Definition, Clinical Description, and Diagnosis | Clinical
Features | Epidemiology | Comorbidity | Pathophysiology,
Mechanisms, and Risk Factors | Course and Prognosis | Evaluation
| Treatment | Research Directions | Summary Points | References
Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is characterized by the
presence of either obsessions (worries is a more user-friendly
term for children) or compulsions (rituals is a more user-
friendly term for children). Although OCD is categorized among
the anxiety disorders in DSM-IV (American Psychiatric
Association 1994, 2000), especially in younger children, a
variety of hidden or poorly articulated affects may drive the
symptoms. There is active consideration of removing OCD from the
DSM category of anxiety disorders and creating a new limited
category for OCD "spectrum" disorders in DSM-V. Table 23–1 shows
the current DSM-IV-TR criteria for OCD. The specifier "with poor
insight" may be especially relevant to the diagnosis in youth
since children's ability to explain their