Understanding Obsessions in OCD

Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) as a mental health condition, while not rare, is often deeply misunderstood. One key reason for this lies in how its defining feature—obsessions—is frequently misrepresented or oversimplified. Popular media, casual conversation, and even well-meaning assumptions can fail to capture the complexity and impact of what obsessions truly are. This misunderstanding not only affects those trying to grasp OCD from the outside but can also leave individuals with OCD feeling isolated, invalidated, or ashamed of their experience.

Let’s take a closer look at what obsessions are—and what they aren’t—to deepen our understanding of this condition and the challenges it brings.

What Are Obsessions? 

Obsessions are more accurately described as “obsessive thoughts.” They are intrusive, repetitive thoughts, images, or urges that cause significant distress or anxiety. They are not the same as normal concerns or fleeting worries about daily life. Instead, they tend to feel irrational, overwhelming, and impossible to dismiss. Despite their persistence, people with OCD often recognize that these thoughts do not align with reality, yet they remain distressing and compelling.

Key Features of Obsessions:

1. Intrusive Nature: Obsessions appear uninvited and feel impossible to control.
2. Repetitiveness: They cycle through the mind repeatedly, often without resolution.
3. Distress and Anxiety: These thoughts cause intense emotional discomfort, often compelling the individual to take action to neutralize or "fix" them.
4. Irrationality: Obsessions are often illogical or disconnected from reality, yet they still feel urgent and important.

Obsessive thoughts don’t just feel like a nuisance. They are not like a song that gets stuck in your head —they invade a person’s mental space, interfering with their daily life and well-being.

What Obsessions Are NOT!

The terms “obsessed” or “obsession” are often thrown around in casual conversation. People often use these terms to describe how they feel about hobbies or interests, or something new they have just discovered and about which they are very enthusiastic. However, in the context of OCD, true obsessions - obsessive thoughts -  are vastly different.

Obsessions Are Not Everyday Worries or Concerns

Worry is a normal part of life. You might worry about paying your bills on time, meeting a work deadline, or clearing up a disagreement with a friend. These concerns are rooted in real-world problems and are typically proportional to the situation. While ordinary worries are uncomfortable, they don’t usually dominate a person’s mind.

In contrast, for someone with OCD, obsessive thoughts tend to focus on irrational or disproportionate fears. Unlike typical worries, obsessions don’t subside with reassurance, logic, or problem-solving. Instead, they linger, creating a persistent state of anxiety and doubt. 

For example, anyone making a big dinner for family and friends might worry about whether the food will turn out well and if everyone will enjoy it. A person with OCD might obsess that they will cause harm by using a spoiled ingredient, believing it could have catastrophic consequences for their family’s health—even though the thought has no logical basis.

Obsessions Are Not Enjoyable Interests

Obsessions are often conflated with passion or enthusiasm. Statements like, “I’m obsessed with avocado toast” or “Pickleball is my new obsession” are common. Enthusiastic interests are enjoyable and voluntary, providing satisfaction or pleasure.

In terms of OCD, obsessions are mental processes and are neither enjoyable nor voluntary. They feel invasive and burdensome, not a source of joy. The presence of obsessions doesn’t bring satisfaction; instead, it causes distress, frustration, or even shame.

Obsessions Are Not Reflective of the Person’s True Beliefs or Desires

One of the most harmful misconceptions about obsessions in OCD  is that they reveal a person’s hidden intentions or desires. This is categorically false. Intrusive thoughts are, by definition, unwanted and out of sync with the person’s values. They cause distress precisely because they contradict what the person believes or wants.

Someone might experience violent intrusive thoughts about harming a loved one. These thoughts are horrifying to them, not because they in any way wish to act on them, but because the thoughts feel so deeply wrong. People with religious beliefs might have blasphemous intrusive thoughts that clash with their faith, causing intense guilt or shame.

Obsessions are better thought of as “mental spam”—unwanted and irrelevant, but persistent and difficult to block. They don’t reflect the person’s character or intentions.

Obsessions Are Not Rituals or Behaviors

Obsessions are often confused with the behaviors that follow them—compulsions. However, they are not the same. Obsessions are mental experiences: intrusive thoughts, fears, or urges. Compulsions, on the other hand, are the actions or rituals someone performs in response to those obsessions. Compulsions are performed to reduce the anxiety caused by the obsessions.

As an example, a person with contamination obsessions might fear that germs are everywhere (the obsession), leading them to wash their hands repeatedly (the compulsion). A person may have obsessive thoughts about harming others. This may lead them to avoid sharp objects entirely, even though they have no desire or intent to cause harm. This avoidance is the compulsive behavior. 

Compulsions are most frequently something observable -  something a person does.Obsessions are usually invisible to others, taking place entirely within the person’s mind. And while compulsions can be mental too, they’re still something a person chooses to do in response to obsessive thoughts, unlike the obsessive thoughts themselves that just pop up on their own. 

Obsessions Are Not Controllable

Everyone experiences intrusive thoughts from time to time, but most people can dismiss them easily. For someone with OCD, however, these thoughts “stick,” triggering intense emotional reactions like fear, guilt, or shame. They persist despite efforts to suppress or ignore them.

Trying to suppress an obsession often backfires, making the thought more persistent and distressing. It’s not a matter of “just stop thinking about it”—obsessions feel like a mental itch that grows worse the more you try not to scratch it.

Obsessions Are Not the Same as Perfectionism

Perfectionism involves setting high standards for oneself and striving to meet them. While it can be stressful, it’s usually goal-oriented and voluntary. Obsessions, however, are not tied to achieving a goal.

A person with OCD might obsessively review an email draft—not to make it perfect, but because they fear they may have accidentally written something harmful or inappropriate. This behavior is driven not by a desire for excellence, but by anxiety and doubt.

Obsessions are about alleviating overwhelming fear, not achieving success or recognition.

Obsessions Are Not Self-Imposed

Finally, it’s important to understand that obsessions are not something people with OCD bring upon themselves. They are not caused by “overthinking” or “being dramatic.” People with OCD don’t choose to have obsessions any more than someone would choose to have a migraine or asthma attack.

Obsessions arise from underlying neurological and psychological factors. Studies show that OCD is linked to differences in brain functioning, particularly in areas related to decision-making and error detection. Blaming someone for their obsessions only deepens their shame and isolation.

Conclusion

It is important to know that the obsessions a person with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder lives with aren’t harmless quirks, hobbies, or every day worries. Instead, these obsessions are intrusive, anxiety-provoking thoughts that can overwhelm and disrupt a person's sense of peace and control. These thoughts aren’t a reflection of who the person is and are not a measure of character.

Understanding what obsessions truly are—and what they aren’t—can help those living with OCD make sense of their experience and recognize that they are not alone. This understanding is also a crucial step in breaking down the stigma surrounding OCD, so others can better empathize with what their friend or loved one is going through.

References

Abramowitz, J. S., McKay, D., & Taylor, S. (2021). Obsessive-compulsive disorder: Subtypes and spectrum conditions. Elsevier.

Bouchard, S., & Leclerc, C. (2014). The nature and function of intrusive thoughts in obsessive-compulsive disorder: An empirical study. Journal of Anxiety Disorders, 28(5), 442–449. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.janxdis.2014.03.004

Rachman, S. (2002). A cognitive theory of obsessions. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 40(6), 837–852. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0005-7967(01)00036-4