OCD

OCD OCD was once thought to be rare. It is now estimated that up to 3 percent of the U.S. population may suffer from OCD at some point in their lives (about 5 million people). The disorder usually begins in adolescence or early adulthood, but it may also occur in childhood. OCD is characterized by recurrent, unwanted and unpleasant thoughts (obsessions), and/or repetitive, ritualistic behaviors, which the person feels driven to perform (compulsions). People with OCD know their obsessions and compulsions are irrational or excessive, yet find they have little or no control over them. Dirt, germs and contamination, fear of acting on violent or aggressive impulses, feeling overly responsible for the safety of others - ex.: unreasonable fear of having run over someone with a car, abhorrent religious (blasphemous) and sexual thoughts, excessive concern with order, arrangement, or symmetry, inability to discard useless or worn out possessions, etc. SYMPTOMS OF OCD Excessive washing (particularly hand washing or bathing), cleaning, checking and repetitive actions such as touching, counting, arranging and ordering or hoarding. Ritualistic behaviors lessen the chances of distress from obsessions but buy only short term comfort at the long term cost of frequent ritual repetition. A person can have a ocd, obsessive, complusive, disorder, people, symptoms, obsessions, fear, behaviors, treatment, out, therapy, rituals, person, medication, effective, yet, took, repetitive, prescription, however, family, excessive, even, each, crazy, behavioral, become, available, anxiety, about, washing, very, two, trials, treating, thoughts