Ocd Informative Speech

Jansen Hess

Professor Miller

SPD 121

4 June 2015

Obsessive Compulsive Disorder

General Purpose: To inform

Specific Purpose: To inform my audience of the four main types of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD).

Central Idea: Obsessive Compulsive Disorder is comprised of four main subgroups that include checking, contamination, hoarding, and intrusive thoughts.

Organizational Pattern: Topical

INTRODUCTION

I. I’m sure I am not the only person in this room who has joked around and told someone that I have a mild form of obsessive compulsive disorder just because I like things a certain way.

II. However, OCD is not simply just liking things a specific way, and there are actually multiple types of OCD that contain many subgroups.

III. Ever since

I thought I had OCD, I was curious to discover if I actually had it or not, so I began researching and found out I only have compulsive behavior, but not OCD.
IV.

Even though I don’t have OCD, many people in the world deal with it everyday. So today I’ll be discussing the four main types of OCD, which include checking, contamination, hoarding, and intrusive thoughts.

(CONNECTIVE: First off, we’ll talk a little bit about the broader scope of OCD.)

MAIN POINTS

I. OCD is both a brain and behavior disorder that causes obsessions and compulsions that hinder the everyday life of those affected. It also causes severe anxiety.

A. Obsessions are thoughts, images, or impulses that feel out of the person’s control and happen repeatedly, sometimes for hours.

1. To be considered on the OCD spectrum, the obsessions must consume enough time that they cause the effected to be unable to carry out everyday activities.

2. Most of the time, the affected person understands that these thoughts are unreasonable, and they feel disgusted or scared because of them.

B. Compulsions are repetitive actions that the person uses to rid him or herself of the current obsession.

1. Like obsessions, these actions must be time consuming and affect everyday activities.

2. Compulsions are only temporary solutions to counteracting the obsessions. Sometimes compulsions can be avoiding a situation that causes the

obsession.
(CONNECTIVE: Now that we know a little bit about what OCD is and how it’s classified, we’ll discuss the four main types. This first is checking.)
II.

Checking is when a person compulsively checks on things to control their obsessive fear of harm, damage, flooding, fires, etc.

A. Checking occurs for long periods of time and disrupts everyday life, often harming relationships and career opportunities

B. Examples include constantly looking for something you think you may have lost, or checking to make sure the stove is off, or checking in on loved ones to make sure nothing has happened to them.

(CONNECTIVE: The second major form of OCD is known as contamination.)

III. Contamination is another type of OCD that involves a person compulsively washing and cleaning because they have an obsessive fear with scared that something tainted will cause illness and will eventually lead to death.

A. This compulsion can be applied to both objects and oneself.

1. For example people with OCD will avoid using public restrooms, visiting hospitals, or eating in public in fear of contracting foreign germs

2. They also will wash their bodies excessively until they feel absolutely clean.

B. This can lead to financial implications because the cleaning supplies must be purchased so often, and like other OCD types, it is detrimental to everyday

life.
(CONNECTIVE: The next form of OCD is probably the most well-known form of OCD: Hoarding.)
IV. Hoarding is a form of OCD that prevents a person from throwing away worthless items. Because of this, the clutter builds up because the person begins collecting the things they cannot discard and they have no organizational system. There are three different types of hoarding.
A. ‘Prevention of Harm’ hoarding is when people are scared of throwing things away because they think harm will be inflicted.
B. ‘Deprivation’ hoarding is when a person refuses to throw something away because they think they will need it later.
C. ‘Emotional’ hoarding is when an emotional bond occurs between the object and the hoarder, so they refuse to throw it away.
(CONNECTIVE: The last major form of OCD is intrusive thoughts.)
V. Intrusive thoughts are obsessional repetitive thoughts that, although they can be about basically anything, are often unsettling and involve harm. There are many different types of intrusive thoughts.
A. Relationship intrusive thoughts are constant doubts about a relationship.
B. Sexual intrusive thoughts are those that cause unintentional sexual harm.
C. Magical thinking intrusive thoughts are fears that thinking about something bad will cause it to happen.
D. Religious intrusive thoughts are those constantly concerned about one’s faith.
E. Violent intrusive thoughts are fears that the person will commit violent acts, especially against loved ones.

(CONNECTIVE: Now that we’ve discussed in detail the four main types of OCD, let’s do a little bit of review to conclude.)

CONCLUSION
I. OCD is a disorder that involves time consuming obsessions and compulsions that cause distress and anxiety in the lives of those who are affected by it.
II. The four major types are checking, contamination, hoarding, and intrusive thoughts. However, no matter what type of OCD you have, relationships and job opportunities are typically negatively affected.
III. OCD is also more common than we think. In the United States, every 1 in 100 adults and every 1 in 200 children has OCD.
IV. Today I hope you learned the major differences in the behaviors that OCD encompasses, and you’ll rethink your next self-diagnosis, because OCD symptoms are very different from a simple temporary obsession or just wanting things a certain way.

WORKS CITED
"The Different Types of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder." The Different Types of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder. N.p., n.d. Web. 02 June 2015.
"What Is OCD?" International OCD Foundation. N.p., 28 Apr. 2014. Web. 02 June 2015.