Worries, doubts, and superstitious beliefs all are common in everyday life. However, when they become so excessive as to interrupt one’s daily life, then the diagnosis is Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD). Obsessive Compulsive Disorder is a disorder that is not commonly heard of, but surprisingly it affects 2% of the population, more than those with severe mental illnesses such as schizophrenia or bipolar disorder. OCD is an anxiety disorder that manifests itself through obsessions and compulsions. Obsessions are unwanted, overwhelming, recurrent, and unpleasant thoughts.

A person with OCD might constantly repeat a thought in their head, which can be triggered by an external or inte

OCD is not a disorder where the sufferer can simply stop. Obsessive Compulsive Disorder is a dysfunction in the brain, just like a heart attack is a dysfunction of the heart.

rnal object. Some common obsessions include repeated impulses to kill a loved family member, incessant worries about dirt or contamination, and recurrent thoughts about something that has not been done properly. A person with these constant thoughts understands that they are senseless, but ignoring them is very difficult. For example, a person with an obsession about contamination might have a thought like “Don’t touch that door knob, it might spread a disease,” or "My hands may be contaminated, I must wash them.” These types of persistent thoughts might enter a person’s mind suddenly or very gradually. The obsessions intrude into the consciousness of the person, disrupting their normal thinking and behavior.

Currently, there are a number of disorders that can be labeled as an Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder. Among these is Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD). BDD is where a person has obsessive thoughts about his or her body, looking for abnormalities. They then spend hours examining the “defective” body part and may never leave home because of their embarrassment. Another OCD disorder is Trichotillomania (TTM). A person with TTM compulsively pulls out hairs from their head, arms, legs, eyebrows, and pubic area. TTM sufferers spend hours searching until the “perfect hair” is found. They often feel driven to pull out their hairs because they think that their hairs are imperfect. Tourette’s Syndrome is an

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