Table 1.

Domains of dysfunctional beliefs associated with OCD

Belief domain	Description
Excessive responsibility	Belief that one has the special power to cause, and (or) the duty to prevent, negative outcomes
Overimportance of thoughts	Belief that the mere presence of a thought indicates that the thought is significant (for example, the belief that the thought has ethical or moral ramifications or that thinking the thought increases the probability of the corresponding behavior or event)
Need to control thoughts	Belief that complete control over one’s thoughts is both necessary and possible
Overestimation of threat	Belief that negative events are especially likely and would be especially awful
Perfectionism	Belief that mistakes and imperfection are intolerable
Intolerance for uncertainty	Belief that it is necessary and possible to be completely certain that negative outcomes will not occur