obsessive-compulsive disorder (or ocd) is one of the "anxiety disorders. " it goes beyond the ordinary "double-checking" and worrying that all of us do from time to time. everybody sometimes wants to make sure the doors are locked or the oven is off. for ocd patients these thoughts and behaviors are so magnified that they interfere with everyday routines jobs and relationships. for example people with ocd have been known to wash their hands for eight hours in a day or to reorganize their entire household every day. obsessive-compulsive disorder doesn't go away by itself. it can't be controlled by willpower alone. people with ocd are trapped in patterns of senseless thoughts and behaviors beyond their control. even after long periods of relative normalcy obsessive thoughts and compulsive actions may return without apparent cause. obsessions are disturbing recurrent ideas or impulses that intrude on a person's mind. they may take the form of fears that harm will come to oneself or to a loved one. they may be an extreme worry about getting contaminated a dread of illness or an overpowering need to do things perfectly. sometimes these obsessions have a violent or sexual nature. compulsions are repetitive actions driven by obsessions. the most common obsessions are contamination doubt and loss. these result in the common compulsions of hand washing checking and hoarding. some obsessive-compulsive actions such as uncontrollable counting or praying aren't obvious to others. people with ocd often fear that if they do not perform these acts something bad will happen to them or to others. because obsessions and compulsions may take hold gradually people often fail to recognize that they are suffering from a mental illness. when ocd eventually produces symptoms that interfere with daily life people may try to hide their compulsions from others and attempt to deal with them by using willpower. people with ocd often feel embarrassed about their obsessive thoughts or compulsions. they may avoid talking about their symptoms even to their doctors. although ocd can appear at any age it most often begins during adolescence. according to the national institute of mental health one-third of adults with ocd developed symptoms in childhood and the average age of onset is 19. some researchers think ocd that develops in childhood is different from ocd that appears for the first time in adults. men and women are affected equally. in the united states between 2% and 3% of the population experiences some form of ocd during their lives. obsessive-compulsive features are also found in tourette's syndrome depression and schizophrenia.
what is obsessive-compulsive disorder?