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Obsessive Compulsive Disorder

Adults with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) experience frequent, recurrent, and intrusive thoughts (obsessions). These obsessions are often accompanied by an overwhelming urge to engage in some behavior (compulsions) to undo or prevent the thought, or to reduce the anxiety caused by the thought.

Common obsessions include:

  • Concern about contact with germs/disease
  • Getting things “just right”
  • Excessive doubting
  • Scary, nonsensical, or obscene images or thoughts that keep popping in one’s head
  • Fear of losing things

Examples of compulsions:

  • Excessive amount of time washing, checking things, or seeking reassurance
  • Saving items that are no longer needed
  • Redoing even simple tasks several times to make them “perfect”
  • Rereading words
  • Saying words over again several times
  • Bedtime or morning rituals (i.e. teeth brushing) that take a long time and cause distress
  • Untying shoes and retying shoes several times until it feels “right”
  • Touching things a certain way or repeatedly

Roughly 2.5% of the general population suffers from OCD. The disorder typically appears in adolescence or early adulthood, and typically follows a chronic waxing and waning course. Symptoms tend to flare up during times of increased stress. Regrettably, the majority of individuals suffering with OCD do not seek out treatment, often citing feelings of shame or embarrassment about their symptoms.

If these symptoms seem relevant to you, we can help. Feel free to contact us by calling our main desk at (212) 246-5740.

The Columbia University Clinic for Anxiety and Related Disorders (CUCARD) provides evidence-based treatments for all of the anxiety disorders, including: