Obsessive Compulsive disorder (also known as OCD) is a mental disorder characterized by the unnecessary need to display extremely routine and specific behaviors. People with OCD typically feel strong urges to do something over and over again just to feel safe. The urges are called obsessions and the ritualistic behaviors are called compulsions. For example: someone with OCD may develop an obsession with intruders, which could cause them to locking and re-locking their door several times before lying down to sleep. Many people with OCD are aware that their obsessions are unreasonable, but they feel powerless against them. "The majority (76%) of individuals with OCD have an Anxiety Disorder (e.g., Panic Disorder, Social Anxiety Disorder, Generalized Anxiety Disorder, Specific Phobia), and 63% have a Depressive or Bipolar Disorder" (Long, 2014). Trying to fight the urge to perform these rituals leads to extreme stress and can often be rather harmful. Having the obsessions without soothing them with the compulsions can lead to extreme anxiety. Unfortunately even while acting on the repetitive impulses a person with OCD still suffers from some form of anxiety. There are many common obsessions amongst people with OCD such as: contamination, harm, unwanted sexual thoughts, and perfectionism. Many people without OCD experience these obsessions, but in a different way. People without OCD may experience these obsessions momentarily and then move on. OCD is characterized by the fact the person cannot move on until they are comfortable, and it may take a lot of rearrangement and constant reassurance in order for them to become comfortable. One downside to the fact that everyone experiences obsessions and compulsions to an extent is that it makes OCD one of the most falsely self diagnosed mental disorders in the world. OCD is a very serious disorder that can make life very difficult and should only be identified by actual symptoms.
