiencing long-term mental health conditions-, including obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD).

OCD is an anxiety-related disorder that causes people to feel intrusive thoughts that lead to compulsive behaviors. While there are many symptoms of OCD, the most common can be broadly defined into the following categories:

Checking: In this manifestation, the person may frequently worry about causing an accident that may harm someone or endanger themselves. This leads to the compulsion of constantly checking that the feared behavior has occurred. This includes checking the front door or the stove-top multiple times before leaving the house.

Arranging: People with this type of OCD are preoccupied with symmetry and orderliness. They may spend most of their time rearranging and lining up the objects in their spaces. Sometimes, this obsession is combined with a fear that disorder will result in an extremely negative outcome, such as a loved one’s death.

Contamination: In this symptom, the person harbors a very intense fear of germs and other types of contaminants. Compulsive rituals may form around cleaning, disinfection, or washing the body.

PrTMS® may be successful in reducing symptoms associated with OCD and for improving human performance.