Facts About OCD

If you believe you or a loved one may have obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), it's important to get some basic facts on the condition. In many cases, this illness is chronic and relapsing. If left untreated, obsessions and the need to perform rituals can take over a person's life.

 

People with OCD suffer intensely from recurrent, unwanted thoughts (obsessions) or rituals (compulsions) that they feel they cannot control. Some of the common rituals performed by people with OCD in the hopes of preventing obsessive thoughts or making them go away include:

 

Performing these rituals, however, provides only temporary relief, and not performing them markedly increases anxiety.