They may express their fear through crying, tantrums, or clinging. The diagnosis is made only if the avoidance, fear, or anxious anticipation of encountering the object or situation interferes significantly with the person's daily routine or functioning. Obsessions are persistent, disturbing, intrusive thoughts or impulses that the person finds illogical but irresistible. The obsessions may appear as ideas, words, rhymes, or melodies that annoyingly interrupt normal thoughts and interfere with getting anything accomplished. These obsessions usually lead to compulsions.
Compulsions are obsessive rituals or actions the person feels urgently compelled to engage in.
For example, individuals with OCD may be obsessed with germs and may repeatedly wash their hands. They may spend long periods of time touching certain things or counting to certain numbers. A person with OCD may also be preoccupied by order or symmetry, such as needing to follow a precise ritual of washing one arm, then the other arm when taking a shower. If the ritual is interrupted in any way, the person must start over. This may cause interpersonal difficulty for the individual as they may be chronically late for school or activities.