Phenomenology of obsessions in obsessive-compulsive neurosis

761 obsessions were recorded from 410 cases of obsessive-compulsive neurosis seen over a 10-year period. The obsessions were analysed according to form and content: 6 categories of form and 11 categories of content were delineated. Fear of contamination was the single most common theme, followed by thoughts of daily activities, thoughts about the past and fears of harm. The findings are discussed in the light of earlier literature.