Obsessive-compulsive disorder, or OCD, is a chronic condition characterized by obsessions and compulsions that can cause a person marked distress.  They are time consuming (often over one hour a day) and significantly interfere with an individual’s normal routine, occupational functional or usual social activities or relationships with others.
 
Compulsions are repetitive, purposeful and intentional behaviors formed as a response to an obsession.  The person recognizes that his or her behavior is excessive or unreasonable and these activities are engaged to prevent anxiety or stress, not to provide pleasure or gratification.
 
The majority of patients experience both obsessions and compulsions, and often their obsessions drive them to perform the subsequent compulsions.   A person with OCD may have distressing thoughts that a door is unlocked or an appliance is not turned off, and may check this situation every few minutes to reduce the anxiety.  Those who are obsessed with fear of germs or contamination may try to relieve this stress by continually washing their hands over and over until they become bloody and raw.  In the course of the illness, after repeated failure at resisting the compulsions, the person may give in to them and eventually no longer experience a desire to resist them, perpetuating the cycle.
 
Depression and anxiety are common with OCD.  They may impact relationships and friendships.  Obsessions may hinder academic and professional performance - nearly half of all affected people were unable to work for a period of months to years.
 
OCD differs from activities where people engage excessively in what would be called compulsive behaviors.  These would include eating, sexual behavior, gambling and drinking alcohol.  These activities are not true compulsions because the person derives pleasure from the activity and may resist it only because of secondary consequences.  Other diseases OCD may need to be differentiated from are schizophrenia, Tourette syndrome, and major depression.
 
Medication such as antidepressants and SSRI drugs that work as serotonin re-uptake inhibitors are helpful, however the anxiety and depression these disorder cause don’t always respond fully.  Alcohol dependence, medication overuse, and possible suicide are all complications that have to be guarded against.

The information contained on this page is not intended to provide medical advice, which should be obtained directly from your physician.