Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder

Individuals with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) experience intrusive thoughts, images, or urges (i.e., obsessions) that may or may not be accompanied by an overwhelming urge to engage in behaviors (i.e., compulsions) to prevent the thought or to reduce the anxiety caused by the thought.

Although unwanted thoughts are experienced by most people from time to time, roughly 1.2% of the general population suffers from OCD. OCD typically appears in adolescence or early adulthood, but obsessions and compulsions can be present in very young children as well.

Symptoms of OCD typically follow a chronic waxing and waning course over time, with flare-ups emerging during periods of increased stress. Regrettably, the majority of individuals suffering from OCD do not seek treatment, often citing feelings of shame or embarrassment about the nature of their obsessions and/or compulsions.

Common Obsessions

• Excessive concern about contact with germs/disease
• Getting things "just right"
• Health of oneself or of family members
• Excessive doubting
• Preoccupation with religious or sexual themes
• Scary, nonsensical, or obscene images
• Fear of losing things

Common Compulsions

• Hand washing or bathroom routines
• Checking doors, locks, appliances, or windows
• Counting
• Rewriting or rereading
• Redoing even simple tasks several times to make them "perfect" or "just right"
• Arranging items in a certain way or symmetrical fashion
• Repeating words silently
• Tapping or blinking
• Bedtime or morning rituals (e.g., teeth brushing, dressing) that take a long time and cause distress
• Touching things a certain way or repeatedly