What Is OCD?
A sustained experience of obsessions and/or compulsions is how the American Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM III), 3rd Edition, defines obsessive-compulsive disorders. In laymen's terms a person with an obsessive-compulsive disorder is obsessed with certain anxieties. Sufferers attempt to block out the painful or fearful thoughts by performing rituals compulsively.
People with OCD have recurrent obsessional thoughts or compulsions that are difficult to resist, provoke distress and interfere with their daily life. A person with OCD performs rituals or compulsions to relieve anxiety and avoid some dreaded event or to prevent discomfort. Having OCD can create embarrassment and frightening thoughts that repeat in the mind in endless loops. Usually and obsessive has more than one disturbing thought. They know that these thoughts and rituals are senseless and a waste of their time but they cannot stop. When the thoughts and rituals of OCD are intense, a victim's work and home life can begin to suffer. Sometimes OCD can alienate friends and family leaving the sufferer alone.
Back To: Obsessive-Compulsive Disorders
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