Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD)
An anxiety disorder in which a person has intrusive ideas, thoughts, or images that occur repeatedly, and in which he or she feels driven to perform certain behaviors over and over again. For example, a person may worry all the time about germs and so will wash his or her hands over and over again.
TreatmentsPart of: Anxiety Disorders
About Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD)
Forgetting to do something important when you leave home — like turning off the stove or locking the door — is a common worry. And it might be a good idea to double-check if you are not absolutely sure. But some people are so worried about forgetting those kinds of things that they feel the urge to check over and over again, and that urge may gradually come to dominate their life. Some people may constantly wash their hands because they are afraid of germs, while others cannot keep from always needing to count things. Regardless of the kind of ritual they may have, people with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) are simply unable to stop.
Symptoms
Obsessive-compulsive disorder covers both obsessive thoughts and compulsive behavior. Obsessive thoughts are constant and repetitive thoughts that are very hard to shake. Although someone with OCD feels that the thoughts are nonsensical and unpleasant, it is hard to simply stop them using willpower alone… Read more about Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder