Obsessive compulsive disorder

Obsessive compulsive disorder is an anxiety disorder characterized by obsessions and compulsions. In obsessions the person experiences recurring and persistent mental unwanted thoughts, impulses or images that are considered as intrusive and inappropriate, causing a lot of discomfort or stress so it is about ignoring them or making them disappear. The frequency and duration of obsessions vary greatly, some people report two or three obsessions per day for a long time, and others may report multiple, but short, duration. The most frequent content of obsessions has to do with doubts of verification, contamination, order, moral or religious content, sexual images, doing or doing harm to others, contagions.

Compulsions can be behaviours or thoughts that are transformed into rituals or exaggerated reactions that are repeated over and over again with the purpose of preventing or reducing anxiety, although they are not realistically connected with what they seek to prevent or neutralize, among them are count or repeat a word or phrase in silence or carry out behaviour such as washing your hands a certain number of times. Obsessive compulsive disorder is not the same as an obsessive-compulsive personality disorder