Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) occurs when an individual experiences obsessions and compulsions for more than an hour each day and, most importantly, that these experiences interfere with his or her life.
Obsessions are intrusive, irrational thoughts, unwanted ideas or impulses that repeatedly well up in a person's mind.
Compulsions are repetitive rituals such as handwashing, counting, checking, hoarding, or arranging.
About 18% of American adults have anxiety disorders.
The National Institute of Mental Health estimates that more than 2% of the US population, or nearly one out of every 40 people, will suffer from OCD at some point in their lives.
The disorder is two to three times more common than schizophrenia and bipolar disorder.
OCD affects 1% to 3% of children and adolescents.
Heredity appears to be a strong factor in the development of OCD. If you have OCD, there is a 25% chance that one of your immediate family members will have it.
Sufferers experience "pathological doubt" because they are unable to distinguish between what is possible, what is probable, and what is unlikely to happen.
Generally, OCD symptoms are not relieved by psychoanalysis or other forms of "talk therapy". However, there is strong evidence that behavior and cognitive-behavioral therapies can be effective alone or in combination with medication.
Compared to other conditions, OCD is generally treatable.
About two in every 100 adolescents experience OCD.
An estimated 700,000 to 1.4 million people in the United States are believed to have compulsive hoarding syndrome.
A reasonable estimate is that 20% to 30% of individuals diagnosed with OCD have hoarding symptoms.
People who hoard also have higher rates of personality disorders, social phobias, and pathological grooming behaviors such as skin picking.
Psychoanalysts classify hoarding as reflective of anal eroticism.
According to the Academy of Cognitive Therapy, diminished symptoms of OCD are reported by 75% of those who complete exposure and response prevention treatment.
