We find OCD one of the most fascinating disorders to work with. Why? First, people with OCD are wonderful to work with. Second, most cases can be successfully treated with a form of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy called Exposure and Response Prevention. Finally, OCD comes in an amazingly wide variety of types. The following list is our attempt to categorize the forms. In reality, OCD types can change over time, overlap with each other, and get pretty convoluted. Professionals don’t have an agreed upon list of OCD types. But here we go with our best take on it:

Contamination: the most common form of OCD. People with this problem worry about either becoming contaminated themselves, or spreading contamination to others.

Doubting and Checking: these folks fret about making sure the doors are closed, the windows locked, the coffee pot turned off, or other potential dangers. Some hit a bump in the road and believe that they might have hit someone or something. Some refer to this last example as “hit and run OCD.”

Symmetry: all books must be ½ inch from the edge of the shelf. The specific issues with this type of OCD vary greatly from person to person. Perhaps the cans in the cupboard must be arranged alphabetically. Closets need to have certain order. Carpet fringe must be combed perfectly straight.

Superstitious: all sorts of beliefs, rituals, and behaviors can be part of this type of OCD. For example, some people must repeat words a number of times to avoid bad luck, others avoid looking at anything related to death, and some people have special rituals to prevent disease or bad things happening to themselves or others.

Shaming OCD: people with this type of OCD worry that they might do something horribly upsetting or embarrassing. For example a religious person might worry that his bad thoughts might mean that he is a sinner. Another person might worry that he’ll lose all control and push someone off a sidewalk into oncoming traffic. A new mother might worry that she might hurt her baby (see earlier post on baby anxiety).

Hoarding: this is not the collector or the person who can’t …

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Feeling anxious? You’re not alone. The 2008 numbers from the National Institute of Mental Health tells us that approximately 40 million Americans suffer from an anxiety disorder, close to 20 percent of the adult population. These numbers appear to have jumped significantly over the last decade. Furthermore, most people with an anxiety disorder have more than one. People with anxiety are more likely to abuse substances (also known as self-medicating) and have or develop depression.

Here we break the numbers down and give a brief description of each type of anxiety.

6.8 million have Generalized Anxiety Disorder. People with this problem worry constantly about lots of things. They are in a state of dread and apprehensive expectation.

15 million have Social Phobia. Once known as social anxiety, people with this problem have extreme stage fright. They fear that they will embarrass or humiliate themselves in front of others.

19.2 million Americans have a Specific Phobia. Formerly known as simple phobia, these folks have an excessive fear of some situation or object. Common phobias include fear of heights, snakes, blood, or being in a small space.

1.8 million have Agoraphobia. This disorder involves intense anxiety about being in a place that they can’t escape from such as a crowded shopping mall, a car, a plane. Because of their fears, they avoid places and some can become housebound.

7.7 million have Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. People who suffer from PTSD have experienced or witnessed a life-threatening trauma such as war, assault, or natural disaster.

6 million suffer from Panic Disorder. Panic attacks feel horrible. Symptoms include pounding heart, sweating, shortness of breath, nausea, feelings of dread, and fear. Panic is often accompanied by Agoraphobia.

2.2 million people have Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. OCD often begins in childhood. Many people with OCD never get help but keep their symptoms secret from others.

Yes, these numbers total more than 40 million. Remember, people tend to suffer from more than one anxiety disorder at a time. And in some sense, the numbers tell us what we already know. We live in a time of high stress. Unemployment continues to rise and …