OBSESSIVE COMPULSIVE DISORDER (OCD)
According to the National Institutes of Health, about 2.2 million American adults have OCD, a common psychiatric disorder that often begins in childhood.[1],[2] People with OCD have two key symptoms: obsessions, defined as unwanted, recurring, anxiety-causing thoughts; and compulsions, which are repetitive behaviors that people carry out to help relieve the anxiety caused by obsessions.
Common obsessions include excessive fear of contamination, repeated doubts (such as thinking you’ve harmed someone while driving), a need for ordering and symmetry and aggressive or horrific impulses. Common compulsions include repeated cleaning (such as hand-washing), repeated checking (such as checking to see if doors are locked) and counting.[6]
People who have OCD realize that their actions and thoughts are irrational, but cannot stop them.[3] Often, people with OCD delay seeking treatment for an average of 7.5 years.[4] In addition, OCD can be masked by major depressive disorder which has a lifetime prevalence of 67 percent in patients with OCD.[5], [6]
OCD causes afflicted individuals marked distress, occupies much of their time, and interferes with normal routines, productivity at work or school and social relationships.
More information is available through the following organizations:
Anxiety Disorders Association of America (ADAA)
www.ADAA.org
8730 Georgia Ave.
Silver Spring, MD 20910
Phone: 240-485-1001
International OCD Foundation
www.ocfoundation.org
PO Box 961029
Boston, MA 02196
Phone: 617-973-5801
OCD Center