Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD)

What is obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD)?

Preoccupation with orderliness, maintaining perfectionism, mental and interpersonal control.

Recurrent obsessions

Inappropriate, persistent ideas, thoughts, feelings and impulses that cause anxiety or distress, eg repeated thoughts about contamination, eg by shaking hands, repeated doubts, eg about an action: ‘Have I locked the door?’; aggressive or horrible impulses eg to shout obscenities in church, and sexual imagery. These obsessions are recognised by the individual as internally produced, by the mind.

Recurrent compulsions

Repetitive behaviours, eg washing, cleaning, checking, counting, repeating words silently. The goal of compulsions is to reduce anxiety or distress. In most cases, the individual feels driven to perform the compulsion to reduce anxiety or prevent some dreaded event.

Symptoms

Treatments

Information Provided by SANE