Obsessive Compulsive disorder is an anxiety disorder in which a person feels compelled to perform compulsions, and/or has uwanted, reoccuring obsessions.

What are obsessions?
Obsessions are uncontrollable thoughts that repeatedly occur in someone's mind. These can be worrisome thoughts and even thoughts about sex or violence. Someone with OCD may experience a thought of "Check to make sure the stove is turned off." He/she may check the stove, but then the thought comes back again, "Check to make sure the stove is turned off." The thought won't go away, which makes it an obsession. Also, someone with OCD may have thoughts about their loved ones being harmed. They may have an image of seeing their loved one being hurt. What makes the thought OCD is the fact that it disturbs the person experiencing this thought and they don't really want to see someone they love get hurt. Someone with OCD may even have sexual thoughts that they don't want to think about. His/her mind might say "I want to have sex with that person," even though they don't even find that person attractive in any way. And these thoughts can cause the individual great stress.

What are compulsions?
Compulsions are behaviors a person with OCD feels compelled to carry out. The compulsion is usually caused from the obsession. For example: If someone keeps having a reoccuring thought that the stove is not turned off, they might keep walking up to the stove to turn it off. Walking up to the stove to turn it off is the compulsion. People with OCD believe that a compulsion will make the obsession go away. It may temporarily, but the obsession always comes back later. People with OCD may also believe that something bad will happen to them or someone else they love if they don't carry out certain behaviors. For example, Someone may think: "If I don't touch the wall five times, something bad will happen."

What causes OCD?
No one really knows the true answer to this question yet, but there are theories. Most people believe that it's a chemical imbalance of serotonin in the brain. Most people also believe it's genetic. Most often, someone with OCD will also have a family member with OCD.

How many people have OCD?
It is said that about 2% of the nation is affected with OCD.

How is OCD treated?
There are many different kinds of therapies aided in treating OCD. Medicine to increase the levels of serotonin is also sometimes aided in treating OCD.

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